Many people live their lives terrified of emotional and physical pain. One bad situation in a person’s life can change them forever. The music video for “Scar Tissue”, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, showcases this by showing the immediate aftermath of one such situation. The lyrics of the song can be used as a statement to show others that when life seems bleak, there is always a way to make it through a situation even though that seems almost unthinkable at the time. In the music video for “Scar Tissue”, the Red Hot Chili Peppers use the hopeless landscape as an allegory for how a single event can physically destroy a human, destroy their emotional state, and destroy the joy in the world around them.

“Scar Tissue”, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a song about a broken and scarred man, who has faced many struggles through life but still finds a way to keep moving forward. The beginning scenes can be used as an allegory for the physical destruction the men have recently endured. Although the men are shown to be physically harmed throughout the whole video, the beginning introduces the injuries and focuses greatly on them. The first scene in the video shows the 4 band members driving in a Pontiac GTO convertible. They all appear to be hurt in some way. The member who is driving the convertible is covered in dried blood and bandages, while the member in the passenger seat has his ear almost completely covered by bandages. The only fully visible member in the backseat is also covered in dried blood, and he appears to have his wrists and face bandaged. The last man remains unseen through the scene, as he is presumably unconscious with his feet hanging out of the car. The camera uses a close up shot style, to give the viewer a point of view from inside the car. This shot gives the viewer the perspective that they are in the same seemingly hopeless situation as the rest of the characters although none of the members are looking at the viewer, as they all have their sights on the horizon. The injuries can be viewed as literal representations of the physical aftermath of a tragedy, but some of the physical damages on the group members are possibly shown as an allegory for their inner emotional pain which is presumably caused by a recent tragedy. By analyzing the pained and emotionless men, one can assume that the people would look similarly damaged if their emotional state was represented visually. 

Along with the physical harm the group members endure, emotional destruction is also showcased. Throughout the next scene, the shot shows the GTO is in the corner parked, as no band members are currently inside of it. The background of the shot shows power lines, brown bushes that appear to be dead, and a gray-blue sky. Each member gives lifeless looks out to the sky or distance. They do not speak or smile throughout the scent. They just sit quietly, seemingly alone although they are obviously physically together. The shot is taken so the viewer feels as if they are on the sand with them but watching from a medium distance. This again gives a feeling that the viewer is similarly damaged as the other group members. None of the band members in the shot are looking at each other, as they both seem to be staring off at a different point in the distance. They all appear emotionally drained and have a melancholy facial expression. They are obviously thinking about whatever situation they had just gone through. This can be representative of the disconnect that can come about within people from one traumatic event in life.

The environment throughout the video is also a representation of the damages that each of the band members have endured. In the first scene of the video, the color scheme is bleak, as he 4 members are driving through what appears to be a very colorless desert. The sky is a very boring blue tone of gray, and the clothes worn by the members are all monotone colors such as black or brown. The desert itself seems very drained, as the sun is very dull, and there are no discernable surroundings besides cacti. The bleak color scheme and lack of life in the desert showcases the band members exhausted and joyless view of life. The second scene shows similar destruction and bleakness. The midground shows the band members. One appears to be urinating in the corner, and the other is sitting on a broken and abandoned mattress playing his guitar that is cracked up the middle. The rest of the midground is populated by sand, broken mattresses, books, and other trash. The colors in the midground are very bleak with much of it being gray and brown. Any notable landmarks in the environment are destroyed or breaking. This can show the new, negative view of life that each character has. The destruction that has occurred to the character’s bodies and emotional states has seemingly taken their personality and the personality of the colorless, desolate desert around them. 

The visual motif throughout the video is destruction. The two scenes showcases show destruction on the band members and in the environment around them. The destruction ties into the overall theme of the song, as it’s about a broken man making his way through the world. They video depicts the four band members as numb men, as they wander through a bleak world together. While the motif doesn’t call for reconsideration of the lyrics or the title, it still shines light on the inner meaning behind the video and the lyrics. The motif shows the meaning off the title which is, “Scar Tissue”. “Scar Tissue” showcases destruction as part of a person must be destroyed to form a scar. Although scars can be used as a representation for damage, they are also a sign of healing. This is significant with the motif as many parts of the members are destroyed and the scar tissue is forming in their physical appearance, emotional state, and in the way that they perceive the world around them. This will ultimately amount to health for the band members, if it works as a scar traditionally does. The destruction works as an overall motif for the state of the lives of each man, as throughout the video they seem quite miserable, but at the other end of the journey, they will come out healed.
