10 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of The 90s
7. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
As the '90s really started to happen, the rock stars were beginning to look a lot more mellow. Although it may have been a blast to hang out with someone like Slash or Bret Michaels back in the day, you probably wouldn't get much out of someone like Eddie Vedder if you met him on the street. Hell, even the almighty funk gods the Red Hot Chili Peppers were even finding time to get introspective on Under the Bridge.
Out of all the great guitar moments in this song, most people go to the intro of the song, with John Frusciante delicately fingerpicking through chords. While this does help put you into the world of this song, the tune doesn't really come to life until Anthony Kiedis comes in, with John turning in a performance that's ripped straight out of the '60s.
As opposed to the usual funk stuff we've heard on songs like Give It Away or Higher Ground, this is the kind of washy amp tone that seems reminiscent of the ballads of Jimi Hendrix, with John even throwing in a few musical flourishes that could be copy and pasted into Little Wing. Like all funk musicians though, it never gets to the point where it ever gets in the way of serving the song. If there's one thing all funk sidemen know, it's how to be in the pocket, and Frusciante is riding that groove up until the end.