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"If You Have to Ask" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1991 studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It was released as the album's fifth and final single in 1993.

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"If You Have to Ask"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers
from the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Released	February 1993
Recorded	May – June 1991 at The Mansion in Los Angeles, California
Genre	Funk rock, alternative rock
Length	3:37
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Flea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Behind the Sun" (1992) "If You Have to Ask" (1993) "Soul to Squeeze" (1993)

A music video was made, but merely consists of live footage of the band from a 1992 show at the Winter Show Buildings in Wellington, New Zealand overdubbed with the original album track. The video is notable because it is one of only two videos to feature guitarist Arik Marshall ("Breaking the Girl" being the other). The video was rarely aired on music television and the song along with the video was not featured on the band's Greatest Hits album. Like the song "Aeroplane" from their 1995 album One Hot Minute, it was one of the two music videos from the Warner era not available on their official app.

The verses of the song consist of a scratchy, minimalist funk lick played on the guitar, with a busier bass melody playing behind it. The lyrics in the verses are a stream of consciousness style run of non-sequiturs, which the chorus then explains by stating "If you have to ask, you'll never know". While guitarist John Frusciante finishes the solo at the end of the song, the production crew and the band can be heard applauding him. However, no attempts were made to edit out the applause or to re-record it like with all other unintended sounds found on the album.

Live performances

"If You Have to Ask" has been performed on every tour since 1991.

Track listing

CD single (1993)

1. "If You Have to Ask" (edit)
2. "If You Have to Ask" (Disco Krisco Mix)
3. "If You Have to Ask" (Scott And Garth Mix)
4. "Give It Away" (In Progress)

12" single (1993)[1]

1. "If You Have to Ask" (Disco Krisco Mix)
2. "If You Have to Ask" (album)
3. "If You Have to Ask" (Friday Night Fever Blister Mix)
4. "Give It Away" (In Progress)

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Anthony Kiedis - lead vocals
• John Frusciante - guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Flea - bass, backing vocals
• Chad Smith - drums, tambourine

References

На других языках

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- [en] If You Have to Ask

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[es] If You Have to Ask

«If You Have to Ask» es la segunda canción del disco de la banda californiana Red Hot Chili Peppers lanzado en 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik; pero no fue puesta a la venta como sencillo hasta 1993. Fue el quinto y último sencillo del álbum. En el video musical aparece Arik Marshall, guitarrista que sustituye a John Frusciante, en la banda. La canción incluye una melodía bastante funky en el bajo y acaba con un largo solo de guitarra por parte de Frusciante (que toca en la canción pero no aparece en el vídeo), de hecho se oyen aplausos de la producción y del resto de la banda al acabar el solo improvisado. En esta canción se escuchan los coros que luego, en álbumes como By the Way y Stadium Arcadium, se harían tan habituales en las canciones.

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[ru] If You Have to Ask

«If You Have to Ask» — песня американской рок-группы Red Hot Chili Peppers, пятый и финальный сингл из альбома Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Для песни было смонтировано музыкальное видео, в нём звучит альбомная версия песни поверх кадров с концерта группы. «If You Have to Ask» примечательна тем, что в видеоклипе для этой песни снялся гитарист Эрик Маршалл (второй клип с его участием — «Breaking the Girl»). Видео редко транслировалось на музыкальных каналах, и в итоге, песня не была включена в сборник суперхитов группы — Greatest Hits, также она не была включена в сборник Greatest Videos, как и некоторые другие видео периода сотрудничества Chili Peppers с лейблом Warner Bros. Records.

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