Sweet Child o' Mine explained

Sweet Child o' Mine
Cover:Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine.png
Caption:1988 US vinyl issue
Type:single
Artist:Guns N' Roses
Album:Appetite for Destruction
B-Side:"It's So Easy" (live)
Released:June 1988[1]
Genre:
Length:
  • 5:55 (album version)
  • 4:53 (single version)
Label:Geffen
Producer:Mike Clink
Prev Title:Welcome to the Jungle
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:Paradise City
Next Year:1989

"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.

Background and composition

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. 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." 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.An alternate version featuring half a live version, half a newly recorded 1999 version plays during the credits of the movie Big Daddy.[11]

Music video

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 , which released on April 18, 2022, and the film itself,[13] including the end credits. The music video currently has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube.

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 2004[14] and 88th in the 2021 list.RS500

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.[15] It was also in Rolling Stones 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.[16] In 2017, Paste ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs,[17] and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number eight on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs.[18]

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."[19]

Cash Box called it a "medium tempo rocker by the new hero's [''sic''] of metal, featuring a nice breakdown" and "standout guitar playing."[20]

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.[21] The article included both songs, inviting readers to compare the two. It also cited a reader's comment on an earlier article[22] 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[23] quickly, encouraging several comments on both the MAX article and the suggestion that "Unpublished Critics" had influenced "Sweet Child o' Mine,”[24] [25] [26] [27] including one from Duff McKagan, bass player with Guns N' Roses when "Sweet Child o' Mine" was written and recorded.[28] McKagan found the similarities between the songs "stunning," but said he had not previously heard "Unpublished Critics."[29]

Uses in media

This track has been used in numerous films, most recently in the 2022 film .[30] [31] 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.”[34]

Personnel

Guns N' Roses

Charts

Weekly charts

1988–1989 weekly chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (1988–1989)!Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[35] 23
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 23
US Cash Box Top 100[37] 1
2011 weekly chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2011)!Peak
position
2019 weekly chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2019)!Peak
position
2021–2022 weekly chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2021–2022)!Peak
position

Year-end charts

1988 year-end chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (1988)!Position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 61
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[39] 50
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[40] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 5
2021 year-end chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2021)!Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[42] 142
2022 year-end chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2022)!Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[43] 114
2023 year-end chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine"!Chart (2023)!Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[44] 119

Sheryl Crow version

Sweet Child o' Mine
Cover:Sweet child shreyl crow.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Sheryl Crow
Album:Big Daddy soundtrack
B-Side:
Released:[45]
Genre:
Length:3:49
Label:A&M
Producer:Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow
Prev Title:Anything but Down
Prev Year:1999
Next Title:Soak Up the Sun
Next Year: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.[48] Crow performed the song live at Woodstock '99.[49]

Ultimate Classic Rock profiled the song as part of a series on "Terrible Classic Rock Covers",[50] and Rolling Stone readers named it the fourth worst cover song of all-time.[51] 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.[52]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Sheryl Crow!Chart (1999)!Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)60
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[53] 79
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[54] 11

Taken by Trees version

Cover:Sweetchildominetakenbytrees.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Taken by Trees
B-Side:Above You
Released:November 23, 2009
Genre:Indie pop
Label:Rough Trade
Chronology:Taken by Trees
Prev Title:Lost & Found
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:Dreams
Next Year:2012

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.[55] 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.[56]

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: RIAA.
  2. Book: Clarke. Donald. The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Cackett. Alan. Balmer. Paul. 1998. Penguin Books. 978-0-14-051370-7. 530. registration.
  3. Web site: Sweet Child O' Mine – Guns N' Roses Song Info. Huey. Steve. AllMusic. October 27, 2019. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110103318/https://www.allmusic.com/song/sweet-child-o-mine-mt0012262032. live.
  4. Web site: Wake. Matt. April 8, 2021. A piece of Guns N' Roses history sells for $80,000. April 27, 2021. AL.com. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110094524/https://www.al.com/news/2021/04/how-much-does-a-piece-of-guns-n-roses-history-cost-about-80000.html. live.
  5. June 20, 2012. Readers' Poll: The Best Hair Metal Songs of All Time. March 9, 2020. Rolling Stone.
  6. Web site: Begrand. Adrien. April 5, 2017. 36 Essential '80s Pop Metal Tracks. April 11, 2021. Stereogum. February 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210206124810/https://www.stereogum.com/1922586/36-essential-80s-pop-metal-tracks/lists/ultimate-playlist/. live.
  7. New Singles. Music Week. 37. August 6, 1988.
  8. New Singles. Music Week. 31. May 20, 1989.
  9. Web site: The Story Behind The Song – Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. Here Today... Gone To Hell!. October 18, 2013. May 15, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130515173901/http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=149. live.
  10. Book: Slash . Bozza, Anthony . . Harper Entertainment . 2007 . 978-0-00-725775-1 . 154–5.
  11. News: New Guns N' Roses Makes Mystery Debut; Live Album Sessions Underway . . July 9, 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200128140836/http://www.mtv.com/news/1429782/new-guns-n-roses-makes-mystery-debut-live-album-sessions-underway/ . January 28, 2020 . January 28, 2020 .
  12. Axl Rose: The Rolling Stone Interview . Del James . August 10, 1989 . Rolling Stone.
  13. Web site: Rolli . Bryan . GNR's 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Fuels 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Teaser . 2022-04-18 . Ultimate Classic Rock . April 18, 2022 . en . April 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220418170037/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/thor-love-and-thunder-sweet-child-o-mine/ . live .
  14. News . Rolling Stone . December 11, 2003 . February 10, 2015.
  15. News: Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll . BBC News . May 2, 2004 . May 24, 2010 . August 14, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090814230144/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3677965.stm . live .
  16. Web site: Week Ending March 18, 2012. Songs: Your '80s Party Mix-Tape . Yahoo! Music . March 21, 2012 . March 29, 2012 . September 12, 2014 . https://archive.today/20140912190215/https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-march-18-2012-songs-80s-party-004336988.html . live .
  17. Web site: The 15 Best Guns N' Roses Songs. Bryan. Rolli. Paste. September 27, 2017. April 27, 2022. April 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220427213833/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/guns-n-roses/the-15-best-guns-n-roses-songs/. live.
  18. Web site: The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked. Sam. Law. Kerrang. October 8, 2020. April 27, 2022. April 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220427213833/https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-guns-n-roses-songs-ranked. live.
  19. Mark. Rowland. LA Law and Disorder. Select, reprinted from Musician. February 1991. 45.
  20. Single Releases. Cash Box. June 18, 1988. 2022-12-21. 8.
  21. Web site: How similar is 'Sweet Child O Mine' to a 1981 Australian Crawl song?. maxtv.com.au. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160619224146/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/how-similar-is-sweet-child-o-mine-to-a-1981-australian-crawl-song.aspx. June 19, 2016.
  22. Web site: Slash is open to a Gunners reunion: 'Never say never'. maxtv.com.au. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160419011218/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/slash-is-open-to-a-gunners-reunion-never-say-never.aspx. April 19, 2016.
  23. Web site: Guns N Roses Sweet Child O Mine comes under plagiarism charges – ViralNewsChart via Consequence of Sound. May 10, 2015. ViralNewsChart. May 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518100731/http://app.viralnewschart.com/News/News.aspx?linkId=108853839. May 18, 2015. dead.
  24. Web site: Australian Crawl fans spark online debate after pointing out similarities with Guns N' Roses hit. NewsComAu. May 11, 2015. May 14, 2015. May 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150514084521/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/australian-crawl-fans-spark-online-debate-after-pointing-out-similarities-with-guns-n-roses-hit/story-e6frfmq9-1227350742310. live.
  25. Did Guns N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Copy Australian Crawl's 'Unpublished Critics'? . Billboard.
  26. Web site: Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Plagiarism Claims Laughed Off by Australian Crawl Singer. Ultimate Classic Rock. May 14, 2015. May 14, 2015. May 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515153756/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/guns-n-roses-plagiarism/. live.
  27. Web site: James Reyne responds to Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine plagiarism rumours. Monica. Tan. The Guardian. May 14, 2015. December 16, 2016. February 2, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202105453/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/may/14/australian-crawl-singer-james-reyne-similarities-between-sweet-child-o-mine. live.
  28. Web site: Duff McKagan: Guns N' Roses Didn't Plagiarize on 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. Radio.com. May 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090403/http://radio.com/2015/05/13/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-plagiarism-duff-mckagan/. May 18, 2015. dead.
  29. Web site: Duff McKagan on the Aussie Crawl song: 'It is pretty stunning... but we didn't steal it from them'. maxtv.com.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518092122/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/guns-roses-duff-mckagan-on-aussie-crawl-song-it-is-pretty-stunning-but-we-didnt-steal-it-from-them.aspx. dead. May 18, 2015. January 23, 2017.
  30. Web site: Chappell . Caitlin . 2022-06-28 . Thor: Love and Thunder Is a Love Letter to '80s Rock . 2022-08-08 . CBR . en-US . July 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702095643/https://www.cbr.com/thor-love-and-thunder-press-conference-music/ . live .
  31. Web site: 2022-04-18 . Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" Soundtracks The First Teaser For 'Thor: Love And Thunder' . 2022-08-08 . Theprp.com . en-US . June 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630224141/https://www.theprp.com/2022/04/18/news/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-soundtracks-the-first-teaser-for-thor-love-and-thunder/ . live .
  32. Web site: 2021-02-04 . The 10 Best Uses Of Guns N' Roses Songs In Movies . 2022-08-08 . ScreenRant . en-US . July 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726091115/https://screenrant.com/best-movie-scenes-featuring-guns-roses-music/ . live .
  33. Web site: MetalSucks . 2016-01-05 . The Big Short: The Most Metal Movie of 2015? . 2024-07-23 . MetalSucks . en.
  34. News: Watch Slash shred 'Sweet Child o' Mine' in new Capital One commercial. WXHC. ABC News. 2022-07-26. 2022-08-30. November 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221116182225/https://www.wxhc.com/watch-slash-shred-sweet-child-o-mine-in-new-capital-one-commercial/. live.
  35. Eurochart Hot 100. Music & Media. 6. 25. V. June 24, 1989. June 14, 2020.
  36. Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003.
  37. Web site: U.S. Cash Box Charts. popmusichistory. January 1, 2023. January 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230116032144/https://www.popmusichistory.co.uk/_files/ugd/b4848d_4f9128176360450ba51be67a0468e9fa.pdf. live.
  38. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia.
  39. Top 100 Singles of '88. RPM. 49. 10. 9. December 24, 1988. May 30, 2019.
  40. Web site: End of Year Charts 1988. Recorded Music NZ. May 30, 2019. January 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190101003059/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index_chart?chart=3877. live.
  41. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 1988. Billboardtop100of.com. May 30, 2019. May 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190531152050/http://billboardtop100of.com/1988-2/. live.
  42. Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 4, 2021.
  43. Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
  44. Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2023. Billboard. November 22, 2023.
  45. Adds for May 31 & June 1. Gavin Report. 2257. 45. May 28, 1999.
  46. Web site: Big Daddy - Original Soundtrack - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
  47. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine. . May 24, 2021. In 1999, Sheryl Crow contributed a countrified “Sweet Child O’ Mine” cover to the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy.. November 12, 2023.
  48. Web site: Sheryl Crow to Release 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' Her Special Version of the Rock Classic, in June . Thefreelibrary.com . June 1, 1999 . April 12, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131210232049/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sheryl+Crow+to+Release+%27Sweet+Child+O%27+Mine,%27+Her+Special+Version+of...-a054768180 . December 10, 2013 . dead.
  49. Web site: Woodstock '99 Report #15: Sheryl Crow Act Short On Theatrics, Long On Emotion. MTV. July 3, 2018. July 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180703075415/http://www.mtv.com/news/516168/woodstock-99-report-15-sheryl-crow-act-short-on-theatrics-long-on-emotion/. dead.
  50. Web site: Sheryl Crow, 'Sweet Child O' Mine' – Terrible Classic Rock Covers. Ultimate Classic Rock. August 23, 2013. July 3, 2018. July 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180703103940/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/sheryl-crow-sweet-child-o-mine-terrible-classic-rock-covers/. live.
  51. Rolling Stone Readers Choose the Worst Cover Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. August 18, 2011.
  52. Web site: Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Grammy Awards. May 10, 2020. November 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211106000956/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/winners-nominees/210. live.
  53. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 16. 38. 15. September 18, 1999. June 14, 2020.
  54. News: Íslenski Listinn (22.7–29.7. 1999). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 10. July 30, 1999. October 5, 2019. June 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200615015418/https://timarit.is/page/2987703#page/n9/mode/2up. live.
  55. Mentioned on the Radio 1 Fearne Cotton Show, November 20, 2009, approx 11:00 GMT
  56. Web site: TAKEN BY TREES full Official Chart History Official Charts Company. 2021-09-12. www.officialcharts.com. May 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523131048/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/5931/taken-by-trees/. live.