Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 71.187.58.75 (talk) at 14:02, 9 July 2022 (Fixed grammar). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Sweet Child o' Mine"
1988 US vinyl issue
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Appetite for Destruction
B-side	"It's So Easy" (live) (US) "Out ta Get Me" (UK)
Released	June 21, 1988 (1988-06-21)
Recorded	1987
Genre	Hard rock glam metal
Length	5:55 (album version) 4:54 (video version)
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Guns N' Roses
Producer(s)	Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Welcome to the Jungle" (1987) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1988) "Paradise City" (1989)
Music video
"Sweet Child o' Mine" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Sweet Child o' Mine" file help

"Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. It appears on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. In the United States, the song was released in June 1988 as the album's third single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's only US number-one single. In the United Kingdom, the song was released in August 1988, reaching number 24 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. Re-released there in May 1989, it peaked at number six. It was used as the official soundtrack song for Thor: Love And Thunder.

Background and composition

During a jam session at the band's house in the Sunset Strip, 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. He based it on his girlfriend Erin Everly, and declared that Lynyrd Skynyrd served as an inspiration "to make sure that we'd got that heartfelt feeling". On the next composing session in Burbank, the band added a bridge and a guitar solo.

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. An alternate version featuring half a live version, half a newly recorded 1999 version plays during the credits of the movie Big Daddy.

Music video

The "Sweet Child o' Mine" video depicts the band rehearsing in Mendiola's Ballroom at Huntington Park, surrounded by crew members. All of the band members' girlfriends at the time were shown in the clip: Rose's girlfriend Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers; 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 success on mainstream radio.

To make "Sweet Child o' Mine" more marketable to MTV and radio stations, the song was edited down from 5:56 to 4:13, 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."

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.

There is also an alternative video for "Sweet Child o' Mine" in the same place, but with different shots and filmed in black and white.

This song was used for a teaser trailer premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder which released on April 18, 2022.

Reception

"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 198 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 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. 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.

As of June 2019, the song is ranked as the 76th greatest song of all time, as well as the best song of 1987, by Acclaimed Music. The song has sold 2,609,000 digital copies in the United States as of March 2012. In 2017, Paste ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs, and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number eight on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs.

Guitarist Slash said in 1990, " turned into a huge hit and now it makes me sick. I mean, I like it, but I hate what it represents."

Australian Crawl controversy

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. The article included both songs, inviting readers to compare the two. It also cited a reader's comment on an earlier article 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 quickly, encouraging several comments on both the MAX article and the suggestion that "Unpublished Critics" had influenced "Sweet Child o' Mine", including one from Duff McKagan, bass player with Guns N' Roses when "Sweet Child o' Mine" was written and recorded. McKagan found the similarities between the songs "stunning," but said he had not previously heard "Unpublished Critics."

Formats and track listings

All tracks are written by Guns N' Roses except where noted

Personnel

• W. Axl Rose – vocals
• Slash – lead and rhythm guitars
• Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Duff "Rose" McKagan – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Steven Adler – drums

Charts

Certifications

Sheryl Crow version

"Sweet Child o' Mine"
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album Big Daddy soundtrack
Released	June 22, 1999 (1999-06-22)
Genre	Rock
Length	3:49
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Guns N' Roses
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"Anything but Down" (1999) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1999) "Soak Up the Sun" (2002)

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. Crow performed the song live at Woodstock '99.

Ultimate Classic Rock profiled the song as part of a series on "Terrible Classic Rock Covers", and Rolling Stone readers named it the fourth worst cover song of all-time. 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.

Charts

Taken by Trees version

"Sweet Child o' Mine"
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
"Lost & Found" (2007) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (2009) "Dreams" (2012)
John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert singles chronology
"Sweet Child o' Mine" (2009) "Your Song" (2010)

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. 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, and remained at the spot for six weeks.

See also

• Guns N' Roses discography
• List of best-selling singles in the United States
• List of glam metal albums and songs
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988 (U.S.)
• List of UK Rock Chart number-one singles of 2010

References

1. Clarke, Donald; Cackett, Alan; Balmer, Paul (1998). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 530. ISBN 978-0-14-051370-7.
2. Huey, Steve. "Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
3. Wake, Matt (April 8, 2021). "A piece of Guns N' Roses history sells for $80,000". AL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
4. "Readers' Poll: The Best Hair Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
5. Begrand, Adrien (April 5, 2017). "36 Essential '80s Pop Metal Tracks". Stereogum. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
6. "New Singles". Music Week. August 6, 1988. p. 37.
7. "New Singles". Music Week. May 20, 1989. p. 31.
8. ^ "The Story Behind The Song - Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine'". Here Today... Gone To Hell!.
9. ^ Slash; Bozza, Anthony (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment. pp. 154–5. ISBN 978-0-00-725775-1.
10. "New Guns N' Roses Makes Mystery Debut; Live Album Sessions Underway". MTV News. July 9, 1999. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
11. Del James (August 10, 1989). "Axl Rose: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone.
12. "Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine". YouTube. December 24, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
13. Rolli, Bryan RolliBryan. "GNR's 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Fuels 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Teaser". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
14. "News". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
15. "Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll". BBC News. May 2, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
16. "Acclaimed Music Top 3000 songs". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
17. "Week Ending March 18, 2012. Songs: Your '80s Party Mix-Tape". Yahoo! Music. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
18. Rolli, Bryan (September 27, 2017). "The 15 Best Guns N' Roses Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
19. Law, Sam (October 8, 2020). "The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
20. Rowland, Mark (February 1991). "LA Law and Disorder". Select, reprinted from Musician. p. 45.
21. "How similar is 'Sweet Child O Mine' to a 1981 Australian Crawl song?". maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016.
22. "Slash is open to a Gunners reunion: 'Never say never'". maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016.
23. "Guns N Roses Sweet Child O Mine comes under plagiarism charges - ViralNewsChart via Consequence of Sound". ViralNewsChart. May 10, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
24. "Australian Crawl fans spark online debate after pointing out similarities with Guns N' Roses hit". NewsComAu. May 11, 2015.
25. "Did Guns N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Copy Australian Crawl's 'Unpublished Critics'?". Billboard.
26. "Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Plagiarism Claims Laughed Off by Australian Crawl Singer". Ultimate Classic Rock.
27. Tan, Monica (May 14, 2015). "James Reyne responds to Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine plagiarism rumours". The Guardian.
28. "Duff McKagan: Guns N' Roses Didn't Plagiarize on 'Sweet Child O' Mine'". Radio.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
29. "Duff McKagan on the Aussie Crawl song: 'It is pretty stunning... but we didn't steal it from them'". maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
30. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
31. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
32. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
33. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8543." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
34. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 25. June 24, 1989. p. V. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
35. Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
36. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
37. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
38. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
39. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
40. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
41. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
42. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
43. "Guns N Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
44. "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
45. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
46. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
47. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
48. "Guns N Roses Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
49. "Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
50. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
51. "Top 100 Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
52. "End of Year Charts 1988". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
53. "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
54. "Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
55. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
56. "Danish single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child o' Mine". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
57. "Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child o' Mine" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 31, 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Sweet Child o' Mine" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
58. "British single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child o' Mine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
59. Grein, Paul (February 19, 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Dark Horse' Holds Off 'Happy'". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
60. ^ "American single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
61. "Sheryl Crow to Release 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' Her Special Version of the Rock Classic, in June". Thefreelibrary.com. June 1, 1999. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
62. "Woodstock '99 Report #15: Sheryl Crow Act Short On Theatrics, Long On Emotion". MTV.
63. "Sheryl Crow, 'Sweet Child O' Mine' - Terrible Classic Rock Covers". Ultimate Classic Rock.
64. "Rolling Stone Readers Choose the Worst Cover Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. August 18, 2011.
65. "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
66. "Sheryl Crow – Sweet Child O' Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
67. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8362." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
68. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8360." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
69. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 38. September 18, 1999. p. 15. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
70. "Íslenski Listinn (22.7–29.7. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). July 30, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
71. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sheryl Crow". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
72. "Sheryl Crow – Sweet Child O' Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
73. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
74. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
75. "Sheryl Crow Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
76. Mentioned on the Radio 1 Fearne Cotton Show, November 20, 2009, approx 11:00 GMT
77. "TAKEN BY TREES | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 12, 2021.

• 1980s ballads
• 1987 songs
• 1988 singles
• 1989 singles
• 1999 singles
• 2009 singles
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Black-and-white music videos
• Cashbox number-one singles
• Geffen Records singles
• A&M Records singles
• Rough Trade Records singles
• Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
• Guns N' Roses songs
• Glam metal ballads
• Hard rock ballads
• Music videos directed by Nigel Dick
• Music videos directed by Stéphane Sednaoui
• Sheryl Crow songs
• Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin
• Songs written by Axl Rose
• Songs written by Izzy Stradlin
• Songs written by Slash (musician)