 Allmusic considered the song " By the Way " to combine " fiery Hollywood funk , gentle harmonies , a little bit of singing about girls , [ and ] a little bit of hanging out in the streets in the summertime . " Rolling Stone commented on " how close this band has come to conjuring pure California sunshine " in " The Zephyr Song " . " Midnight " was highly regarded by several sources . It was chosen as one of By the Way 's " Allmusic Track Picks " . Kimberly Mack of Pop Matters considered it to have " hippie @-@ friendly lyrics " and to " evoke images of tie @-@ dyed T @-@ shirts and AM radio . " Mack also regarded " Venice Queen " as " a masterpiece ... Frusciante 's backing vocals are hauntingly beautiful . " In 2005 , By the Way was ranked number 375 in Rock Hard magazine 's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time . 
