Guns N’ Roses – Top 10 Songs
With an “Appetite For Destruction,” Guns N’ Roses always managed to find controversy. There were those pesky arrests for disorderly conduct or public disturbance. During various performances or awards shows, a band member or two would show up intoxicated and say something that got everybody riled.
Angered by something, usually insignificant, band members routinely announced they were quitting. There was a lot of press but nothing came of it.
Singer Axl Rose held up his end by winning Rolling Stone magazine’s Worst Male Rock Singer and Worst Dressed awards.
Guns N’ Roses
– Greatest Hits
Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits works because the band’s catalog is all killer, no filler. It distills the chaos, attitude, and sheer bombast of their golden era into one relentless ride.
All that aside… Here’s their Top 10.
#10. It’s So Easy (1987)
Bassist Duff McKagan and West Arkeen, who co-wrote a half-dozen GN’R songs, composed the band’s ’87 debut single (which stiffed). However, it became one of the band’s live staples, performed during almost every live performance since 1986.
#9. My Michelle (1987)
The song was inspired by Michelle Young. She and GN’R frontman Axl Rose were in a car together when Elton John’s “Your Song” came on the radio. Young happened to mention that she had always wanted someone to write a song about her. Rose’s first attempt was a sweet song that bore nor resemblance to Young’s hardscrabble life. So he rewrote the song with a harder, truer edge.
#8. “Nightrain” (1987)
The song was a tribute to a brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was popular with the band during their early days because of its low price and high alcohol content.
#7. November Rain (1991)
Guitarist Slash and Duff were opposed to the band’s drift to symphonic ballads, feeling their choice of Rock songs were overlooked by Axl. The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
#6. Mr. Brownstone (1987)
Slash and guitarist Izzy Stradlin wrote the tune while they were sitting around Izzy’s apartment complaining about their addictions to heroin. “Brownstone” is a slang for heroin.
#5. “Estranged” (1991)
Axl has stated that he wrote the song during a “bummed out” time in his life when his marriage to Erin Everly was annulled. Like “November Rain,” the ballad “Estranged” was one that band members were initially hesitant to record. In the end, they all contributed to the recording.
#4. Civil War (1991)
An anti-war protest song. this was GN’R’s last single recorded with drummer Steven Alder. He departed the band several months after its recording and was replaced by Matt Sorum before the single dropped.
#3. Paradise City (1987)
The song was written in the back of a rental van as GN’R were on their way back from playing a gig in San Francisco. Playing an acoustic guitar Slash came up with the intro and started humming a melody when Axl sang, “Take me down to the Paradise City.” Slash chimed in with “Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.” Axl sang the first line again before Slash shouted out “Where the girls are fat and they’ve got big titties.” The band decided to go with Slash’s first line.
#2. Sweet Child O’ Mine (1987)
To make it more marketable to MTV and radio stations, the song was edited down from 5:56 to 4:58 with much of Slash’s guitar solo removed. “There’s no reason for it to be missing except to create more space for commercials, so the radio-station owners can get more advertising dollars,” Axl told Rolling Stone. “Sweet Child O’ Mine became the band’s only #1 single in the U.S.
#1 “Welcome To The Jungle” (1987)
According to Izzy the song is “about Hollywood streets; true to life,” but it was inspired by an incident that occurred in New York. Axl and a friend encountered a homeless man while they were leaving the bus station. Trying to put a scare into the runaways, the man yelled, “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle baby; you’re gonna die!”
In ’09, “Welcome To The Jungle” was named the greatest Hard Rock song of all time by VH1.
Guns N’ Roses Classic Line-Up:
Axl Rose – Lead Vocals/Keyboards
Slash – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Izzy Stradlin – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Duff McKagan – Bass/Backing Vocals
Steven Adler – Drums/Percussion
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