"Scar Tissue" is the first single from the Americanrock bandRed Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio albumCalifornication, released in 1999. It is one of their most successful songs, spending a then-record 16 consecutive weeks atop the US BillboardHot Modern Rock Tracks chart as well as 10 weeks atop the BillboardMainstream Rock Tracks chart, and it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also successful in Iceland, New Zealand and Canada, reaching numbers one, three and four, respectively. In the United Kingdom, it charted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. "Scar Tissue" is considered to be representative of the new, more melodic rock sound the band experimented with on Californication. 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" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2000. In 2004, Anthony Kiedis published a book named after the song. 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 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 down a strip of desert highway, a metaphor for Frusciante's return to the band. 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, stringless guitar from the car. The car Frusciante drove for the video was a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible. 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 bleached his brown hair to platinum blond, a look he kept throughout the promotion and tour for Californication. It was filmed in California's Mojave Desert.
Live performances
"Scar Tissue" has been a live staple in the band's setlists since its first performance in 1998 making it the band's fifth most performed song overall. The band Mr. Bungle performed a mock version of the song in 1999, as part of a halloween concert parodying Red Hot Chili Peppers.
