The 15 best-known Red Hot Chili Peppers songs

We measure fame by Spotify streams, according to kworb.net on 14 October 2026. That favours songs that still sit on lots of playlists, so at the end we name three classics that fall outside the list as a result.

Where a song is marked live with De Peppers, it is one we play at every show.

1Californication (1999) · 2.16 billion streams

The title track of their best-selling album. Frusciante builds the intro from a few single notes; he took his cue from The Cure's Carnage Visors. In America it reached number 1 on both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. The video plays as if the band were inside a video game. Live with De Peppers.

2Under the Bridge (1991) · 2.09 billion

Their highest-ever Billboard Hot 100 position: number 2. Kiedis wrote the lyric as a poem about loneliness after getting clean and at first didn't want anyone to see it. Producer Rick Rubin found it in a notebook. Gus Van Sant directed the video. Live with De Peppers.

3Can't Stop (2002) · 2.09 billion

A Frusciante riff you recognise within two beats, and vocals that work almost like percussion. In 2003 it became their eighth number 1 on the US Modern Rock chart. Live with De Peppers.

4Scar Tissue (1999) · 1.69 billion

The first single after Frusciante's return. Sixteen weeks at number 1 on the Modern Rock chart and a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2000. The slide guitar makes the song. We wrote a column of its own about Scar Tissue. Live with De Peppers.

5Otherside (1999) · 1.63 billion

Kiedis wrote it about Hillel Slovak, the guitarist who died of an overdose in 1988, and about the fight against addiction. Thirteen weeks at number 1 on the Modern Rock chart. The black-and-white video is made in the style of German expressionism.

6Snow (Hey Oh) (2006) · 1.51 billion

A fast, rolling guitar line from Frusciante and a bass playing two notes at once. Kiedis said it is about survival and starting over. It became their eleventh number 1 on the Modern Rock chart, a record. Live with De Peppers.

7Dani California (2006) · 1.11 billion

The first single from Stadium Arcadium. Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, fourteen weeks at number 1 on the Modern Rock chart and two Grammys. In the video the band travels through decades of rock history. The full story is in our column on Dani California. Live with De Peppers.

8By the Way (2002) · 806 million

Opens soft and melodic, then explodes in the racing verses. In the UK it reached number 2, their joint-highest position there with Dani California. We recorded it ourselves in the studio; read our column on By the Way. Live with De Peppers.

9Dark Necessities (2016) · 704 million

With Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and Danger Mouse producing. It is built around a Flea bass line and became their thirteenth number 1 on the US Alternative chart, a record.

10Give It Away (1991) · 560 million

The first single from Blood Sugar Sex Magik and their first Grammy (1993). Flea initially thought his own bass line was too ordinary. The lyric comes from a conversation with Nina Hagen about giving things away. Read more in the story behind Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Live with De Peppers.

11The Zephyr Song (2002) · 478 million

The sunniest song on By the Way, with Frusciante's backing vocals. The first three guitar notes match the first three sung notes of Pure Imagination from the Willy Wonka film.

12Around the World (1999) · 311 million

The opener of Californication, with one of Flea's best-known bass lines. Frusciante came up with the music at home. The first beat is deceptive, so he played it to the band while Chad Smith counted time on the hi-hat.

13Soul to Squeeze (1993) · 300 million

A leftover from the Blood Sugar Sex Magik sessions. It first appeared as a B-side and then on the soundtrack of the film Coneheads. As a single it reached number 1 on the Modern Rock chart in 1993.

14Road Trippin' (1999) · 260 million

Only acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and organ from guest musician Patrick Warren. It is about a surf trip along the coast near Big Sur that Kiedis, Flea and Frusciante took after Frusciante's return. Chad Smith didn't go and doesn't drum on the song either.

15Sick Love (2016) · 246 million

The surprise of the list. A restrained song from The Getaway with Elton John on piano. It has been streamed heavily in recent years and has overtaken older hits as a result.

Three classics just outside the list

• Higher Ground (1989), the Stevie Wonder cover that got the band onto radio and MTV.
• Suck My Kiss (1991), the rawest funk on Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
• Parallel Universe (1999), the song where Flea plays with a pick. Live, it is one of their most-played songs.

These are songs for the fans in the room too. Whether they make our set on a given night depends on the crowd; see our repertoire. Organising a party yourself and want to hear them? Book a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band.

Think you know it all now? Put it to the test with the quiz.

De Peppers editorial team

Written by the editors at De Peppers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band from Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. Every fact is sourced at the bottom of the piece. Spotted a mistake? Email info@mia-automation.com and we will check it.

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