Kiedis, A., Frusciante, J., Smith, C. & Balzary, M. (1991). Under the bridge [Recorded by Red Hot Chili Peppers]. On Blood Sugar Sex Magik [CD]. New York: Warner Brothers.
This song is most appropriate for usage in substance abuse counseling, although it could be used with clients who are dealing with things such as depression, isolation, and general emotional turmoil. I have utilized this in both individual and the group counseling setting at a substance abuse treatment agency. The song describes the lead singer's loneliness and his destructive relationship with narcotics. It is useful to utilize lyric analysis with this song in that it has very emotional, deep lyrics although it is set to an upbeat tempo. The band purposefully paired upbeat chords with these lyrics. A final decision to end the song with a large chorus was made by producers.

The song describes the isolation and emotional turmoil of the lead singer while reflecting on his heroin and cocaine addiction. Although the song is dark and emotional, the singer indicates that he does not regret getting clean. He penned this after earning three years sobriety. His positivity about his current life circumstances is reflected in the chorus: "I don’t ever want to feel/like I did that day/Take me to the place I love.” The title of the song reflects the lengths to which the singer would go to in order to feed his addiction. I’ve found that many of my clients have related to these lyrics and find the song to be enjoyable. It is a song that many people know, but has a lot of deeper meaning that could be reflected on. You could also include some information about the singer and his struggle with addiction.