Album · 35 years old this year
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on 24 September 1991 through Warner Bros. Records. Rick Rubin produced it, and the sound shifted from its predecessor, Mother's Milk. The heavy metal guitar riffs were dialled back, leaving more space for John Frusciante's melodic songwriting. Lust, exuberance, sexual innuendo and references to drugs and death run through the lyrics.
It reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the singles "Under the Bridge", "Give It Away", "Suck My Kiss", "Breaking the Girl" and "If You Have to Ask". Critics rated it highly, and it took the band to worldwide popularity. Frusciante, uneasy with fame, left during the 1992 tour and returned in 1998. Flea has named it his favourite of the band's albums, and it has sold over 14 million copies, second only to Californication.
Blood Sugar Sex Magik: tracklist, credits and charts
17 tracks · 1:14:28Tracklist
- 1The Power of EqualityFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:06
- 2If You Have to AskFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith3:39
- 3Breaking the GirlFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:57
- 4Funky MonksFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith5:25
- 5Suck My KissFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith3:39
- 6I Could Have LiedFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:06
- 7Mellowship Slinky in B majorFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:02
- 8The Righteous & the WickedFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:10
- 9Give It AwayFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:45
- 10Blood Sugar Sex MagikFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:33
- 11Under the BridgeFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:26
- 12Naked in the RainFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:28
- 13Apache Rose PeacockFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:44
- 14The Greeting SongFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith3:16
- 15My Lovely ManFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith4:41
- 16Sir Psycho SexyFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith8:19
- 17They’re Red HotRobert Johnson1:12
- Produced by
- Rick Rubin
- Recorded at
- The Mansion (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- April–June 1991
- Engineered by
- Brendan O’Brien
- Artwork
- Henk Schiffmacher
- Photography
- Gus Van Sant
- Labels
- Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 1:14:28
Line-up
- Brendan O’Brien · mellotron · guest
- Pete Weiss · mouth harp · guest
- Flea · bass · guest
- John Frusciante · guitar · guest
- Chad Smith · drums (drum set) · guest
- Gail Frusciante · choir vocals · guest
- Anthony Kiedis · lead vocals · guest
Singles
- “Give It Away” · September 1991
- “Under the Bridge” · February 1992
- “Suck My Kiss” · May 1992 (Aus / EU)
- “Breaking the Girl” · August 1992
- “If You Have to Ask” · February 1993 (Aus / EU)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1991–2022 | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1991–2022 | 25 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991–2022 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991–2022 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991–2022 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1991–2022 | 5 |
| US Vinyl Albums · 1991–2022 | 6 |
| Swiss Albums · 1991–2022 | 10 |
| German Albums · 1991–2022 | 12 |
All 20 charts
| Finnish Albums · 1991–2022 | 16 |
| Austrian Albums · 1991–2022 | 17 |
| US Catalog Albums · 1991–2022 | 19 |
| US Tastemaker · 1991–2022 | 21 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1991–2022 | 23 |
| Italian Albums · 1991–2022 | 25 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991–2022 | 26 |
| French Albums · 1991–2022 | 76 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1991–2022 | 157 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1991–2022 | 184 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1993 | Platinum |
| Australia · 2006 | 6× Platinum |
| Austria · 1994 | Gold |
| Canada · 1992 | 4× Platinum |
| Denmark · 2024 | 3× Platinum |
| France · 1997 | Platinum |
| Germany · 2006 | Platinum |
| Italy · 2024 | Platinum |
| Netherlands · 2001 | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 2026 | 3× Platinum |
| Norway · 1998 | Platinum |
| Poland · 2000 | Gold |
| Spain · 1998 | 2× Platinum |
| Sweden · 1991 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2012 | 3× Platinum |
| United States · 2001 | 7× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
98.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
17k
ListenBrainz listeners
363k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
147k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
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Nirvana · 1991
Prove You Wrong
Prong · 1991
Trompe le Monde
Pixies · 1991
Decade of Decadence ’81–’91
Mötley Crüe · 1991
Live Train to Heartbreak Station
Cinderella · 1991
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
Pretty on the Inside
Hole · 1991
Also released on 24 September
Every year →Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
The Razors Edge
AC/DC · 1990
Rust in Peace
Megadeth · 1990
Pinkerton
Weezer · 1996
Love Over Gold
Dire Straits · 1982
Tonight
David Bowie · 1984
Sea Change
Beck · 2002
Caress of Steel
Rush · 1975
In Absentia
Porcupine Tree · 2002
The Lion and the Witch
Weezer · 2002
Rise of the Tyrant
Arch Enemy · 2007
The Story of The Who
The Who · 1976
More from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Full discography →
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
1984
Freaky Styley
1985
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
1987
The Abbey Road E.P.
1988
Mother’s Milk
1989
Give It Away EP
1992
What Hits!? Best of Red Hot Chili Peppers
1992
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Best of Red Hot Chili Peppers 1994
The Best of Red Hot Chili Peppers
1994
Live Rare Remix Box
1994
The Plasma Shaft
1994
Out in L.A.
1994
One Hot Minute
1995
Under the Covers: Essential Red Hot Chili Peppers
1998
Californication
1999
By the Way
2002
Greatest Hits
2003
Live in Hyde Park
2004
Stadium Arcadium
2006
Road Trippin’ Through Time
2011
I’m With You
2011
I’m With You Europe
2012
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Covers
2012
I’m Beside You
2013
I’m With You World Tour 2012-2013
2014
2004-06-23: Live in Cardiff, Wales, UK
2015
The Getaway
2016
Live in Paris
2016
Unlimited Love
2022
Return of the Dream Canteen
2022
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Achtung Baby
U2 · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Out of Time
R.E.M. · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
On Every Street
Dire Straits · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
More on Warner Bros. Records
The label →
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park · 2000
Meteora
Linkin Park · 2003
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1999
Minutes to Midnight
Linkin Park · 2007
By the Way
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 2002
One More Light
Linkin Park · 2017
Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 2006
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
A Thousand Suns
Linkin Park · 2010
The Hunting Party
Linkin Park · 2014
One Hot Minute
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1995
Out of Time
R.E.M. · 1991
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 24 September 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 24 September 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 24 September 1991 | |
| US release | 24 September 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 30 September 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
26 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| — | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| — | US | — | other | |
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Warner Bros. Records | 6001491310320 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668118 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 1991 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668149 | other |
| 1991 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1991 | — | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1991 | CA | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1991 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 0208314283267 | other |
| 1991 | AU | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 24 September 1991 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | original |
| 30 September 1991 | GB | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 25 October 1991 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4988014745581 | other |
| September 1999 | DE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992668125 | other |
| 2006 | XW | Warner Bros. Records | 093624931973 | deluxe |
| 2006 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4943674063376 | other |
| 21 March 2006 | — | Warner Bros. Records | 093624424369 | deluxe |
| 2009 | XW | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 31 August 2011 | JP | Warner Records | 4943674109609 | other |
| 25 November 2011 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624986942 | other |
| 12 January 2012 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624954163 | remaster |
| 12 May 2015 | — | Warner Bros. Records | 093624932147 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1425×1425 | upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |