Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea Unveils Cover Of Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinkin Bout You’

Flea(Credit: Gus Van Sant)

Flea is embracing his inner jazz aficionado with his forthcoming album, Honora. And today, he’s shared a new single from the record: his take on the Frank Ocean hit, Thinkin Bout You.

In case you missed it: last month, Flea – best known as the bassist of Red Hot Chili Peppers – announced a new venture, revealing that his debut solo album, Honora, would be released on Friday, 27 March, via Nonesuch Records. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here.

Honora is a jazz record and finds Flea visiting his first love: playing the trumpet. And with Thinkin Bout You, he reinterpreted a beloved R&B tune, transforming it into an instrumental and orchestral ballad. With Flea’s electric bass and trumpet at the forefront, the song also features Anna Butterss on upright bass and a string arrangement by Nate Walcott.

Explaining the surprise song choice, Flea divulged in a statement, “Channel Orange! When that record came out, it really blew me away.

“I listened to it ten million times. It was something I just couldn’t stop listening to. I loved it so much and still do. Just one of those real watershed moment records for me. ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is one of the many great songs on that record, and I thought it would be fun to play on trumpet.”

Flea added, “Then I went to Nate Wolcott, who plays keyboards on Honora on several tunes. He did that string arrangement for me. He stepped up to the plate and really did something beautiful. I just wanted to get the honest beauty of the melody because it’s a great song.”

You can check out Flea’s rendition of Thinkin Bout You below.

Thinkin Bout You marks the third single released from Honora, following A Plea and Traffic Lights, the latter featuring Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, also his Atoms For Peace bandmate.

Honora finds Flea partnering with elite jazz visionaries, including album producer and saxophonist Josh Johnson, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks.

While Flea primarily plays the trumpet across the album, he also contributes vocals. However, he’s also gotten friends and singers, Thom Yorke and Nick Cave, on board. Plus, Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms For Peace) and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes), as well as others, have joined the band.