"My Friends" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...

 and the fourth track on their 1995 album One Hot Minute

One Hot Minute

One Hot Minute is the sixth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 12, 1995, on Warner Bros. Records...

. It is a melodic ballad and was released as the second single from the album. It is the only song from One Hot Minute to be included on their Greatest Hits compilation, though the music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "Aeroplane", appears on the DVD. It became the band's third #1 single on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart where it remained for 4 consecutive weeks, and their first #1 single on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Lyrically, "My Friends" is one of the moodier and more introspective songs on the album, exploring the loneliness and emptiness people feel. Singer Anthony Kiedis

Anthony Kiedis

Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...

 then stresses that those people "hurt by the cold" are not alone and are loved. The song is about the difficult times Flea

Flea (musician)

Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...

 went through; he was going through a painful divorce with his first wife and felt even more depressed because the writing and recording of One Hot Minute was a painstakingly slow and disappointing process that took almost a year and a half.

The band has not performed "My Friends" since 1996.

Music video

The surreal music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 depicts the band in many incarnations on a small boat, stranded in a large stretch of treacherous water. This video was directed by Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...

. Anthony Kiedis

Anthony Kiedis

Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...

 admits that he thought this video was not very good, as it was not realistic

Realism (arts)

Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...

. They had a second video recorded for the song, directed by Gavin Bowden, where they were in a studio. The latter can be seen on their Greatest Hits DVD and on the band's YouTube account.

Trivia

• The chorus was used as part of "Weird Al" Yankovic
  "Weird Al" Yankovic
  Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
  
  's polka medley "The Alternative Polka" on his Bad Hair Day
  Bad Hair Day
  Bad Hair Day is the 9th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1996. This album was the third studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on Bad Hair Day are built around parodies and pastiches pop and rock music of the mid 1990s, targeting alternative rock and hip-hop...
  
  album.

• The Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman
  Late Show with David Letterman
  Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
  
  shortly after the release of the album to perform "My Friends", as seen here.

Track list

CD single (1995)

1. "My Friends" (album)
2. "Coffee Shop" (album)
3. "Let's Make Evil" (previously unreleased)
4. "Stretch" (previously unreleased)

CD version 2 (1995)

1. "My Friends" (album)
2. "Coffee Shop" (album)
3. "Let's Make Evil" (previously unreleased)

12" single (1995)

1. "My Friends" (album)
2. "Coffee Shop" (album)
3. "Let's Make Evil" (previously unreleased)
4. "Stretch" (previously unreleased)