Honoring the National Treasure That Is Flea by Celebrating His 5 Most Absurdly Stellar Bass Lines

In 1982, Flea, born Michael Balzary, co-founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles, California. His bass playing is equal parts funk, jazz, rock, and punk. He grew up playing trumpet while studying Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. He was consumed by jazz and had little interest in rock ’n’ roll. 

Hillel Slovak, with whom he’d formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers, taught him how to play bass. Flea developed a new funk style, played with the intensity of punk rock. Together with his childhood friend Anthony Kiedis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are an enduring force of a band. And Flea is one of the most recognizable bass players in history. 

Dedicated to his craft, he studies trumpet and piano between sold-out stadium tours. He’s famously approached music like an ascetic monk hooked on Ornette Coleman and Jimi Hendrix. There’s transcendence to his general philosophy. With self-discipline and a constant yearning for improvement, Flea, now in his 60s, hasn’t peaked. 

In 2001, Flea co-founded the non-profit Silverlake Conservatory of Music, where he teaches music to kids—providing a valuable resource missing from Los Angeles-area public schools. Celebrating the national treasure that is Flea, grab a tube sock and reminisce about his most memorable bass-playing moments. 

6. “Tippa My Tongue” from Return of the Dream Canteen (2022)

After two studio albums with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, the band returned with John Frusciante and a pair of double albums. Klinghoffer is a talented man in his own right, but the magic that happens when Frusciante and Flea play together is vividly apparent in “Tippa My Tongue.” Flea slaps his way through the verses, then turns to a deep groove in the chorus. Their superpower is funk and melody. It’s why they have filled stadiums since releasing Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1991. 

5. “Dark Necessities” from The Getaway (2016)

The Getaway is the second album with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and the first without long-time producer Rick Rubin since Mother’s Milk (1989). Their sound evolved to melancholy soundscapes and cinematic touches while working with Danger Mouse. “Dark Necessities” builds dramatically around Flea’s piano figure before releasing into a space-funk slap-bass groove that only Flea can pull off. 

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4. “Higher Ground” from Mother’s Milk (1989)

Stevie Wonder is one of the funkiest humans in history. And Flea is right there with him. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first single from Mother’s Milk was a funk-punk cover of Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Replacing Wonder’s clavinet with slap bass, Flea’s defining riff has the rare accomplishment of becoming as iconic as the original version. Mother’s Milk was the Peppers’ first album with 18-year-old guitar virtuoso John Frusciante. “Higher Ground” perfectly distills the Chili Peppers’ funk-metal hybrid. 

3. “Around the World” from Californication (1999)

Guitarist John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the height of their success in 1992. He survived a heroin addiction and returned to the band—seemingly from the dead—with Californication. “Around the World” begins the album with Flea’s fuzzed-out bass. Anthony Kiedis screams at the top of his lungs before the reborn funky monks fall into a greased-up classic Red Hot Chili Peppers jam. Californication is the band’s most successful record to date.

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2. “Aeroplane” from One Hot Minute (1995)

Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro replaced Frusciante for One Hot Minute. If it wasn’t for “Give It Away,” this might be Flea’s best bass line. His funky riff echoes the octaves on “Higher Ground” before moving to a deliciously slinky groove in the chorus. Flea and Navarro complement each other like friends floating through a psychedelic desert trip; then Flea unleashes a beautifully trippy bass solo. While some Chili Pepper purists dismiss One Hot Minute, Flea’s playing on “Aeroplane” is inarguably brilliant. 

1. “Give It Away” from Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

In the Funky Monks 1991 documentary, there’s a scene where Rick Rubin helps Flea finalize his bass line for “Give It Away.” If the Red Hot Chili Peppers were defined by one song, this would be it. Everything exciting and absurd about the band lives in the lead single from Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Frusciante’s slippery guitar playing moves in and out of space with Flea’s bass. Drummer Chad Smith pushes the band along while Anthony Kiedis overlays the funky jam with syllabic kabuki. On Blood Sugar, the band traded metal riffs for sparse grooves and melodic songwriting. John Frusciante grew into being the band’s soul, and Flea proved he was the heart of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

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