"Sweet Child O' Mine" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Guns N' Roses | ||||
from the album Appetite for Destruction | ||||
B-side | "It's So Easy" (live) | |||
Released | June 1988 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Guns N' Roses | |||
Producer(s) | Mike Clink | |||
Guns N' Roses singles chronology | ||||
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Music videos | ||||
"Sweet Child o' Mine" on YouTube | ||||
"Sweet Child o' Mine" (Alternate version) on YouTube | ||||
"Sweet Child o' Mine" (Album version,music only) on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Sweet Child o' Mine" |
"Sweet Child O' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses,released on their debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). In the United States,the song was released in June 1988 as the album's first single,topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's only US number-one single. In the United Kingdom,the song was released on August 8,1988, [7] reaching number 24 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. Re-released there in May 1989, [8] it peaked at number six.
During a jam session at the band's house in Sunset Strip, [9] drummer Steven Adler and Slash were warming up and Slash began to play a "circus" melody while making faces at Adler. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin asked Slash to play it again. Stradlin came up with some chords,Duff McKagan created a bassline and Adler planned a beat. In his autobiography,Slash said "within an hour my guitar exercise had become something else." Lead singer Axl Rose was listening to the musicians upstairs in his room and was inspired to write lyrics,which he completed by the following afternoon. [10] He based it on his girlfriend Erin Everly (daughter of Don Everly,of the Everly Brothers,and Venetia Stevenson),and declared that Lynyrd Skynyrd served as an inspiration "to make sure that we'd got that heartfelt feeling." [9] On the next composing session in Burbank,the band added a bridge and a guitar solo. [10]
When the band recorded demos with producer Spencer Proffer,he suggested adding a breakdown at the song's end. The musicians agreed,but were not sure what to do. Listening to the demo in a loop,Rose started saying to himself,"Where do we go? Where do we go now?" and Proffer suggested that he sing that. [10] An alternate version featuring half a live version,half a newly recorded 1999 version plays during the credits of the movie Big Daddy. [11]
A music video was made for the song in 1987. The music video depicts the band rehearsing in Mendiola's Ballroom at Huntington Park,California,surrounded by crew members. All of the band members' girlfriends at the time were shown in the clip:Rose's girlfriend Erin Everly;McKagan's girlfriend Mandy Brix,from the all-female rock band the Lame Flames;Stradlin's girlfriend Angela Nicoletti;Adler's girlfriend Cheryl Swiderski;and Slash's girlfriend Sally McLaughlin. Stradlin's dog was also shown. The video was successful on MTV,and helped launch the song to mainstream success.
To make "Sweet Child O' Mine" more marketable to MTV and radio stations,the song was edited down from 5:56 to 4:58,for the radio edit/remix,with much of Slash's guitar solo removed. This drew the ire of the band,including Rose,who commented on it in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone :"I hate the edit of 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' Radio stations said,'Well,your vocals aren't cut.' My favorite part of the song is Slash's slow solo;it's the heaviest part for me. 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. When you get the chopped version of 'Paradise City' or half of 'Sweet Child' and 'Patience' cut,you're getting screwed." [12]
A 7-inch vinyl format and cassette single were released. The album version of the song was included on the US single release,while the UK single was the "edit/remix" version. The 12-inch vinyl format also contained the longer LP version. The B-side to the single is a non-album,live version of "It's So Easy.”
On an interview on Eddie Trunk's New York radio show in May 2006,Rose stated that his original concept for the video focused on the theme of drug trafficking. According to Rose,the video was to depict an Asian woman carrying a baby into a foreign land,only to discover at the end that the child was dead and filled with heroin. This concept was rejected by Geffen Records.
This song was used for a teaser trailer premiere of Thor:Love and Thunder, which released on April 18,2022,and the film itself, [13] including the end credits. As of 2024,the music video currently has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. [14]
"Sweet Child O' Mine" placed number 37 on Guitar World 's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos." It also came in at number three on Blender 's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born,and at number 196 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 [15] and 88th in the 2021 list. [16]
In March 2005,Q magazine placed it at number six in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. On a 2004 Total Guitar magazine poll,the introduction's famous riff was voted the number one riff of all-time by the readers of the magazine. [17] It was also in Rolling Stone's 40 Greatest Songs that Changed the World. It places number seven in VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s,”and placed number 210 on the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Songs of the Century list.
The song has sold 2,609,000 digital copies in the United States as of March 2012. [18] In 2017, Paste ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs, [19] and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number eight on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs. [20]
Guitarist Slash said in 1990,"[The song] turned into a huge hit and now it makes me sick. I mean,I like it,but I hate what it represents." [21]
Cash Box called it a "medium tempo rocker by the new hero's [sic] of metal,featuring a nice breakdown" and "standout guitar playing." [22]
In 2015,the web page of the Australian music TV channel MAX published an article by music writer Nathan Jolly that noted similarities between "Sweet Child O' Mine" and the song "Unpublished Critics" by the Australian band Australian Crawl,from 1981. [23] The article included both songs,inviting readers to compare the two. It also cited a reader's comment on an earlier article [24] that had originally drawn attention to the similarities between the songs. As of May 2015,this comment no longer appeared on the earlier article. The story went viral [25] quickly,encouraging several comments on both the MAX article and the suggestion that "Unpublished Critics" had influenced "Sweet Child O' Mine,” [26] [27] [28] [29] including one from Duff McKagan,bass player with Guns N' Roses when "Sweet Child O' Mine" was written and recorded. [30] McKagan found the similarities between the songs "stunning," but said he had not previously heard "Unpublished Critics." [31]
The song has been used in numerous films,most recently in the 2022 film Thor:Love and Thunder . [32] [33] Other films include:
Slash performs his guitar solo as a guitarist auditioning for a band in a Capital One commercial in which the theme is "easiest decision in the history of decisions.” [36]
The song is used in a 2024 commercial for Spectrum cable service.
All tracks are written by Guns N' Roses except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (LP version) | 5:55 |
2. | "It's So Easy" (live at The Marquee Club June 28, 1987) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (remix/edit) | 3:57 [37] |
2. | "Out Ta Get Me" (LP version) | 4:20 |
Total length: | 8:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (LP version) | 5:55 |
2. | "Out Ta Get Me" (LP version) | 4:20 |
3. | "Rocket Queen" (LP version) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (remix/edit) | 3:57 [37] |
2. | "Out Ta Get Me" (LP version) | 4:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (LP version) | 5:55 | |
2. | "Move to the City" (LP version) | Guns N' Roses, Del James, Chris Weber | 3:47 |
3. | "Whole Lotta Rosie" (live AC/DC cover) | Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott | 4:34 |
4. | "It's So Easy" (live) | Guns N' Roses, West Arkeen | 3:51 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [67] | 8× Platinum | 560,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [68] | Diamond | 250,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [69] | 2× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [70] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [71] sales since 2009 | 3× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [72] | 3× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [73] | 4× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [74] | 4× Platinum | 2,400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [75] | Gold | 3,126,000 [76] |
United States (RIAA) [75] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
"Sweet Child o' Mine" | ||||
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Single by Sheryl Crow | ||||
from the album Big Daddy soundtrack | ||||
B-side | ||||
Released | May 31, 1999 [77] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Guns N' Roses | |||
Producer(s) | Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow | |||
Sheryl Crow singles chronology | ||||
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Audio video | ||||
"Sweet Child O' Mine" on YouTube |
The song was covered by Sheryl Crow on the soundtrack to Big Daddy, and released as a bonus track on her third studio album, The Globe Sessions . The recording was produced by Rick Rubin and Crow. A music video for Crow's version was also released, directed by Stéphane Sednaoui. [80] Crow performed the song live at Woodstock '99. [81]
Ultimate Classic Rock profiled the song as part of a series on "Terrible Classic Rock Covers", [82] and Rolling Stone readers named it the fourth worst cover song of all-time. [83] Despite its negative reception, it became a moderate hit in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and it earned Crow a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. [84]
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [59] | 60 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [85] | 9 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [86] | 42 |
Canada Rock/Alternative ( RPM ) [87] | 26 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [88] | 79 |
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [89] | 11 |
Ireland (IRMA) [90] | 26 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [91] | 95 |
Scotland (OCC) [92] | 24 |
UK Singles (OCC) [93] | 30 |
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [94] | 29 |
"Sweet Child o' Mine" | ||||
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Single by Taken by Trees | ||||
B-side | "Above You" | |||
Released | November 23, 2009 | |||
Genre | Indie pop | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Songwriter(s) | Guns N' Roses | |||
Taken by Trees singles chronology | ||||
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John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert singles chronology | ||||
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In 2009, Taken by Trees, the solo project of Swedish singer Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer of the Concretes covered the song for the 2009 John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert, a UK advertising tradition since 2007. It was later announced that the version would be released as their next UK single. [95] It was also used in the promotional trailers for the 2009 remake of The Last House on the Left. The song was also used in the final scene for the 2010 film Life as We Know It . Bergsman's version reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart on November 28, 2009 during a six week spell in the top 75. [96]
Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British and American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Slash has received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest guitarists in history.
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. It initially received little mainstream attention, and it was not until the following year that Appetite for Destruction became a commercial success, after the band had toured and received significant airplay with the singles "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", and "Sweet Child o' Mine". The album went on to peak at number one on the US Billboard 200, and it became the seventh best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling debut album in the country. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, it is also one of the best-selling albums worldwide.
Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth, and Scott Weiland formerly of Stone Temple Pilots. The band formed in 2002 and was active until 2008, when Weiland was fired from the band and subsequently rejoined Stone Temple Pilots.
Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. Bolstered by the lead single "You Could Be Mine", Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling a record 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ahead of Use Your Illusion I's first-week sales of 685,000. As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week.
"November Rain" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead vocalist Axl Rose, the power ballad was released in February 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991). The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was the longest song to enter the top ten of the chart at the time of its release. As of 2019, it was the fourth longest song to enter the Hot 100 chart. Additionally, "November Rain" reached number two on the Portuguese Singles Chart, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 on several other music charts around the world.
The Globe Sessions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 21, 1998, in the United Kingdom and September 29, 1998, in the United States, then re-released in 1999. It was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album at the 1999 Grammys, winning the latter two awards. The Globe Sessions reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, while peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of two million as of January 2008. The album was recorded at and named for the sessions recorded at Globe Recording Studio in New York owned by Robert FitzSimons and Tracey Loggia.
"Paradise City" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). Released as a single in January 1989, it is the only song on the album to feature a synthesizer. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100—becoming the band's third single to reach the Top 10—and number six on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped the Irish Singles Chart, their first of three singles to do so.
"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured as the opening track on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). It was released as the album's second single initially in the UK in September 1987 then again in October 1988 this time including the US, where it reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 24 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Patience" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses from their second studio album, G N' R Lies (1988), released as a single in March 1989. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is a ballad, played using three acoustic guitars and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. A music video of the song was shot and appears on the band's music video DVD, Welcome to the Videos.
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985, as the result of a merger between local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic lineup" consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.
"Nightrain" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. The song is a tribute to an infamous brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was extremely popular with the band during their early days because of its low price and high alcohol content. The title is spelled differently, omitting a T and removing the space, making a portmanteau of the two words.
"You Could Be Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses from their fourth studio album, Use Your Illusion II. The song was released on June 21, 1991, as the first single from the Use Your Illusion albums. The song was originally released as a song in director James Cameron's 1991 film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Backed with "Civil War" from Use Your Illusion II, the single reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Finland and Spain. It became a top-five hit in more than 10 additional countries.
"Civil War" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses that originally appeared on the 1990 compilation Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal and later on the band's 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. It is a protest song on war, referring to all war as "civil war" and stating that war only "feeds the rich while it buries the poor". In the song, lead singer Axl Rose asks, "What's so civil about war, anyway?"
"There Goes the Neighborhood" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. The song was released as the second single from her third studio album, The Globe Sessions (1998), on November 23, 1998, and won an award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001.
"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the Billboard Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Live and Let Die" is the theme song of the 1973 James Bond film of the same name, performed by the British–American rock band Wings. Written by English musician Paul McCartney and his wife Linda McCartney, it reunited McCartney with former Beatles producer George Martin, who produced the song and arranged the orchestra. McCartney was contacted to write the song by the film's producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli before the screenplay was finished. Wings recorded "Live and Let Die" during the sessions for Red Rose Speedway in October 1972 at AIR Studios. It was also the first rock song to open a Bond film. Another version by B. J. Arnau also appears in the film.
The discography of Guns N' Roses, an American hard rock band, consists of six studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), 24 singles, ten video albums and 27 music videos. Guns N' Roses was formed in Los Angeles, California with an original recording lineup of lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. After self-releasing the EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide in December 1986, the band signed with Geffen Records and released its debut studio album Appetite for Destruction the following July. It topped the US Billboard 200 and went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, with reported sales over 30 million units worldwide, 18 million of which are in the US. Three singles – "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City" – reached the US Billboard Hot 100 top ten, with "Sweet Child o' Mine" topping the chart.
"Fall to Pieces" is a power ballad written and performed by Velvet Revolver that appears on their debut album Contraband in 2004. It was the band's third single, and reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
The discography of Sheryl Crow, an American singer-songwriter, consists of 12 studio albums, four live albums, two EPs, seven compilation albums, one box set, 54 singles, six promotional singles, 13 video albums, 61 music videos, 21 B-sides and 19 soundtrack contributions. She has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has sold 16 million certified albums in the United States. Billboard named her the 5th Greatest Alternative Artist of all time.
The Not in This Lifetime... Tour was a concert tour by hard rock band Guns N' Roses, spanning from April 1, 2016, to November 2, 2019. It featured classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, marking the first time since the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1993 that the three performed together. After the previous tour in 2014, guitarists DJ Ashba & Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, bassist Tommy Stinson and keyboardist Chris Pitman left Guns N' Roses, leaving the band with several open spots. Former members Slash and McKagan rejoined the band and Melissa Reese joined as keyboardist. The group embarked on a world tour that spanned all continents except Antarctica. They performed 175 shows making it their third longest tour ever, just behind the Use Your Illusion Tour and the Chinese Democracy Tour. The group welcomed former drummer Steven Adler to the stage for several shows as a guest spot, the first time he had played with the group since 1990. The tour has been a financial success, grossing over $584.2 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing concert tour of all time. The tour was 2016's highest-earning per-city global concert tour as well as the fourth-highest-grossing overall that year. In 2017, the tour ranked as the second highest grossing worldwide tour. The tour was honored at the Billboard Live Music Awards in November 2017, winning Top Tour/Top Draw and being nominated for Top Boxscore.
In 1999, Sheryl Crow contributed a countrified "Sweet Child O' Mine" cover to the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy.