Red Hot Chili Peppers say Wu Tang Clan, not Tom Petty, inspired Dani California

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have taken a bit of heat for similarities between "Dani California," the first single from their latest album, Stadium Arcadium, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' 1993 hit "Mary Jane's Last Dance." The group has denied that it deliberately stole anything from Petty, and drummer Chad Smith told us that guitarist John Frusciante drew the inspiration for the "Dani California" came from a very different source: "No one's been listening to Tom Petty. John was listening to the Wu Tang Clan all weekend long one weekend and, I don't know which record it is that has that beat (sings). And so he came up with those chords and he sings and he goes, 'Hey, play a beat like this' (sings). So I immediately play it, and it sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd."

Smith added that the Chili Peppers feel the controversy over the song is overblown: "It's like saying to Tom Petty, 'Well, you know, you're kinda singing like Bob Dylan. You ever heard those records?' You know, you steal from everybody, but you don't steal steal. You know, but at the same time, there's only so many chords in the rock 'n' roll progression."

Rick Rubin, who produced Stadium Arcadium, also produced "Mary Jane's Last Dance" for Petty.

The Chili Peppers have released a second single from Stadium Arcadium, "Tell Me Baby."

The Chili Peppers perform on Wednesday, August 16th, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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