 By the Way is the eighth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers . The album was released on July 9 , 2002 on Warner Bros. Records . It sold over 286 @,@ 000 copies in the first week , and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 . ( Their next album would peak at number one ) The singles from the album included " By the Way " , " The Zephyr Song " , " Can 't Stop " , " Dosed " and " Universally Speaking " . The lyrical subject matter vocalist Anthony Kiedis addresses in By the Way is a divergence from previous Chili Peppers albums , with Kiedis taking a more candid and reflective approach to his lyrics . 
