Scar Tissue (song)

"Scar Tissue"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers
from the album Californication
B-side	"Gong Li" "Instrumental #1"
Released	May 25, 1999
Format	CD, cassette
Recorded	1999
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:35
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Flea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Love Rollercoaster" (1996) "Scar Tissue" (1999) "Around the World" (1999)
Music video "Scar Tissue" on YouTube

"Scar Tissue" is the first single from the American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album Californication, released in 1999. It is one of their most successful songs, spending a then-record 16 consecutive weeks on top of the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, as well as 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reached #8 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.^[1] It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] In the UK, the song reached #15 on the UK Singles Chart. It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2000. 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".

"Scar Tissue" has been a live staple in the band's setlists since its first performance in 1998 making it the band's third most performed song ever behind only "Give It Away" and "Under the Bridge".^[3]

Meaning

"Scar Tissue" is considered to be representative of the new, more melodic rock sound the band experimented with on Californication (in contrast to the psychedelic One Hot Minute, and dry funk of Blood Sugar Sex Magik).

Book

In 2004 Anthony Kiedis published Scar Tissue. Co-written by Larry Sloman, it was an autobiography with the principal theme of sex, drugs and rock-'n-roll. In the book he talks about the consequences of drugs (especially heroin) and in which way this can destroy somebody's life.

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, a metaphor for Frusciante's return to the band (he does not drive in real life). 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 guitar from the car. The car Frusciante drove for the video was a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible.^[4] 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 dyed his brown hair platinum blond.

Personnel

• Anthony Kiedis - vocals
• John Frusciante - lead and rhythm guitars, slide guitar, backing vocals
• Flea - bass, backing vocals
• Chad Smith - drums

Track listings

CD single (1999) (Catalogue Number 9 16913-2)

1. "Scar Tissue" (Album) – 3:37
2. "Gong Li" (Previously Unreleased) – 3:42
3. "Instrumental #1" (Previously Unreleased) – 2:48

CD single (Slipcase) (1999)

1. "Scar Tissue" (Album) – 3:37
2. "Gong Li" (Previously Unreleased) – 3:42

Cassette single (1999)

1. "Scar Tissue" (Album)
2. "Gong Li" (Previously Unreleased)

Jukebox single

1. "Scar Tissue" (Album) – 3:37
2. "Gong Li" (Previously Unreleased) – 3:42

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 15 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[6] 11 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 9 Canadian RPM Singles Chart[8] 4 Canadian RPM Rock Report[9] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 16 France (SNEP)[11] 66 Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 75 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 38 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 3 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[16] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 15 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 9 US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[18] 2 US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[18] 1 US Billboard Adult Top 40[18] 11 US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[18] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position US Billboard Hot 100[19] 34 Canadian RPM Singles Chart[20] 40 Canadian RPM Rock Chart[21] 1

See also

• List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
• Number one modern rock hits of 1999
• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles

References

1. http://www.billboard.com/charts/1999-10-09/radio-songs
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 523.
3. http://theside.free.fr/
4. The music video on woodstock.com
5. "Australian-charts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
6. "Ultratop.be – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
7. "Red Hot Chili Peppers – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Red Hot Chili Peppers. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
8. "Top Singles - Volume 70, No. 4, November 15, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
9. "Rock/Alternative - Volume 69, No. 14, July 26, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
10. "Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
11. "Lescharts.com – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue" (in French). Les classement single.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue". GfK Entertainment Charts.
13. "Chart Track: Week 23, 1999". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
15. "Charts.org.nz – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue". Top 40 Singles.
16. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
17. "Archive Chart: 1999-06-12" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
18. "Red Hot Chili Peppers - Billboard Singles". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
19. "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
20. "Top Singles - Volume 70, No. 8, December 13, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
21. "Rock/Alternative - Volume 70, No. 8, December 13, 1999". RPM. Retrieved 2010-10-18.