Have you ever wondered how the classic rock band Guns N’ Roses got its violent/beautiful name? Well in 1985 two bands merged and, like a love child, the new group was born. Those original two bands? Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. And in the wake of that musical union, one of the most popular bands of the 20th century was created.
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In 1987, the band released its debut LP Appetite for Destruction, which itself reads almost like a greatest hits record. And since then, the collective has released five more albums. But along the way, GNR has dropped a plethora of songs that have stood the test of time and here below are three that have risen to even the top of that. Indeed, these are three eternal Guns N’ Roses classic rock songs.
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“Welcome to the Jungle” from Appetite for Destruction (1987)
The opening song on Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 debut LP Appetite for Destruction, this track announced the band and its over-the-top, brash style. It was as if the track was saying, “Here we are, get used to us!” The song is a four-minute party marked by lead guitarist Slash’s feverish licks and lead singer Axl Rose’s cartoonist-lightning voice. For the Los Angeles-born band it was chaos and melody dancing together. And while the band’s debut album didn’t gain much traction at first, it was “Welcome to the Jungle” that helped to earn it attention. On the track, which was inspired by a trip Rose made to Seattle, the lead singer belts,
Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games
We got everything you want, honey, we know the names
We are the people that can find whatever you may need
If you got the money, honey, we got your disease
It’s a jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring it to your n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees
Oh ah, I wanna see you bleed
Welcome to the jungle, we take it day by day
If you want you’re gonna bleed but it’s the price to pay
And you’re a very sexy girl, and very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights but you won’t get there for free
“November Rain” from Use Your Illusion I (1991)
A unique, piano-driven song from a band known for hard rock, “November Rain” is a nine-minute song that at one time was 18 minutes when the band originally recorded it. A power ballad, the song reportedly caused some tensions within the group as some members preferred the shorter, more power-packed rock tunes. But whatever the internal discussions were, this song has stood the test of time and has garnered billions of streams even after it was released pre-internet craze in the 1990s. On the emotive love song, Rose sings,
When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin’ when I hold you
Don’t you know I feel the same?
Nothin’ lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it’s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
“Patience” from G N’ R Lies (1988)
Another outlier for the hard-rock group, this acoustic-driven song that features some sublime whistling from Rose was recorded in a single session. It’s a love song about losing love. As two drift apart, perspective and, yes, patience are needed. Perhaps there can be reconciliation, perhaps not. And this track offers a deep breath from a group used to the opposite in its music. On the lilting track, Rose sings,
Shed a tear ’cause I’m missin’ you
I’m still alright to smile
Girl, I think about you everyday now
Was a time when I wasn’t sure
But you set my mind at ease
There is no doubt you’re in my heart now
Said, woman, take it slow
It’ll work itself out fine
All we need is just a little patience
Said, sugar, make it slow
And we’ll come together fine
All we need is just a little patience
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