“Snow (Hey Oh)” is a song from the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Grammy–winner 2006 double album, Stadium Arcadium. The song was released as the follow-up single to “Tell Me Baby” on November 20, 2006 and became the band’s third straight number one hit on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, a spot it held for five straight weeks. The single was their 11th to top the charts giving the band the all-time record for any artist on that chart, a record they still hold to date and even passed in 2011.
Vocalist Anthony Kiedis states that the track is “about surviving, starting fresh. I’ve made a mess of everything, but I have a blank slate—a canvas of snow—and I get to start over.”
Despite the song being very popular and a big hit, it hasn’t been performed since the Stadium Arcadium tour.
It is a characteristically soft, melodic song, much like those from the band’s prior album By The Way. The song is driven by a rapid guitar riff by John Frusciante, and makes use of double stops on the bass by Flea.
Frusciante.net revealed that this was going to be the third of seven songs released as a single from Staduim Arcadium. Before even being released as a single, it climbed to #53 in the UKiTunes top 100 on May 13. Like its predecessor “Tell Me Baby“, it peaked at #16 in the UK Singles Chart.
On 17 January 2007, “Snow (Hey Oh)” became the band’s record breaking 11th number one Modern Rock single in the United States and is the third consecutive chart-topping Modern Rock single from Stadium Arcadium.
In Germany, it was the band’s most successful song, reaching #5, making it the band’s only Top-10-song there.” – Wikipedia
Snow (Hey oh)
Come to decide that the things that I tried
Were in my life just to get high on
When I sit alone come get a little known
But I need more than myself this time
Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe that we rely on
When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice
Hey oh listen what I say oh
I got your
Hey oh (now) listen what I say oh
When will I know that i really can’t go
To the well once more time to decide on
When it’s killing me
When will I really see
All that I need to look inside
Come to believe that I better not leave
Before I get my chance to ride
When it’s killing me
What do I really need
All that I need to look inside
Hey oh listen what I say oh
Come back and
Hey oh look at what I say oh
The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go… hey oh whoa
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go
In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it’s so white as snow
Running through a field where all my tracks will
Be concealed and there is nowhere to go
When to descend to amend for a friend
All the channels that have broken down
Now you bring it up
I’m gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out
Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe that we rely on
When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice
Hey oh listen what I say oh
I got your
Hey oh listen what I say oh
The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go… hey oh whoa
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go
In between the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Running through the field where all my tracks will
Be concealed and there is nowhere to go
I said hey yeah
Oh yeah
Tell my love now
Hey yeah
Oh yeah
Tell my love now
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Running through the field where all my tracks will
Be concealed and there’s nowhere to go
I said hey oh yeah
Oh yeah
Tell my love now
Hey yeah
Oh yeah
