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Cover of Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Cover: Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Song · Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

From the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers appears on 204 radio countdowns from 60 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Its best result is #1 on the 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010), and it was voted number one on four countdowns in total. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #2 alternative song of 1992, #5 alternative song of all time and #12 of the '90s.

204countdowns
60stations
#1best position
4#1 finishes
40top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge [Video]

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

"Under the Bridge" sits eleventh on Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' fifth studio album from 1991, and Warner Bros. sent it out as a single in 1992 as the follow-up to "Give It Away". Anthony Kiedis wrote the words during a lonely stretch of trying to stay off drugs, and he very nearly kept them to himself rather than show the band.

Good thing he didn't. Rick Rubin produced it and Brendan O'Brien engineered, and they give the song room to breathe: John Frusciante's guitar picks out a fragile, chiming line, Flea's bass stays patient and melodic, and Chad Smith's drums land like a heartbeat instead of a brawl. Kiedis sings close to bare, the music is credited to all four of them, and then a choir, with Gail Frusciante among the guest voices, lifts the whole thing skyward until a hushed confession sounds like a hymn.

The quiet turn paid off. It climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the best any Chili Peppers single has done there, went platinum and reached the top 10 in most of the other countries where it charted. Gus Van Sant directed the video, filmed in Los Angeles, and this is the song that carried the band into the mainstream.

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
1991 40 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 91 Songs of 1991 91
1992 1 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 3 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91
1992 5 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1992 105
1992 1 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101
1992 1 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992 100
1992 24 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992 102

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 2 CRNC 90.1 CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of the '90s 91
1992 72 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 50 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1992 88 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1992) 100
1993 72 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1993) 100
1994 40 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 34 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 67 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1994 80 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1994) 100
1995 18 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 52 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1995 65 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1995) 100
1996 40 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 43 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 64 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 79 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1996) 100
1996 65 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 90 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1997) 100
1998 69 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1998) 100
1998 31 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1998) 100
1999 21 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 3 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 9 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 72 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 45 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 45 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 7 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 34 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 10 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 28 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 24 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
1999 30 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1999) 150
2000 7 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of the '90s (September 2000) 100
2000 35 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 20 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 13 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 93 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2000 27 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2000) 100
2000 8 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2001 21 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 12 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 23 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2001) 100
2001 155 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 16 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2001 3 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 35 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 17 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 128 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 22 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2002) 100
2002 36 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 3 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 24 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 17 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 18 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2003) 100
2004 7 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 17 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 5 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 17 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2004) 100
2004 13 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 4 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 4 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 20 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 19 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 36 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2005 21 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2005) 100
2005 2 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 3 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 5 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 3 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 40 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 16 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2006) 100
2006 24 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 4 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 93 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 119 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2007 32 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2007) 100
2008 3 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 79 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2008 41 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2008) 100
2009 7 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 3 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 80 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 9 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2009 44 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2009) 100
2009 8 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (2009) 100
2009 809 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 1 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 79 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 48 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2010) 100
2011 82 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2011 47 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2011) 100
2012 52 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2012) 100
2012 349 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 3 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 102 New Rock Songs of All-Time 102
2012 474 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 82 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 168 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 55 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2013) 100
2013 137 KBPI KBPI Top 200 Songs of All Time 200
2014 83 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 64 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 58 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2014) 100
2014 184 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 67 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 38 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 106 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 167 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 58 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2015) 100
2015 310 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 174 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 133 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 210 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 126 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 85 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2016) 100
2016 51 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 75 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 147 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 70 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2017) 100
2018 59 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 311 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 9 X96 X96's Top 100 Songs of the 90's 100
2019 821 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 239 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 40 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 273 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 27 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 821 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 153 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 119 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 71 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2019) 100
2020 2 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 83 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2020) 100
2020 344 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 14 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 169 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 252 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 1565 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 2 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 91 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2021 40 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 11 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2021 91 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 77 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2021) 100
2021 338 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 12 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 4 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2021 23 KISW KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs From The Past 50 Years 25
2021 212 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 33 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 250 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 91 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 94 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2022) 100
2022 353 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 92 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 43 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 46 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 223 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 3 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 29 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 51 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 50 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 2 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2023 255 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 111 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 117 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 10 ALT 104.5 ALT 104.5 Top 104 of ALT Time 104
2023 11 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 92 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 277 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 100 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2023) 100
2023 203 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 255 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 420 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 104 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 88 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places 800
2024 325 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 420 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 233 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 158 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 75 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 351 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 88 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2024) 100
2024 7 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 117 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 164 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 25 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2025 453 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 406 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 260 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 9 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 449 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 6 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2026 405 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 410 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 855 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 64 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500
2026 24 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Under The Bridge.

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →
  1. 1Friday I'm in LoveThe Cure
  2. 3DriveR.E.M.
  3. 4OneU2
  4. 5JeremyPearl Jam
  5. 6TomorrowMorrissey
  6. 7HitThe Sugarcubes

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