45. Transcending
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAzWyuSeTEA
Album: One Hot Minute (1995) One Hot Minute is a notable album in the Chilis' history, being the only one to feature Dave Navarro (better known as the founding guitarist of Jane's Addiction), who brought a darker tone to the band. It both deviated from the Chilis' style up until previous album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and brought the band more towards their style which still lasts today, beginning with Californication. Transcending was one of the first songs to have the lyrics written by Flea, who took over after Anthony Kiedis returned to his drug habit and the album's recording process began to take too long. Although written by Flea, the song reflects the darker theme introduced by Navarro as well as the drug-fuelled nature of the band at the time.
44. A Certain Someone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSAuF_8mx0
Album: Tell Me Baby (2006, B-Side) One of the band's most laid back songs, A Certain Someone came to be known as part of Venus, the fan-collected third part of Stadium Arcadium (following the double-album of Jupiter and Mars), and was initially released as a B-side on Tell Me Baby. Building on the simplicity of songs like I Could Have Lied, A Certain Someone includes the larger instrumentation used by the band in recent years, including the plucked strings during the middle-8 that are weirdly reminiscent of the theme to Croc, the 1997 PlayStation game.
43. Backwoods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flC4MNIYwU0
Album: The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) Coming from the Chilis' third album, Backwoods demonstrates the band's bass-driven funk-rock style at the time as one of their more heavy songs on the album (contrasted with the single Behind The Sun, for example). The song delivers a classic Flea bassline underneath Kiedis' recognisable rap-singing featured from their early songs up until their most recent deliveries. The chorus, only giving the line "Take me to your backwoods now" is one of the most repetitive of the band's discography, but it doesn't feel too much so, completing the album with a good mix of funk and punk.
42. Eskimo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neXRyn2wwzA
Album: Fortune Faded (2003, B-Side) Released as a B-side of Fortune Faded, Eskimo was recorded during the production of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits, on which they released the two new singles Fortune Faded and Save The Population. Eskimo delivers a nice mix of the heavier rock songs of the Chilis' past alongside the mellow verses of their upcoming years. The song demonstrates John Frusciante's great dexterity on his guitar, most notably during his solo, having joined the band originally for Mother's Milk and then replaced by Navarro before returning for Californication and eventually leaving after Stadium Arcadium in 2008.
41. Pretty Little Ditty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxjdJoh4SM
Album: Mother's Milk (1989, remastered and extended 2003) Another of the band's rare instrumental songs, Pretty Little Ditty was only 1:35 in length on the original release of Mother's Milk before being extended on the remastered version of the album, released in 2003. Once again we are treated to Frusciante's expert guitar playing, including a riff which is recognisable for having been sampled for Crazy Town's 2000 hit
Butterfly. The song was composed entirely by Frusciante and Flea, joined quietly by Chad Smith on percussion, Smith having joined the band before Mother's Milk and still drumming in the Chilis today.