Song · Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Parallel Universe” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
From the album Californication (1999)
“Parallel Universe” by Red Hot Chili Peppers appears on 14 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 2000 and 2023. It was first released in 1999 on the album Californication. Its best result is #5 on the K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2001. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #60 alternative song of 2001, #4,830 alternative song of all time and #483 of the '00s.
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"Parallel Universe" was the sixth and last single from Californication, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1999 album, and it only ever went out as a radio promo, never as a CD single you could buy. Still, it reached 37 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and later landed on Greatest Hits. Rick Rubin produced and Jim Scott engineered and mixed.
It's one of the most distorted, heaviest tracks on the record. Flea plays it with a pick for the first time, swapping the funk slap for a relentless drive, while Anthony Kiedis keeps the verses hushed and melodic and the lyrics turn inward and dark. Unlike nearly everything else on the album, there are no backing vocals. It became a live staple, played more than 330 times since its debut in 1998.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2000 | 105 |
| 2000 | 35 | K-Rock New York, NY | K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2000 | 93 |
| 2001 | 23 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2001 | 107 |
| 2001 | 21 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2001 | 106 |
| 2001 | 53 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2001 | 101 |
| 2001 | 47 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2001 | 100 |
| 2001 | 5 | K-Rock New York, NY | K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2001 | 93 |
| 2001 | 37 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2001 | 100 |
| 2001 | 21 | 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON | 89X Top 89 Songs of 2001 | 89 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 373 | Live 105 | Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) | 500 |
| 2007 | 180 | KROQ | KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) | 500 |
| 2008 | 461 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) | 500 |
| 2009 | 337 | Live 105 | Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) | 500 |
| 2023 | 769 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
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