Guns N’ Roses et al: Top 50 Songs

Guns N’ Roses et al Top 50 Songs

The rock band Guns N’ Roses formed in Los Angeles, Califirnia, in 1985. The original members consisted of Axl Rose (vocals: 1985-), Saul “Slash” Hudson (guitar: 1985-1996, 2016-), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar: 1985-1991), Duff McKagan (bass: 1985-1997, 2016-), and Steven Adler (drums: 1985-1990). Their first album, Appetite for Destruction, featured the #1 hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and top 10 hits “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.” is the best-selling debut in U.S. history with 18 million copies sold (30 million worldwide). The follow-up release, G N’ R Lies, combined the group’s 1986 EP Live Like a Suicide with four new cuts and sold 10 milion copies worldwide fueled by the top 10 song “Patience.” They followed that up with the simultaneous releases of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II in 1991. The albums combined for 35 million copies worldwide and featured two more top-10 hits – “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain.” After the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, all the members except Axl Rose left the band eventually as he spent fifteen years working on the follow-up, 2008’s Chinese Democracy. In the meantime, Slash, Gilby Clarke (guitar: 1991-1994), and Matt Sorum (drums: 1990-1997) worked together in Slash’s Snakepit. Slash and Sorum also worked with McKagan in Velvet Revolver (2003-2008). Slash and McKagan came back into the fold in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime tour, which grossed more than half a billion dollars over the next three years, becoming the third highest-grossing concert tour on record. Other members over the years have included DJ Ashba (guitar: 2009-2015), Brain (drums: 2000-2006), Buckethead (guitar: 2000-2004), Frank Ferrer (drums: 2006-), Robin Finck (guitar: 1997-2008), Richard Fortus (guitar: 2002-), Josh Freese (drums: 1997-2000), Chris Pitman (keyboards: 1998-2016), Dizzy Reed (keyboards: 1990-), Melissa Reese (keyboards: 2016-), Tommy Stinson (bass: 1998-2014), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitar: 2006-2014), Paul Tobias (guitar: 1994-2002). For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes material by Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit, and Izzy Stradlin & the JuJu Hounds since they all featured former GNR members. Songs are by Guns N’ Roses unless noted otherwise. DMDB Top 1%: 1. Sweet Child O’ Mine (1987) 2. Welcome to the Jungle (1987) 3. November Rain (1991) 4. Paradise City (1987) DMDB Top 2%: 5. Patience (1988) DMDB Top 10%: 6. Don’t Cry (1991) 7. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (1987) 8. Civil War (1990) 9. Live and Let Die (1991) DMDB Top 20%: 10. You Could Be Mine (1991) 11. Nightrain (1987) 12. Fall to Pieces (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 13. Mr. Brownstone (1987) 14. Estranged (1991) 15. Since I Don’t Have You (1993) 16. Yesterdays (1991) 17. Slither (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 18. Hair of the Dog (1993) 19. Sympathy for the Devil (1994) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 20. Rocket Queen (1987) 21. Chinese Democracy (2008) 22. It’s So Easy (1987) 23. Used to Love Her (1988) 24. Ain’t It Fun (1993) 25. The Last Fight (Velvet Revolver, 2007) 26. Better (2008) 27. One in a Million (1988) 28. Look at Your Game, Girl (1993) 29. Pretty Tied Up (1991) 30. Shadow of Your Love (1986) 31. Coma (1991) 32. I Will Not Go Quietly (Don Henley with Axl Rose, 1989) 33. So Fine (2008) 34. Shuffle It All (Izzy Stradlin & the JuJu Hounds, 1992) 35. Double Talkin’ Jive (1991) 36. My Michelle (1987) 37. She Builds Quick Machines (Velvet Revolver, 2007) 38. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (1993) 39. Move to the City (1986) 40. Out ta Get Me (1987) 41. Heartbreak Hotel (1986) 42. 14 Years (1991) 43. Garden of Eden (1991) 44. Set Me Free (Velvet Revolver, 2003) 45. Dirty Little Thing (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 46. Oh My God (1999) 47. Beggars & Hangers-On (Slash’s Snakepit, 1995) 48. Dead Horse (1991) 49. Dust N’ Bones (1991) 50. Street of Dreams (2008) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Guns N’ Roses DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Velvet Revolver Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 11/11/2022.

Guns N' Roses released Greatest Hits

Guns N’ Roses A Retrospective: 1987-1994

Overview: Rock group formed in Los Angeles in 1985. Their debut album, 1987’s Appetite for Destruction, was the biggest selling debut of all time with 30 million copies sold worldwide and ranks as one of the top 100 albums of all time. The follow-up albums Use Your Illusion I & II rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. “Sweet Child O' Mine,” a #1 single from Appetite, ranks as one of the top 100 songs of all time. The songs “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “November Rain” rank in the top 1% of all time. The Players: W. Axl Rose (vocals: 1985-) Saul “Slash” Hudson (guitar: 1985-1996, 2016-) Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar: 1985-1991) Duff McKagan (bass: 1985-1997, 2016-) Steven Adler (drums: 1985-1990) Dizzy Reed (keyboards: 1990-) Matt Sorum (drums: 1990-1997) On the Web: Gunsnroses.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia Lists: Guns N’ Roses et al: Top 50 Songs

Awards:

Compilations: G Greatest Hits (1987-1994, released 2004) Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Appetite for Destruction (1987): Welcome to the Jungle (9/28/87, 7 US, 9 CB, 13 GR, 10 RR, 37 AR, 24 UK, 41 AU, 1 DF, sales: 1.1 million worldwide) G Sweet Child O' Mine (6/11/88, 12 US, 613 CB, 12 GR, 12 RR, 7 AR, 6 UK, 7 CN, 11 AU, 1 DF, sales: 4.6 million worldwide) G Paradise City (11/30/88, 5 US, 4 CB, 9 GR, 4 RR, 14 AR, 6 UK, 10 CN, 48 AU, 15 DF) G Click here for DMDB album page.

GN’R Lies (1988): Patience (12/24/88, 4 US, 4 CB, 4 GR, 6 RR, 7 AR, 10 UK, 16 AU, 1 DF) G Click here for DMDB album page.

Use Your Illusion I (1991): Don’t Cry (9/17/91, 10 US, 7 CB, 9 GR, 13 RR, 3 AR, 8 UK, 11 CN, 5 AU, 16 DF) G November Rain (9/28/91, 3 US, 13 CB, 4 GR, 2 RR, 15 AR, 4 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU, 2 DF) G Live and Let Die (9/28/91, 33 US, 26 CB, 26 GR, 26 RR, 20 AR, 5 UK, 56 CN, 10 AU, 13 DF) G Click here for DMDB album page.

Use Your Illusion II (1991): Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (9/28/87, 18 AR, 2 UK, 56 CN, 12 AU, 4 DF) G Civil War (8/4/90, 4 AR, 11 UK, 45 AU, 1 DF) G You Could Be Mine (6/21/91, 29 US, 3 AR, 3 UK, 30 CN, 3 AU, 16 DF) G Yesterdays (10/17/92, 72 US, 58 CB, 13 AR, 8 UK, 52 CN, 14 AU, 33 DF) G Click here for DMDB album page.

The Spaghetti Incident? (1993): Ain’t It Fun (11/13/93, 8 AR, 9 UK, 32 DF) G Since I Don’t Have You (2/11/94, 69 US, 62 CB, 28 GR, 31 RR, 10 UK, 20 CN, 47 AU, 12 DF) G Click here for DMDB album page.

Greatest Hits Guns N’ Roses

Released: March 23, 2004 Recorded: 1987-1994 Peak: 3 US, 13 UK, 2 CN, 2 AU, 11 DF Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 2.1 UK, 12.72 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock/hair band/metal Rating: 4.067 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Welcome to the Jungle (2) Sweet Child O' Mine (3) Patience (4) Paradise City (5) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (6) Civil War (7) You Could Be Mine (8) Don’t Cry (9) November Rain (10) Live and Let Die (11) Yesterdays (12) Ain’t It Fun (13) Since I Don’t Have You (14) Sympathy for the Devil Total Running Time: 79:24 Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Sympathy for the Devil (from the Interview with the Vampire soundtrack) (11/19/94, 55 US, 10 AR, 9 UK, 48 CN, 12 AU, 13 DF) G

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Guns N’ Roses Dave’s Music Database: Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists Wikipedia page for Greatest Hits First posted 2/11/2023.

Guns N’ Roses “Patience” charted

Patience Guns N’ Roses

Writer(s): Guns N' Roses (see lyrics here) Released: April 4, 1989 First Charted: December 24, 1988 Peak: 4 US, 4 CB, 6 RR, 7 AR, 10 UK, 10 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 319.5 video, 185.72 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: After the success of their 1987 Appetite for Destruction album, Guns N’ Roses released G N’ R Lies as a sort of stopgap. The collection packaged the group’s 1986 Live Like a Suicide EP with four new songs. They included an acoustic reworking of “You’re Crazy,” which had appeared on Appetite, the eyebrow-raising “Used to Love Her” about killing one’s girlfriend, and the highly controversial “One in a Million” which insulted homosexuals and immigrants. The song’s big hit, however, was the ballad “Patience” about “waiting it out in a relationship.” SF The song has often been assumed to be about Axl Rose and his troubled relationship with Erin Everly, but the band has said Izzy Stradlin wrote the song about his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy. WK The song was originally recorded with all acoustic instruments and no drumming, although they use electric guitar and drums when performing the song in concert. The song also features Axl Rose whistling – something he also does on the GNR hits “Paradise City” and “Civil War.” The song is a favorite for karaoke, but Kimberly Starling of The Karaoke Informer says it is one of the top 5 songs that tends to bomb. SF A version of the song by Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) was released posthumously in 2020. He recorded the song after helping his daughter, Toni, learn it. He took it to #1 on the Billboard mainstream rock chart. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/6/2022.