Music Video Analysis: Red Hot Chili Peppers- By The Way

"By The Way" by Red Hot Chili Peppers uses a mixture of set performance with the band and narrative. However, like many Red Hot Chili Pepper videos it incorporates a comedic twist. A good example of this is the fact that in the performance scenes the whole band is shirtless. This could also be seen in the behaviour of the taxi driver. The video uses a lot of quick cuts to suit the pace of the song. Some of the shots are even distorted and edited in such a way to suit the frantic pace of the song as it progresses.

This video clearly conforms to some of the basic codes and conventions of rock music videos. However it is a good example of how some bands might attempt to put their own spin on the genre.