The song begins in the key of A minor[2][unreliable source?]

It is notable for its sparse combination of guitar and bass notes in the main riff; Frusciante drew inspiration from "Carnage Visors" by The Cure.

The video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, takes the form of a fictional open world video game that depicts each of the band members on some sort of adventure in a California setting, particularly San Francisco and Los Angeles, which ends when the world is ravaged by an earthquake and the avatars are replaced by the live action band members.

Orteza wrote, “I wanted to play that game so bad!

"[5] "Californication" was named the Red Hot Chili Peppers' best song by both Kerrang and Rolling Stone.