A single from the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 1999 album Californication, the “other side” here is a metaphor for both the struggle to get back to a normal life after addiction and also death itself.
This song is some form of a tribute to former guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroin overdose himself. Some believe that it is an attempt to communicate with Slovak, or even written from his perspective. Slovak, lead singer Anthony Kiedis, and Slovak’s replacement John Frusciante all suffered from heroin addiction, so this song could be from the point of view of any of them.
The lyrics are somewhat cryptic, and hold multiple meanings as you would come to expect from Kiedis. The music video offers a little insight (although it can be just as confusing), as it seems to depict the story of a man in a hospital trying to fight off monsters before eventually passing at the end. The video gives a very nightmarish vibe, and is most likely using the monsters as symbols of addiction. Kiedis himself described his addiction as “a big grey monster”, which is actually one of the monsters the man faces in the video.
Official Music Video:
For people interested in the musical structure of “Otherside”, check out this video: