Since their commercial breakthrough in the early 1990s, Red Hot Chili Peppers have been remarkably consistent on the ARIA albums chart, reaching number 1 with Blood Sugar Sex Magik and every studio album since, with the sole exception of 2011’s I’m With You, which let the team down by peaking at number 2. On the singles front, they haven’t done that badly, either. Here are the biggest of their 24 top 50 hits.
8. "My Friends”
Released: 1995
Peak: number 15
The second single from the Chili Peppers’ sixth studio album, One Hot Minute, had two music videos shot for it. The first was directed by Anton Corbijn and features the band crammed into a small rowboat. A second, less artistic, studio-based clip was also filmed and seems to be the one favoured by the band.
7. “Scar Tissue”
Released: 1999
Peak: number 15
Released two weeks ahead of seventh album Californication, lead single “Scar Tissue” became the band’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since “Under The Bridge”. The track, which shares its title with Anthony Kiedis’ 2004 autobiography, was the only major success from the album in Australia, probably due to the fact that Californication spent 95 weeks on the top 50 between 1999 and 2001.
6. "Warped”
Released: 1995
Peak: number 12
After a couple of years of one-off soundtrack and compilation releases, the Chili Peppers returned with the first taste of One Hot Minute, which shot into the chart at number 12 and quickly dropped down the listings, ultimately spending only four weeks on the top 50. The track’s lyrics dealt with Anthony Kiedis’ return to drug use, while the recording was the first single released by the band to feature temporary guitarist Dave Navarro.
5. "Soul To Squeeze”
Released: 1993
Peak: number 9
One of those aforementioned stand-alone singles was this track which was taken from the soundtrack to Dan Aykroyd comedy film Coneheads. Recorded during the sessions for Blood Sugar Sex Magik, “Soul To Squeeze” had previously featured as a B-side in some territories but its stylistic similarity to “Under The Bridge” ensured it was a big hit in its own right.
4. "Suck My Kiss”
Released: 1992
Peak: number 8
Although it sounded nothing like “Under The Bridge”, this sexually charged track also probably owes it lofty chart peak to the band’s best-known song. In this case, “Suck My Kiss” benefitted by being released immediately following the Chili Pepper’s chart-topper, with the relevant profanities edited out for the music video. Despite reaching the top 10, its time on the chart was relatively brief, zipping in and out of the top 50 within eight weeks.
3. "Dani California”
Released: 2006
Peak: number 8
Spending a much more substantial 19 weeks on the top 50 was this lead single from ninth album Stadium Arcadium. The song was written about a character who had featured in previous Chili Pepper songs “By The Way” and “Californication”, and was an amalgamation of all the women Anthony Kiedis has had relationships with.
2. "By The Way”
Released: 2002
Peak: number 6
Speaking of “By The Way”, the lead single and title track of the band’s eighth studio album is the closest they have ever come to repeating the chart-topping success of “Under The Bridge”. It is also one of the only times the band has approved a sample of a track they have released, giving the go-ahead for Dutch DJ/producer Peter Gelderblom’s “Waiting 4”.
1. "Under The Bridge”
Released: 1991
Peak: number 1
It’s been mentioned enough in this post for it to come as no surprise that the second single from Blood Sugar Sex Magik is RHCP’s most successful single in Australia. Spending four weeks at number 1 in April-May 1992, the song – another that dealt with Anthony Kiedis’ drug use – was a change of pace from the band’s previous two chart entries, “Higher Ground” and “Give It Away”. The band, and fans, have producer Rick Rubin to thank for the song’s existence. Apparently, he found the lyrics in Anthony’s notebook and convinced the reluctant singer to share them with his band-mates.
Listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers on Spotify:
Listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers on Apple Music:
