Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers)



Give It Away was filmed in black and the band members are painted with silver acrylic. A variety of cinematography was used including wide-angle lenses, shots from below the subject, superimposition, vertically cut screens displaying different angles of the same shot, reverse film effects, multiple lighting situations and flashy clothing to convey the concept.

The video begins with a wide-angle shot of Flea in a desert setting wearing pants with several gold colored horns protruding from each leg. The bassist is standing in a meditative stance and brings his arms together above his head, when the music begins to play. The video then transitions between a variety of shots edited together that consist of the four band members standing with their eyes closed; the band dancing around in a dimly lit setting; a ground view of Frusciante playing a reflective silver Fender Stratocaster in between his legs while wearing pants made up entire of small pieces of mirror; the band members moving around with full makeup on; and the band members dancing frenziedly. Kiedis adopted a deliberately outlandish wardrobe which incorporated gold lipstick, thinly braided hair, revealing meshed shorts and bright silver boots.

During the backwards guitar solo, Frusciante was filmed waving an large aluminum ribbon and the footage was edited in reverse to compliment the solo. While some of the scenes in the video were planned with a storyboard, much of it was improvised or made up on the spot over the two-day shoot. Where the video begins in what appears to be the daytime, it concludes at dusk with silhouettes of the band members running into the setting sun.

The video cost an estimated $140,000 to produced and was nominated for three awards "Best Alternative Video", "Breakthrough Video" and "Best Art Direction"”at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, for which it won the latter two.