Snow (Hey Oh)

"Snow (Hey Oh)"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers
from the album Stadium Arcadium
B-side	"Funny Face" "I'll Be Your Domino"
Released	November 20, 2006
Format	CD single, vinyl, digital download
Recorded	March - December 2005 at The Mansion in Los Angeles, California
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	5:34 (album version) 4:00 (radio edit)
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Flea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Tell Me Baby" (2006) "Snow (Hey Oh)" (2006) "Desecration Smile" (2007)
"Tell Me Baby" (2006) "Snow (Hey Oh)" (2006) "Desecration Smile" (2007)
Music video
"Snow (Hey Oh)" on YouTube

"Snow (Hey Oh)" is a song by American band Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 2006 double album, Stadium Arcadium. The song was released as the follow-up single to "Tell Me Baby" on November 20, 2006 and became the band's third straight number one hit on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, a spot it held for five straight weeks. The single was their 11th to top that chart, giving the band the all-time record for any artist on that chart, a record they still hold to date and extended in 2016 to 13.

Vocalist Anthony Kiedis states that the track is "about surviving, starting fresh. I've made a mess of everything, but I have a blank slate—a canvas of snow—and I get to start over."^[1]

On June 28, 2012, at the band's concert at Goffertpark in Nijmegen, Netherlands during the I'm with You Tour, the band performed the song for the first time since the end of the Stadium Arcadium Tour nearly five years earlier.

Song background

"Snow (Hey Oh)" is a characteristically soft, melodic song, much like those from the band's prior album By the Way. The song is driven by a rapid guitar riff by John Frusciante, and makes use of double stops on the bass by Flea. The song is written in the key of G# minor.

Frusciante.net revealed that this was going to be the third of seven songs released as a single from Stadium Arcadium. Before even being released as a single, it climbed to #53 in the UK iTunes top 100 on May 13. Like its predecessor "Tell Me Baby", it peaked at #16 in the UK Singles Chart.

On January 17, 2007, "Snow (Hey Oh)" became the band's record-breaking 11th number-one Modern Rock single in the United States and is the third consecutive chart-topping Modern Rock single from Stadium Arcadium.

In Germany, it was the band's most successful song, reaching #5, making it the band's only Top-10-song there.^[2]

In 2008 "Snow (Hey Oh)" was used as one of the official themes of WWE WrestleMania XXIV. It was also used in Scrubs in the two-part episode "My Finale" and during the end credits in Death Note: The Last Name.

The song can be heard in a flashback scene in the Cold Case episode "Sabotage"

Music video

In an interview, Tony Kaye, who also directed the video for "Dani California", told MTV he would be directing the video for the song. However, his footage wasn't used. Instead, Warner commissioned director Nick Wickham to shoot a new video showing the band at October 17 and show of 18 October 2006s at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, along with black and white film of fans at the parking lot and lines at the live show.

Live performances

"Snow (Hey Oh)" has been the second most performed song from Stadium Arcadium and has been performed over 250 times since 2006. As of 2017, the song is still featured regularly in the band's setlists.

Track listings and formats

CD single

1. "Snow (Hey Oh)" – 5:34
2. "Permutation" (Live) – 3:43

Maxi single 9362 42983-2

1. "Snow (Hey Oh)" – 5:34
2. "Funny Face" – 4:46
3. "I'll Be Your Domino" – 3:54

International CD single 5439 15624-2

1. "Snow (Hey Oh)" – 5:34
2. "Funny Face" – 4:46

7" picture disc 5439 15623-7

1. "Snow (Hey Oh)" – 5:34
2. "Funny Face" – 4:46

iTunes version single

1. "Snow (Hey Oh)" – 5:34
2. "Funny Face" – 4:46
3. "I'll Be Your Domino" – 3:54
4. "Permutation" (Live) – 3:43

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers

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

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2006–07) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[3] 35 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[6] 39 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[7] 3 Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 5 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[9] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 13 Italy (FIMI)[11] 24 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 10 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[14] 6 Portugal (Billboard) 40 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[15] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 19 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 9 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 16 US Billboard Hot 100[19] 22 US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 1 US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 3 US Billboard Pop Songs 7 US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks 6 Venezuela Pop Rock (Record Report)[20] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Rank German Singles Chart[21] 42 US Billboard Hot 100 91 Certifications and sales Region Certification Certified units/Sales Germany (BVMI)[22] Gold 150,000^ Italy (FIMI)[23] Platinum 20,000 Japan (RIAJ)[24] Gold 100,000^ United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 200,000 United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000^ ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References