Tell Me Baby

"Tell Me Baby"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers
from the album Stadium Arcadium
B-side	"A Certain Someone" "Mercy Mercy"
Released	July 17, 2006
Format	CD single, 7" vinyl
Recorded	March - December 2005 at The Mansion in Los Angeles
Genre	Funk rock, alternative rock
Length	4:07
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Flea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith
Producer	Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Dani California" (2006) "Tell Me Baby" (2006) "Snow ((Hey Oh))" (2006)
Music video "Tell Me Baby" on YouTube

"Tell Me Baby" is a song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2006 double album, Stadium Arcadium. The song was released as the follow-up to the hit single "Dani California" on July 17, 2006. The single was not as successful as "Dani California" as far as chart success, but did reach number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart and remained there for four weeks making it the band's second straight number one on that chart from Stadium Arcadium and tenth number one overall.

The song incorporates both the old funk sound from their Blood Sugar Sex Magik days in the verses of the song, and the chorus focuses on the more melodic sound found on more recent Chili Peppers albums.

Music Video

The music video for "Tell Me Baby" was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, a directing duo that has worked on many other Chili Peppers videos. Flea said, "It's the best [video] we ever did." For the video, Dayton and Faris interviewed and auditioned people who originally came to California to achieve some sort of fame and people who play music just for the sake of playing music. During the callback for the auditioned people, their second audition was filmed and the members of the Chili Peppers surprisingly entered the room during auditions to join in playing along. The music video for "Tell Me Baby" is to represent how awkward auditions are and how hard it is to make it in the music business.

Notes

The Album Version of the song contains the line "life can be a little shitty"; the Radio and Video Version of the song replaces "shitty" with "kitty". It was uncensored in Rock Band.

Formats and track listings

CD version 1 5439 15673-2

1. "Tell Me Baby" – 4:07
2. "A Certain Someone" – 2:25

CD version 2 9362 42956-2

1. "Tell Me Baby" – 4:07
2. "Mercy Mercy" – 4:01
3. "Lyon 06.06.06" (Live) – 03:53

7" Picture Disc 5439 15973-2

1. "Tell Me Baby" – 4:07
2. "Mercy Mercy" – 4:01

Chart performance

Chart (2006)	Peak position
ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart	20
Canadian BDS Airplay Chart	17
Dutch Top 40	18
UK Singles Chart	16
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	50
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1
World Tracks Top 40	18

References

Preceded by "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace

Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single September 23, 2006- October 14, 2006

Succeeded by "When You Were Young" by The Killers