Scar Tissue
{{Short description|1999 single by Red Hot Chili Peppers}}
{{About|the Red Hot Chili Peppers song||Scar tissue (disambiguation){{!}}Scar tissue}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Scar Tissue
| cover = Scartissue.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Red Hot Chili Peppers
| album = Californication
| B-side = * "Gong Li"
- "Instrumental #1"
| released = {{start date|1999|5|25}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = * Blues rock
| length = 3:35
| label = Warner Bros.
| writer =
| producer = Rick Rubin
| prev_title = Love Rollercoaster
| prev_year = 1996
| next_title = Around the World
| next_year = 1999
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|mzJj5-lubeM|"Scar Tissue"}}}}
}}
"Scar Tissue" is the first single from American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album, Californication (1999). Released on May 25, 1999, the song spent a then-record 16 consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart as well as 10 weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also successful in Iceland, New Zealand, and Canada, reaching numbers one, three, and four, respectively. In the United Kingdom, it charted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Scar Tissue" is considered to be representative of the new, more melodic rock sound the band experimented with on Californication (in contrast with the psychedelic One Hot Minute, and dry funk of Blood Sugar Sex Magik). The song is notable for its mellow intro guitar riff and for its slide guitar solos throughout. Guitar World placed the guitar solo 63rd in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".{{Cite book|last=Leonard|first=Hal|title=Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time|publisher=Hal Leonard Corp.|year=2013|isbn=9781480356979|location=United States}} "Scar Tissue" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2000. In 2004, lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis published an autobiography titled after the song.
Music video
The music video for "Scar Tissue" was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, who also directed the video for "Give It Away". The opening shot is of John Frusciante driving down a strip of desert highway, a metaphor for Frusciante's return to the band (he does not drive in real life).{{cite news|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/5_obscure_facts_about_john_frusciante-161356|title=5 Obscure Facts About John Frusciante|work=Ultimate Guitar|date=January 26, 2024|first=Justin|last=JustinBeckner|access-date=November 4, 2024}} But the four of them are battered, beaten and bandaged. They are traveling in a rusty wreck and playing broken instruments on the comeback trail. The video ends after an emotional thirty second Frusciante guitar solo at the moment of sunset, with John tossing the broken, stringless guitar from the car. The car Frusciante pretended to drive for the video was a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible. A very similar concept was considered, then scrapped, for the earlier "Soul to Squeeze" video. Prior to the video shoot, Kiedis had his hair cut and bleached his brown hair to platinum blond, a look he kept throughout the promotion and tour for Californication. It was filmed in California's Mojave Desert.
Reception
"Scar Tissue" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Red Hot Chili Peppers songs,{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-red-hot-chili-peppers-songs-ranked|title=The 20 greatest Red Hot Chili Peppers songs – ranked|first=Sam|last=Law|website=Kerrang|date=March 17, 2021|accessdate=May 4, 2023}} and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the song number two on their list of the 40 greatest Red Hot Chili Peppers songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-red-hot-chili-peppers-songs-1324628/black-summer-2022-1332929/|title=The 40 Greatest Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=April 11, 2022|accessdate=May 4, 2023}}
Live performances
"Scar Tissue" has been a live staple in the band's setlists since its first performance in 1998 making it the band's fifth most performed song overall.{{cite web|url=http://theside.free.fr/ |title=Red Hot Chili Peppers Live |publisher=The Side |access-date=July 27, 2016}} American band Mr. Bungle performed a mock version of the song in 1999, as part of a Halloween concert parodying Red Hot Chili Peppers.{{cite web| url = http://exclaim.ca/music/article/five_noteworthy_facts_you_may_not_know_about_faith_no_more| title = Five Noteworthy Facts You May Not Know About Faith No More {{!}} Exclaim!}}
Track listings
CD single (1999) (Catalogue Number 9 16913–2)
- "Scar Tissue" (album) – 3:37
- "Gong Li" (previously unreleased) – 3:42
- "Instrumental #1" (previously unreleased) – 2:48
CD single (Slipcase) (1999)
- "Scar Tissue" (album) – 3:37
- "Gong Li" (previously unreleased) – 3:42
Cassette single (1999)
- "Scar Tissue" (album)
- "Gong Li" (previously unreleased)
Personnel
Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
- John Frusciante – lead, slide, and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Flea – bass, backing vocals
- Chad Smith – drums, shaker
Charts
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Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|award=Gold|type=single|access-date=October 24, 2016}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|relyear=1999|certyear=2024|award=Platinum|number=6|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|type=single|access-date=May 29, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|relyear=1999|certyear=2023|award=Gold|id=12512|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|type=single|access-date=June 3, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|relyear=1999|certyear=2019|award=Platinum|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|type=single|access-date=July 15, 2019|id=6826}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|award=Platinum|number=5|relyear=1999|certyear=2024|access-date=January 17, 2025|source=radioscope}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|relyear=1999|certyear=2024|access-date=August 16, 2024|id=file_2024-10-28-09-54-31.pdf}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|certyear=2024|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|access-date=October 14, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2000|certyear=2025|award=Platinum|number=2|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|type=single|id=13927-982-1|access-date=February 15, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|relyear=1999|certyear=2024|award=Platinum|number=6|artist=Red Hot Chili Peppers|title=Scar Tissue|type=single|access-date=September 29, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true}}
Release history
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Red Hot Chili Peppers}}
{{Red Hot Chili Peppers singles}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
Category:Music videos directed by Stéphane Sednaoui
Category:Number-one singles in Iceland
Category:Red Hot Chili Peppers songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin
Category:Songs written by Anthony Kiedis
Category:Songs written by Chad Smith
Category:Songs written by Flea (musician)