10 Best Rock Music Videos Of The 2000s
5. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Luckily for us, the music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication came out about a year after the album it was actually on.
That means that Californication the song was released in 2000, whilst Californication the album was released in 1999.
Phew.
That means we can talk about this absolute corker, which frames the song through the lens of a video game. 2000 was the year of the PlayStation 2, so maybe that's why they waited.
Intercut with footage of the band playing the song (topless, naturally) are platformer-style levels featuring the members as the protagonists.
There's one where the Chili Pepper in question must run down the Hollywood Walk of Fame; there's a snowboarding section; and then there's the scourge of gamers everywhere - a water level.
That's just brought on some major Zelda trauma flashbacks.
It's the band's most-viewed music video on YouTube with over a billion plays on the site. It's more than earned this distinction, as it's a lot of fun and still looks good despite being made at the start of this century.
Also, somebody turned it into an actual video game, which is awesome.