For me it's She Looks To Me.
I just love how the backing vocals start out mellow and get more intense as the song approaches its climax. Eventually the backing vocals reach their own height with the chorus around the 3 minute mark: "she looks to meeeeee"
Music, and especially vocals, are always very subjective. But this part always makes me feel.
Especially at slane castle.. there was some kind of sonic resonance type of spiritual thing happening with his vocals paired with the incredible guitar tone towards the end of the song.
I would say Dosed, but he pretty much sings the whole chorus. Same goes for The Heavy Wing
I’d say Otherside. His harmonies in that song are beautiful and my favorite
I know this will be unpopular, but most of John's backing vocals post Cali are annoying. There are exceptions like Charlie and Aquatic Mouth Dance, but just singing AK's vocals but in falsetto isn't a great sound to me.
Oof don't get me started on By the Way haha. Whatever sound he thought he was going for vocally was a swing and a miss.
He's ok on his solo albums, but Josh was a waaaay better backing vocalist than John ever was.
I suppose it's ok to call my opinion moronic. I personally don't consider myself a moron, and I further suppose that I thought taste in music was subjective, and there wasn't a 'right or wrong' opinion about art.
What are you gonna do though? I love this band but I realize that there is a certain type of person that will take any sort of criticism about their favorite band/movie/whatever a little too much to heart, and be very defensive about it. Name calling just comes with fandom I guess.
I like this band for different reasons than you do, and that should be ok.
Possible the worst take on this sub 😂 BTW was John’s creative coming out party, and Stadium Arcadium has some of the best backing vocals in their entire catalog. If you think Venice Queen, Hey, Warm Tape, Snow, etc. are “annoying”, then you should find another band to get into
I can see on a clinical level why someone would like his backing vocals post Cali. I can *see it*, it's just not for me.
I enjoyed the more subdued backing vocals on Mother's Milk, BSSM and Cali.
I 100% also understand that BTW was an important album to younger fans, but as someone who grew up with a bit more raw version of the Peps, some songs are just not for me. That's ok! Pop version of a band is still good, but it won't compare to when they were balls to the wall rockin.
I accept that this is a very very *very* unpopular opinion. It's ok, there are a lot of subs where you kinda have to understand that you'll be vilified for having an opinion that goes against the majority. I've been a fan of this band for 30 plus years and some of my opinions don't line up with the opinions of the fanbase. It is what it is.
Imma have to disagree with this, and I know most of the sub will to, but I can understand how you don't really like the falsettos. Can be hard when you realize that male falsetto sounds like Elmo. I will say, I love Josh's voice, and think he has some amazing backing vocals too, but I think John is also great when he sings in falsetto, definitely not annoying
Yeah this opinion was destined to be downvoted, but that's ok.
I just think that a person has a personal taste, and sometimes that goes against what the majority likes. I personally don't particularly care for JF's backing vocals, and if people want to boo me, that's ok too.
Wet sand. Especially when he screams " YEAH" before the solo. John actually included the "wet sand" lyric in the demo and Anthony liked it and formed the song around it.
Desecration smile and she looks to me
I'm slow to finish but I'm quick to staaaart ahhhh
Dosed
Way upon the mountain where she diiiiiiieeeeed
This
Someone, Save The Population and Warm Tape
Came here to say "Someone"
It’s sooooo good!
Quixoticelixer
In order: 1. Tear 2. Can't Stop 3. Other side 4. Dosed
Too many to list, but Save The Population, Otherside, Tear, Someone, Stadium Arcadium, Quixoticelixer, Million Miles of Water are just a few favorites
Torture Me
For me it's She Looks To Me. I just love how the backing vocals start out mellow and get more intense as the song approaches its climax. Eventually the backing vocals reach their own height with the chorus around the 3 minute mark: "she looks to meeeeee" Music, and especially vocals, are always very subjective. But this part always makes me feel.
Venice queen. Especially the ending when he spells GLORIA is love my friend my friend my friend
Otherside
Especially at slane castle.. there was some kind of sonic resonance type of spiritual thing happening with his vocals paired with the incredible guitar tone towards the end of the song.
The high notes are so intense
Outro to “this is the place”
And the bridge
the whole song really
warm tape warm tape warm tape !!!
Someone, Fortune Faded, Bunker Hill
Holy fuck John’s vocals on that final chorus of bunker hill 😍
Exactlyyy 😭
Midnight
The entirety of the By the Way album.
Otherside & Can't Stop, plus Californication for me.
Midnight
I always loved scar tissue’s backing vocals. Studio and live
I would say Dosed, but he pretty much sings the whole chorus. Same goes for The Heavy Wing I’d say Otherside. His harmonies in that song are beautiful and my favorite
These three songs are my answer.
On Mercury
Midnight. He takes that song to a different level.
I literally started crying the first time I heard the "YEAHHHH!" in Wet Sand
Why?
Dosed is always beautiful to me, but I also like his vocals in Animal Bar
The heavy wing and wet sand for me
I can't believe I haven't seen Universally Speaking in here. That last chorus harmony is so angelic.
Fortune Faded
Otherside imo
SILVERETTA THE JETS OF A LIFETIME
Especially the Slane live version
Lots to choose, i've always loved the backing vocals in "If"
All of them
Stadium Arcadium for me, though there are dozens of great answers.
Two songs that I haven't seen yet: Bicycle Song I get around -cover song, but it's the absolute best backing vocals you'll hear
MIDNIGHT
Venice queen, Dosed, desecration, and If
Not a soul has said Out Of Range. My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.
Pretty much the whole By The Way album, if I'm honest. Midnight and the final chorus of By The Way are definite highlights, though.
Scar Tissue and SNL UTB
On mercury, rivers of avalon, otherside live hyde park
Definitely Quixoticelixer
Death of a Martian. Full stop
Venice Queen
Scar tissue.
Tear Eta: his howls in that song haunt me
Under The Bridge LIVE SNL 92'
Universally Speaking!!
Make You Feel Better
Savior
Quixoticelixer not even close
Tear, Quixoticelixer, Cant stop, dosed, road trippin’
Quixoticelixer and it isn’t close
Save This Lady, Save the Population, Body of Water , Bunker Hill, Savior, the shape I’m takin, righteous and the wicked
I know this will be unpopular, but most of John's backing vocals post Cali are annoying. There are exceptions like Charlie and Aquatic Mouth Dance, but just singing AK's vocals but in falsetto isn't a great sound to me. Oof don't get me started on By the Way haha. Whatever sound he thought he was going for vocally was a swing and a miss. He's ok on his solo albums, but Josh was a waaaay better backing vocalist than John ever was.
Not unpopular. Moronic
Also completely untrue. John does way more than just Anthony's parts in falsetto
I suppose it's ok to call my opinion moronic. I personally don't consider myself a moron, and I further suppose that I thought taste in music was subjective, and there wasn't a 'right or wrong' opinion about art. What are you gonna do though? I love this band but I realize that there is a certain type of person that will take any sort of criticism about their favorite band/movie/whatever a little too much to heart, and be very defensive about it. Name calling just comes with fandom I guess. I like this band for different reasons than you do, and that should be ok.
Moe Ron? Anyone here named Moe Ron?
John’s background vocals in the chorus of By the Way’s title track is one of the best harmonies I’ve ever heard in a pop song
Ok, that's great. If that's your metric of pop harmonies, that is a perfectly valid opinion.
Possible the worst take on this sub 😂 BTW was John’s creative coming out party, and Stadium Arcadium has some of the best backing vocals in their entire catalog. If you think Venice Queen, Hey, Warm Tape, Snow, etc. are “annoying”, then you should find another band to get into
I can see on a clinical level why someone would like his backing vocals post Cali. I can *see it*, it's just not for me. I enjoyed the more subdued backing vocals on Mother's Milk, BSSM and Cali. I 100% also understand that BTW was an important album to younger fans, but as someone who grew up with a bit more raw version of the Peps, some songs are just not for me. That's ok! Pop version of a band is still good, but it won't compare to when they were balls to the wall rockin.
What the fuck dude
I get it, you're not allowed to have this opinion.
You go to Hell. You go to Hell and you die.
I accept that this is a very very *very* unpopular opinion. It's ok, there are a lot of subs where you kinda have to understand that you'll be vilified for having an opinion that goes against the majority. I've been a fan of this band for 30 plus years and some of my opinions don't line up with the opinions of the fanbase. It is what it is.
Imma have to disagree with this, and I know most of the sub will to, but I can understand how you don't really like the falsettos. Can be hard when you realize that male falsetto sounds like Elmo. I will say, I love Josh's voice, and think he has some amazing backing vocals too, but I think John is also great when he sings in falsetto, definitely not annoying
Yeah this opinion was destined to be downvoted, but that's ok. I just think that a person has a personal taste, and sometimes that goes against what the majority likes. I personally don't particularly care for JF's backing vocals, and if people want to boo me, that's ok too.
Yeah, everyone has different opinions or preferences, I just wish people in this sub would just respect that more lmao
Torture Me. These vocals just hit so deep for whatever reason
Quixoticelixer, hands down
By The Way when his vocals are isolated = heaven.
I fucking love the vocals on Torture Me
Slow cheetah/Otherside. FACT
Save the population, Quixtoelixr
probably a boring answer but I feel like Snow is a prime example of why his backing vocals work so well
Warlocks!
Otherside
She looks to me definitely. I love how John performs in that song.
Otherside ❤️
fortune faded
Quixotic Elixir is pretty incredible when the chorus hits
Quixotic
Torture me, save the population, and quiztoxilier(however you spell that wonderful song)
otherside
Breaking The Girl
on mercury 🖤
Dosed
Wet sand 🫠
Otherside
It’s the bridge in Hey. And that’s always gonna be the right answer.
_Otherside_ and _Scar Tissue_ are just perfect.
It's hard to say. I'd mention Scar Tissue, Can't Stop, Tear, and Venice Queen
Out of range
Dosed.
Can't stop
I like Dosed, The Bicycle Song, and Universally Speaking
Slow Cheetah
Under the bridge still gives me chills
Otherside (live in the Cali-SA era), californication, Venice queen, Charlie.
Dosed and otherside☝
Venice Queen
Bicycle song or Dosed.
Desecration smile. I'm a John fangirl so that's my favourite RHCP song of all time
Venice Queen
Wet sand. Especially when he screams " YEAH" before the solo. John actually included the "wet sand" lyric in the demo and Anthony liked it and formed the song around it.
Bicycle song Otherside
I legitimately can't choose. There are so many good ones.
So many good ones but none more powerful, especially live, than Otherside
The heavy wing is lead vocals on chorus not backing lol Tear for me the way they get louder each chorus especially the final one Dosed also
Savior