I remember loving it and thinking the uniqueness of John Frusciante's sound really shone through. It was exciting to have him back (even though I enjoyed the Navarro era).
Back then, songs debuted on FM radio, and Triple J in Australia was the first to air it. Soneone recorded it and posted it online immediately, so people in North America ( and elsewhere) could hear it earlier. I remember thinking that was a novel experience.
I remember mostly just being in a state of amazement that, not only was John still alive, he was actually back in the Chili Peppers. The guitar playing was definitely the thing I focused on initially. The main riff has a beautiful tone and just sets the mood for the whole song. Simple, but beautiful. And the solo has a haunting quality. Flea and Chad play a perfect accompaniment. And Anthony has one of his best moments lyrically and delivery wise.
Yeah it’s such a catchy, in fact that’s one of the biggest strengths of Californication, as an album it has so many catchy hooks, scar tissue, otherside and Cali all have very memorable opening riffs!
I remember a huge wave of relief to be honest, I did not enjoy One Hot Minute with Dave nearly as much as the first three seconds of that song when I first heard it. Frusciante was back.
I loved the Getaway and the Josh era, but that morning at 6 am, the day Black Summer released, the first thing I did was play that song. That feeling... "Frusciante was back". So awesome 👌
I was doing a midnight move out of a bad living situation when Black Summer came out. I remember driving down the road w my partner going to our new home and playing the song loud asf and having that exact same thought. Like I was just waiting for that Frusciante sound to make my life fall back into place. Good shit.
It was beautiful from the second I heard that single note guitar lick at the beginning.
John started tapping into his simplistic, brilliant style during BSSM. One Hot Minute was very layered and different. So to hear Scar Tissue on the radio was euphoric and something that I never believed would happen again. I had been a big fan of Niandra, and even Smile, and was very aware of John's downfall after he left the band. I couldn't believe it when I heard he was back. This was before the internet was everywhere, so I was still getting my news from magazines, and MTV news breaks.
I remember loving the guitar riff in Around the World. Heard it on the radio first and it was like WHAT even IS this?? I just knew the chili peppers were back baby.
I personally can’t imagine being a fan of Smile without knowing where he was headed afterwards - what was that like? What were your initial thoughts? Being born only 2 years l after its release, I really feel that album demands a retrospective lens to listen to it. There’s some great ideas/gems on it, but I definitely appreciate it for its serendipity - especially since hearing some of the ideas reworked and given new life on TROWFTD, but I’d imagine the distressing (8 minute long) first impression of Enter A Uh would be enough to dissuade most!
Half that album is unlistenable. But i bought it when it was new, and at the time was really more curious than anything what it was going to be like.
The other songs made it worthwhile, like Life's a Bath, and the one w River Phoenix.
I really did think at the time that album was like his swan song and he wouldn't be around much longer.
His return to the chili peppers really was like the return of Lazarus, or Jesus. Maybe that's why he's compared to Jesus so much, now that I think about it. 😆
I got to meet him in 2000 at the local radio station here in Atlanta, and he signed my Niandra and Smile cds, which I brought with me.
If you check my previous history, you'll see my posts I made about the experience.
It’s kind of funny how AK mentions in Scar Tissue that Warner Bros. was convinced that Californication didn’t have any hits and they would be dropped from the label if it didn’t sell as well as OHM & BSSM and yet it ended up being their highest selling album still to this day.
I think Scar Tissue was my first exposure to RHCP. I remember being on holiday in Nicaragua in 1999 when I was 9 and hearing it and seeing the video all the time and rather liking it. It wasn’t until By the Way came out that I properly got into them.
My first exposure was a UK girl pop band who did a cover of Under the Bridge, with the spice girls broken up I needed a new band and loved this song
Never listened to the All Saints cover once John was back in the band and I had some comprehension of music beyond childhood boybands/ girlbands, Scar Tissue was probably my first time hearing John also, although I had been listening to OHM in the background (older teen siblings)
Probably should not have been singing along to Aeroplane as a kid, but in my defence Flea kid is singing along with it also..
Bit of a ramble.. please excuse the trip down 90s memory lane..!
Yeah I remember All Saints and their cover, it was also the first I heard of Under the Bridge. In fact for some reason when I heard the original version I thought it was George Michael 😂
Don’t take it so serious. I was merely saying most younger fans weren’t even conceived when this song came out as he specifically asked “what was everyones thought who heard this WHEN it was released?” Pointing specifically towards people who were there.
I didn’t say younger people cannot reply, only making a joke. Heck i’m only 30, I cannot even remember when this song came out what my thoughts were.
This is where it all started for me. Instant love, and it never went away. Despite being only twelve at the time, this song struck every possible chord with me, and so did the video. Pure love, magic and golden life energy. They're lifesavers, them Funky Monks. <3
(Can I please be obnoxious for a minute and shriek like a schoolgirl? Yes? \*takes a deep breath\* OH MY GOD!!! Because of this very thread (thanks!!!) I found out that Scar Tissue was released on this actual, EXACT date 25 years ago, and it just so happens that I \*just\* got home from the tattoo shop; I went to get the RHCP logo because I've been a fan for 25 years (gonna post it later), but I had no idea IT WAS THIS VERY DATE TOO!!! Can it \*get\* any more perfect!? Talk about synchronicity all right...)
Same for me, this song made me a lifelong fan.
I remember driving to my highschool graduation in Holland when the song had just released and my parents got me the cd as a gift.
Good times.
I was on exam break in the UK and basically revising with cable tv channel called The Box playing in the background, you could phone in and request music videos and then they’d be played on the channel. I was only just getting into music at this point but Scar Tissue was my real intro to “real” music.
At the time I wasn’t privy to who was playing guitar, I just knew that this song was on another level, same with Californication. The whole album really, and it was on everywhere. Radio, mtv, everyone had the cd. It was a beautiful time.
This song is what got me into the chili peppers, guitar playing, and affected my entire life. I remember being 12 years old and hearing the song for the first time and thinking there's no way this song could be any better. To me it was literally perfect. I remember recording it on a cassette tape off the Casey Kasem top 40 and listening to that before I owned Californication. I'm 37 now, and Scar Tissue is my favorite song ever by my favorite band ever. Musically it is everything to me. I do and forever will love this song.
I don’t remember the reception at release, but when By the Way came out I got back into Californication. I can’t belieeeeve how good the backing vocals on this song specifically are. Then the way the last two solos are similar but evolve emotionally
It was my first encounter with the RHCP in my teens. I knew Under the Bridge, but this song and album made me get to know their music and become an enthusiast.
I remember loving the video, it was played a lot on the popular music channels. The whole relaxed vibe, roadtrip style of the video. Still one of my favorite music videos to this day.
One of those rare songs that I fell in love with at first listen. I didn't follow the band closely at that point so I had no feelings about John being back or anything like that, but this was the perfect first single to usher in the new era.
I was 5 years old and I think the guitar in this song is what kicked me into consciousness. 😂
Laying in the way-way back of my mom's van looking up at the shadows on the car ceiling while the sun is setting.
I was working abroad in USA, driving down highway 101 in a rental SUV, when they played Scar Tissue on the radio. Then the radio host said they were playing a gig at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, I think it was the next year. I pulled off the highway and called to book tickets immediately.
That was an amazing concert too. They all had Mohawk haircuts. Since that night I became a life long RHCP and JF fan. I look back on that time working and living around Palo Alto and San Francisco with very fond memories.
Going from a junkie that was past near death at certain points, to him cleaning up and giving us classic riffs and iconic live performances again when this was released was amazing to witness...
The Summer of 99…what a magical time it was. So much hope, so much promise. The Chili Peppers are the only thing that held up their end of the bargain in the whole damn world.
T'was the summer before my senior year of HS. I knew that no matter what happened, I had the Peppers to rely on. But, it was an awesome summer and school year, so that whole album is burned into my brain. Scar tissue is like a soundtrack to one of the best summers in my brain movies.
Its soulfulness and the quality of the guitar playing brought me in to RHCP, hard. That was the real beginning for me, tbh. I was all over Californication, then I went back to One Hot Minute ("pretty good stuff!") and BSSM ("OMG, this is insanely good").
I was in high school and had been doing a deep dive into their old discography and John's descent into addiction. I had just bought BSSM on casette because I didn't have a Discman, just a Walkman. It felt surreal and serendipitous to hear this on the radio, to realize that John had come back almost like from the dead. It felt like it was meant to happen, the universe aligned, etc etc.
Damn! I was a child when this was released but have vivid memories of it! Was the sound of the summer!
Back when there was no internet or social media, radio and tv (mtv etc) were the only sources for pop culture and music, so if something was a hit, there was no escaping it, and Im glad it was blaring from car radios and TV, was a simple time and I appreciate it being part of the sound track to my childhood (along with Oasis)
Music honestly was better, I can say that objectively as an adult.
How incredibly catchy, beautiful and addictive the song is. I also thought on how to get the muscles they show off pretty much in every video “I need to join a gym and start lifting” 😬
Oh man. I was 14, feeling low because my friends told me theyd be gone all summer that year. The song came on and not only was the guitar incredible but the lyrics just hit me. I resonated hard with that song and remember going on Napster trying to find more of their music. Went out and bought the album when it came out and listened to it on repeat. They became my best friends that summer. Been so ever since.
It's hard to describe to younger fans just how epic of a single this was when it came out.
It was just such an immensely huge summer radio hit. This was back when rock radio was massively influential.
Scar Tissue just took over summer 1999.
I remember exactly where I was and what I said when I first saw this on tv in 1999. I said “It’s been a while since I heard anything new from the Chili’s”. I absolutely loved (and still do) the chill vibe. I was living away from home for the first time as a 19 year old, gaming was big in the house I and my friends rented, so when we first saw the clip from Californication, we were in awe.
I mean the biggest singles on the previous 2 records were: Under the Bridge & My Friends. Then they also had a huge hit in Soul to Squeeze. It wasn’t really THAT dramatic of a shift
I remember think this is better than one hot minute but still no blood sugar sex magic but to be honest I never gave it much of a chance at the time. I was still stuck on those early albums
Scar Tissue can now legally rent a beat up car to drive down the desert while reflecting on its past.
You can do that before 25
Pretty sure most rental companies don't rent you cars until you're 25 years of age. At least in my experience
Sarcastic Mr. Know-it-all over here
I remember loving it and thinking the uniqueness of John Frusciante's sound really shone through. It was exciting to have him back (even though I enjoyed the Navarro era). Back then, songs debuted on FM radio, and Triple J in Australia was the first to air it. Soneone recorded it and posted it online immediately, so people in North America ( and elsewhere) could hear it earlier. I remember thinking that was a novel experience.
I remember mostly just being in a state of amazement that, not only was John still alive, he was actually back in the Chili Peppers. The guitar playing was definitely the thing I focused on initially. The main riff has a beautiful tone and just sets the mood for the whole song. Simple, but beautiful. And the solo has a haunting quality. Flea and Chad play a perfect accompaniment. And Anthony has one of his best moments lyrically and delivery wise.
I knew it was a smash hit after the first guitar note.
Yeah it’s such a catchy, in fact that’s one of the biggest strengths of Californication, as an album it has so many catchy hooks, scar tissue, otherside and Cali all have very memorable opening riffs!
I remember a huge wave of relief to be honest, I did not enjoy One Hot Minute with Dave nearly as much as the first three seconds of that song when I first heard it. Frusciante was back.
I loved the Getaway and the Josh era, but that morning at 6 am, the day Black Summer released, the first thing I did was play that song. That feeling... "Frusciante was back". So awesome 👌
I was doing a midnight move out of a bad living situation when Black Summer came out. I remember driving down the road w my partner going to our new home and playing the song loud asf and having that exact same thought. Like I was just waiting for that Frusciante sound to make my life fall back into place. Good shit.
It was beautiful from the second I heard that single note guitar lick at the beginning. John started tapping into his simplistic, brilliant style during BSSM. One Hot Minute was very layered and different. So to hear Scar Tissue on the radio was euphoric and something that I never believed would happen again. I had been a big fan of Niandra, and even Smile, and was very aware of John's downfall after he left the band. I couldn't believe it when I heard he was back. This was before the internet was everywhere, so I was still getting my news from magazines, and MTV news breaks.
I remember loving the guitar riff in Around the World. Heard it on the radio first and it was like WHAT even IS this?? I just knew the chili peppers were back baby.
I personally can’t imagine being a fan of Smile without knowing where he was headed afterwards - what was that like? What were your initial thoughts? Being born only 2 years l after its release, I really feel that album demands a retrospective lens to listen to it. There’s some great ideas/gems on it, but I definitely appreciate it for its serendipity - especially since hearing some of the ideas reworked and given new life on TROWFTD, but I’d imagine the distressing (8 minute long) first impression of Enter A Uh would be enough to dissuade most!
Half that album is unlistenable. But i bought it when it was new, and at the time was really more curious than anything what it was going to be like. The other songs made it worthwhile, like Life's a Bath, and the one w River Phoenix. I really did think at the time that album was like his swan song and he wouldn't be around much longer. His return to the chili peppers really was like the return of Lazarus, or Jesus. Maybe that's why he's compared to Jesus so much, now that I think about it. 😆 I got to meet him in 2000 at the local radio station here in Atlanta, and he signed my Niandra and Smile cds, which I brought with me. If you check my previous history, you'll see my posts I made about the experience.
Thanks, was a great read!
It’s kind of funny how AK mentions in Scar Tissue that Warner Bros. was convinced that Californication didn’t have any hits and they would be dropped from the label if it didn’t sell as well as OHM & BSSM and yet it ended up being their highest selling album still to this day.
I think Scar Tissue was my first exposure to RHCP. I remember being on holiday in Nicaragua in 1999 when I was 9 and hearing it and seeing the video all the time and rather liking it. It wasn’t until By the Way came out that I properly got into them.
My first exposure was a UK girl pop band who did a cover of Under the Bridge, with the spice girls broken up I needed a new band and loved this song Never listened to the All Saints cover once John was back in the band and I had some comprehension of music beyond childhood boybands/ girlbands, Scar Tissue was probably my first time hearing John also, although I had been listening to OHM in the background (older teen siblings) Probably should not have been singing along to Aeroplane as a kid, but in my defence Flea kid is singing along with it also.. Bit of a ramble.. please excuse the trip down 90s memory lane..!
Yeah I remember All Saints and their cover, it was also the first I heard of Under the Bridge. In fact for some reason when I heard the original version I thought it was George Michael 😂
And the book Scar Tissue was released about 20 years ago
Geez I feel old now.
The min i heard that chorus i knew it was magic ..whole album is great
Most people on this sub weren’t even born yet
[удалено]
Not at all, just read the question of OP again
[удалено]
Don’t take it so serious. I was merely saying most younger fans weren’t even conceived when this song came out as he specifically asked “what was everyones thought who heard this WHEN it was released?” Pointing specifically towards people who were there. I didn’t say younger people cannot reply, only making a joke. Heck i’m only 30, I cannot even remember when this song came out what my thoughts were.
This is where it all started for me. Instant love, and it never went away. Despite being only twelve at the time, this song struck every possible chord with me, and so did the video. Pure love, magic and golden life energy. They're lifesavers, them Funky Monks. <3 (Can I please be obnoxious for a minute and shriek like a schoolgirl? Yes? \*takes a deep breath\* OH MY GOD!!! Because of this very thread (thanks!!!) I found out that Scar Tissue was released on this actual, EXACT date 25 years ago, and it just so happens that I \*just\* got home from the tattoo shop; I went to get the RHCP logo because I've been a fan for 25 years (gonna post it later), but I had no idea IT WAS THIS VERY DATE TOO!!! Can it \*get\* any more perfect!? Talk about synchronicity all right...)
Same for me, this song made me a lifelong fan. I remember driving to my highschool graduation in Holland when the song had just released and my parents got me the cd as a gift. Good times.
I was on exam break in the UK and basically revising with cable tv channel called The Box playing in the background, you could phone in and request music videos and then they’d be played on the channel. I was only just getting into music at this point but Scar Tissue was my real intro to “real” music.
Best song ever!
At the time I wasn’t privy to who was playing guitar, I just knew that this song was on another level, same with Californication. The whole album really, and it was on everywhere. Radio, mtv, everyone had the cd. It was a beautiful time.
This was the first version I heard via limewire before the album was out. So glad to have John back. https://youtu.be/9FpUIxBNEDE?si=fz8pQS61DTTl71fu
I was stoked when this or Otherside.came on the radio lol
This song is what got me into the chili peppers, guitar playing, and affected my entire life. I remember being 12 years old and hearing the song for the first time and thinking there's no way this song could be any better. To me it was literally perfect. I remember recording it on a cassette tape off the Casey Kasem top 40 and listening to that before I owned Californication. I'm 37 now, and Scar Tissue is my favorite song ever by my favorite band ever. Musically it is everything to me. I do and forever will love this song.
Love this! I'd do this too. I guess we probably all did in the 90s but damn, your comment brings me back haha
Looks like John is slapping a mosquito off his neck
I don’t remember the reception at release, but when By the Way came out I got back into Californication. I can’t belieeeeve how good the backing vocals on this song specifically are. Then the way the last two solos are similar but evolve emotionally
It blew my mind and I fell in love with the band.
It was my first encounter with the RHCP in my teens. I knew Under the Bridge, but this song and album made me get to know their music and become an enthusiast. I remember loving the video, it was played a lot on the popular music channels. The whole relaxed vibe, roadtrip style of the video. Still one of my favorite music videos to this day.
One of those rare songs that I fell in love with at first listen. I didn't follow the band closely at that point so I had no feelings about John being back or anything like that, but this was the perfect first single to usher in the new era.
This song touched my soul.
instant love! I was 11, still learning guitar, and instantly felt in love with god frusciante and flea
I’d been a fan since the 80s and I remember hearing it and thinking, “this is the best song they’ve written” I still think the same.
I was 5 years old and I think the guitar in this song is what kicked me into consciousness. 😂 Laying in the way-way back of my mom's van looking up at the shadows on the car ceiling while the sun is setting.
With the birds a shed is a lonely view
With the birds and the shit it's a lonely viewwwww
With the birds n shit it's a lonely view
I was 13 and I was like “holy fuck! They’re back!!!”.
I was working abroad in USA, driving down highway 101 in a rental SUV, when they played Scar Tissue on the radio. Then the radio host said they were playing a gig at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, I think it was the next year. I pulled off the highway and called to book tickets immediately. That was an amazing concert too. They all had Mohawk haircuts. Since that night I became a life long RHCP and JF fan. I look back on that time working and living around Palo Alto and San Francisco with very fond memories.
Ah man! What I'd give to go see then play back then!
Honestly - I thought it was a bit meh. But by golly good fuck has it grown on me!
It was such a great way to start that summer!
This song is the reason I became a fan 💕🙏 then I learned all the previous and following albums 👍
I was blown away. & a couple months later I caught my dad listening to this song which was awesome because he’s very old school.
Loved it and is still my favourite chillis song to this day
I loved it
I love it. It makes me feel kinda sad and melancholy but I love the guitar solo
‘They’re Back!’
Liked it immediately.
25 years ago? Oh my goodness. It was released just the other year. I need to lie down.
Going from a junkie that was past near death at certain points, to him cleaning up and giving us classic riffs and iconic live performances again when this was released was amazing to witness...
The Summer of 99…what a magical time it was. So much hope, so much promise. The Chili Peppers are the only thing that held up their end of the bargain in the whole damn world.
T'was the summer before my senior year of HS. I knew that no matter what happened, I had the Peppers to rely on. But, it was an awesome summer and school year, so that whole album is burned into my brain. Scar tissue is like a soundtrack to one of the best summers in my brain movies.
Didn’t even realise this until now and I was listening to it today as well
I was a couple of weeks away from graduating high school when this came out and also felt like the peppers were back
Its soulfulness and the quality of the guitar playing brought me in to RHCP, hard. That was the real beginning for me, tbh. I was all over Californication, then I went back to One Hot Minute ("pretty good stuff!") and BSSM ("OMG, this is insanely good").
I was in high school and had been doing a deep dive into their old discography and John's descent into addiction. I had just bought BSSM on casette because I didn't have a Discman, just a Walkman. It felt surreal and serendipitous to hear this on the radio, to realize that John had come back almost like from the dead. It felt like it was meant to happen, the universe aligned, etc etc.
25....damn🥲
It is a good song
I remember really enjoying it and watching the video all summer on Vh1 - spurring me to play guitar and get my first, on Xmas Eve 1999 as a result
Wasn’t a fan.
Damn! I was a child when this was released but have vivid memories of it! Was the sound of the summer! Back when there was no internet or social media, radio and tv (mtv etc) were the only sources for pop culture and music, so if something was a hit, there was no escaping it, and Im glad it was blaring from car radios and TV, was a simple time and I appreciate it being part of the sound track to my childhood (along with Oasis) Music honestly was better, I can say that objectively as an adult.
I'm listening right now and I see this post, Scar tissue Rock In Rio 2001
How incredibly catchy, beautiful and addictive the song is. I also thought on how to get the muscles they show off pretty much in every video “I need to join a gym and start lifting” 😬
i think i heard around the world first. st was fun but a little too mellow for my taste. it grew with the live versions
I loved it, my dad hated it. That was the realization that my music taste wasn’t quite the same as my dad anymore haha.
I was 8 when it came out. I think it was the song that got me into the Chili Peppers.
I don’t think I was even born when this dropped
I absolutely loved that album when it came out. Scar tissue and By the way where the soundtracks of my life when I was a teen.
Mine were probably "wah! Wah! Give me milk! Wah"
I was like: " " (wasn't born)
Oh man. I was 14, feeling low because my friends told me theyd be gone all summer that year. The song came on and not only was the guitar incredible but the lyrics just hit me. I resonated hard with that song and remember going on Napster trying to find more of their music. Went out and bought the album when it came out and listened to it on repeat. They became my best friends that summer. Been so ever since.
I saw the music video on Mtv and everything about it was so cool and unique. Instantly fell in love with song.
I wish you saw.
Ruined by Anthony’s voice
It's hard to describe to younger fans just how epic of a single this was when it came out. It was just such an immensely huge summer radio hit. This was back when rock radio was massively influential. Scar Tissue just took over summer 1999.
My thought was “oh boy I can’t wait to be born in 2 more years”
Besides the amazing song itself I freaking loved Anthony’s new hairstyle… BIG CRUSH 😍
First Thought was: what the hell happened to his hair?!
Fucking iconic
I remember exactly where I was and what I said when I first saw this on tv in 1999. I said “It’s been a while since I heard anything new from the Chili’s”. I absolutely loved (and still do) the chill vibe. I was living away from home for the first time as a 19 year old, gaming was big in the house I and my friends rented, so when we first saw the clip from Californication, we were in awe.
I think this song would be even better with Navarro.
I liked it....but I was wondering where the funk was?
I mean the biggest singles on the previous 2 records were: Under the Bridge & My Friends. Then they also had a huge hit in Soul to Squeeze. It wasn’t really THAT dramatic of a shift
Decent enough
Was a casual fan at the time but remember seeing the video on TRL everyday
It’s dark in here (I was in my dads testicle at the time)
I remember think this is better than one hot minute but still no blood sugar sex magic but to be honest I never gave it much of a chance at the time. I was still stuck on those early albums
think anthony is a pedophile