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Cover of Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Cover: Californication

Song · Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

From the album Californication (1999)

“Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers appears on 104 radio countdowns from 43 stations between 1999 and 2026. It was first released in 1999 on the album Californication. Its best result is #2 on The End Top 107 Songs of 1999. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #2 alternative song of 1999, #188 alternative song of all time and #8 of the '90s.

104countdowns
43stations
#2best position
0#1 finishes
12top 10 finishes
1999–2026years charted

Watch

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue [Official Music Video] [HD UPGRADE]

Video from YouTube (Red Hot Chili Peppers). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Scar Tissue" was the first taste of Californication, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album, in 1999, and it announced a new band: gentler, more melodic, a long way from the psychedelic haze of One Hot Minute and the dry funk of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It opens on a mellow, almost lazy guitar riff, and slide guitar keeps drifting through it in lonesome solos, while Anthony Kiedis, who wrote the words, sings with a battered calm.

The songwriting is credited to Flea, John Frusciante, Kiedis and Chad Smith, with Greg Kurstin on keyboards. Rick Rubin produced, and Jim Scott engineered and mixed it with Greg Fidelman and David Schiffman, leaving plenty of air around every note.

Rock radio couldn't let go. It spent a then-record 16 straight weeks at the top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, ten weeks on top of Mainstream Rock Tracks, and made the Hot 100's top 10, and it went to number one in Iceland. It won the Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2000, Guitar World ranked its solo 63rd among the 100 greatest guitar solos, and in 2004 Kiedis named his autobiography after it.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 3 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1999 107
1999 2 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1999 91
1999 5 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1999 106
1999 8 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1999 101
1999 2 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1999 100
1999 5 K-Rock New York, NY K-Rock Top 92 Songs of 1999 92
1999 8 WFNX Boston, MA WFNX Top 99 Songs of 1999 99
1999 2 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1999 107
1999 10 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON 89X Top 89 Songs of 1999 89
1999 44 WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 1999 101
1999 7 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 1999 103
1999 10 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 1999 100
1999 5 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 104 Songs of 1999 104
2000 49 K-Rock New York, NY K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2000 93
2000 41 103.3 The Edge Buffalo, NY 103.3 The Edge Top 103 of 2000 103
2000 44 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 2000 102

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 45 CRNC 90.1 CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of the '90s 91
1999 24 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 24 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 73 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 84 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 438 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 35 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of the '90s (September 2000) 100
2000 14 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 384 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1985 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 71 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 385 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 1985 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 22 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 285 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 1968 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 69 The Buzz The Buzz Top Songs of All-Time (Labor Day 2002, partial) 144
2002 133 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2003 281 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 1895 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 36 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 1895 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 70 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 56 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 1887 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 289 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2005 82 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 73 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 333 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 139 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 270 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 95 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 232 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 102 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 204 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 23 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 15 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 199 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 55 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2010 29 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 72 94.1 The Zone 94.1 The Zone 210 Most Played Songs of the Decade 210
2010 190 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 193 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 16 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 102 New Rock Songs of All-Time 102
2013 197 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 997 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 28 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of the Past 20 Years (2013) 100
2014 201 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 238 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2014 291 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 64 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 499 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 548 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 62 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 738 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2018 796 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 61 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 332 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 197 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 178 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2020 40 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 315 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 63 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 80 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 66 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 868 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 70 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2021 220 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 104 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 298 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 89 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 42 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 269 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 425 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 106 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 358 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2023 183 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 34 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 358 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 108 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 676 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 35 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 339 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 73 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2025 73 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 272 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 56 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500
2026 222 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Scartissue.

Charting alongside it in 1999

Best songs of 1999 →
  1. 1What's My Age Again?blink-182
  2. 3NookieLimp Bizkit
  3. 4Freak on a LeashKorn
  4. 5Praise YouFatboy Slim
  5. 6My Own Worst EnemyLit
  6. 7Last KissPearl Jam

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