50 Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs Never Released As Singles That Every Fan Must Hear

15. Midnight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkUJbshSGQ8 Album: By The Way (2002) Midnight marked a definite shift in the Chilis' style, present throughout By The Way, both due to John Frusciante's return and increased influence over the songwriting and the inclusion of extra instrumentation on top of the four band members. The song is one of the first to include the strings present throughout, transforming Midnight into one of the fullest tracks on the album musically, alongside Venice Queen.

14. Funky Monks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=398xVamo2_U Album: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Also the name of the documentary on the album's production, Funky Monks is notable for basically finishing after two and a half minutes, then returning with a much stronger feel in a guitar solo and then returning to its original form for the second part of the song, pretty much repeating the first section again before once more re-starting, this time with a heavier concentration on Flea's bass after four minutes. This unpredictability and range earned Funky Monks such a high place on this list, showing the Chilis to have broadened their songwriting back in the early 90s much further than in the previous albums.

13. This Velvet Glove

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiqSl0bfWro Album: Californication (1999) This Velvet Glove shows Californication to be the perfect missing link between the punky neanderthal Blood Sugar Sex Magik and the mellow human By The Way (and neanderthal is not meant as a criticism of BSSM at all), while including Kiedis' singing style introduced more in Californication than ever before. Incorporating the acoustic and mellow verses that would later feature in By The Way and the heavier chorus found more in the Blood Sugar Sex Magik era, the song tells of Kiedis' struggle with drug addiction and relationship with Yohanna Logan.

12. Tearjerker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am-a7I5FkJY Album: One Hot Minute (1995) Having been a close friend of his for many years, Kurt Cobain's suicide took its toll on Kiedis, who wrote Tearjerker as a tribute to his friend, describing his thoughts as "Jesus Christ, the world just suffered a great loss". Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers had even supported Pearl Jam together during the final leg of their Ten Tour. The song fit into the already dark album with the influences of Dave Navarro, who plays a beautifully simplistic solo before the final chorus of this heart-wrenching Tearjerker. Kiedis further said "It was an emotional blow, and we all felt it ... his death hit us hard, and it changed our whole experience" of writing the album.

11. Police Station

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81nt73cjhhc Album: I'm With You (2011) Police Station brilliantly shows the product of the band's evolution over the decades, incorporating the type of guitar work first introduced in Californication and working through By The Way and Stadium Arcadium, on top of the piano present so much in I'm With You along with Kiedis' soft singing developed during this time all supported by Flea's signature bass. Not only does the song deliver these elements but it also shows such a range between the mellow opening and the up-beat chorus through to the mellow instrumental section and on to the end.