scar tissue

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"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. Records
Producer	Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Love Rollercoaster" (1996) "Scar Tissue" (1999) "Around the World" (1999)

"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 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] 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. According to Guitar World the guitar solo is placed 63th in his list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".

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).

It's about Anthony Kiedis and his battles with drugs, as well as the quarrels he had. "Sarcastic Mister know it all" was directed at Dave Navarro, who he referred to as "The king of sarcasm." "Make it to the moon if I have to crawl" is a reference to his heroin addiction, to where he was desperate to get high.

John Frusciante has stated that the guitar playing on his first solo record inspired the song's technique of taking two notes that are far apart and playing them in a rhythm.

Music video

The music video for "Scar Tissue" was directed by Stephane Sednaoui, who also directed the video for "Give It Away".

The opening shot is of John Frusciante driving, a metaphor for Frusciante's return and ascension to musical leadership of 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.

Track list

CD single (1999)

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

CD Single (Slipcase) (1999)

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

Cassette single (1999)

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

Jukebox single

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

References

Sample clip

	Scar Tissue Sample of "Scar Tissue" from Californication
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

External links

• stephanesednaoui.com - official Stéphane Sednaoui website.