If your favorite isn’t here, it’s probably #12.
"By the Way"
The song starts off sounding suspiciously similar to Interpol, but by the time it fully kicks in, you're firmly in classic Red Hot Chili Peppers territory. But then both parts line up, and you get a perfect synthesis of the band's funky and melancholy sides.
Warner Bros / Propaganda
"Snow (Hey Oh)"
The main attraction here is one of John Frusciante's finest arpeggiated guitar figures, but Anthony Kiedis' vocal melody is lovely, and the keyboard part is unexpectedly Beatlesque.
Warner Bros.
"Warped"
The band's brief period with Dave Navarro as guitarist tends to be maligned, but "Warped" is the best case scenario of this union – you get the majestic riffing of Navarro's work with Jane's Addiction grafted on to a funky bass line that only Flea could write.
Warner Bros.
"Breaking the Girl"
"Breaking the Girl" is one of the band's most sophisticated ballads – it's pretty easy to imagine this being a Jimi Hendrix tune, and the mix of acoustic guitar and understated organ seems like something Led Zeppelin might've cooked up in the mid-'70s. But that odd syncopation in the beat? That's pure RHCP.
Warner Bros.