10 Most Underrated Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs
1. I Could Have Lied - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Out of all of the Peppers' albums, Blood Sugar Sex Magik definitely has the best flow from track to track. There's no easy way to make songs like Breaking the Girl fit on the same album as something like Give It Away or Suck My Kiss, and yet the Peppers and Rick Rubin made the whole thing look seamless. When the flow ends up being this good, you almost don't notice the fact that they took all the funk and rock away for one song.
Being one of the only true ballads in the Peppers' catalog, this is one of greatest vocal performances of Anthony's career, making the character in the song feel utterly alone after being hung out to dry for cheating. Supposedly written about his love affair with Sinead O Connor, Kiedis sells heartbreak better than any hair metal vocalist could hope to, tapping into something that's genuinely hurt rather than pleading for forgiveness.
The solo is where the real magic comes in. After Hillel was taken from us, it's guitar parts like this that prove why John Frusciante was the right guy to take over the reins, making for a musical piece that feels like he's actively trying to make the guitar sound like it's crying. Whereas most of the Chili Peppers' material is focusing on the good time spirit that comes with living in California, it's songs like these that show you that no happiness comes without a little bit of melancholy every now and again.