Scar Tissue

The story behind

When John Frusciante returned to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to record the album Californication, something changed. His return, after having left the band in 1992, marked the beginning of a more melodic sound and less focused on the dry funk they had explored before. "Scar Tissue" is a clear example of this new direction. The song is distinguished by its initial guitar riff, soft and enveloping, which is complemented by slide guitar solos throughout its duration. The particularity of this track is that it became the first single from Californication, released in May 1999, and quickly positioned itself on the charts. It spent 16 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks in the United States and 10 weeks on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks, in addition to reaching ninth place on the Billboard Hot 100. Its success extended to other countries such as Iceland, where it reached number one, New Zealand, and Canada.