Sweet Child Of Mine Versions

Sweet Child Of Mine Versions 4,5/5 4488 votes
'Sweet Child o' Mine'
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
Format
Recorded1987
Genre
  • power ballad[1]
Length
LabelGeffen
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'

'Sweet Child o' Mine' is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. It appeared on their debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song was released in August 1988 as the album's third single, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[2] becoming the band's only number 1 US single. Billboard ranked it the number 5 song of 1988.[3] Re-released in 1989, it reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] 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.'[5]

  • 7Charts and certifications
  • 8Sheryl Crow version

Background and composition[edit]

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1988 Vinyl release of Sweet Child O' Mine on Discogs. 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is the first positive love song I've ever written, but I never had anyone to write anything about before.' This is the most-covered song that Slash has ever written. He told UK's Metro newspaper: 'There are some really good instrumental versions for the piano or violin, but I've been horrified by some muzak versions.

Guns n' Roses originally released Sweet Child o' Mine written by Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose and Steven Adler and Guns n' Roses released it on the album Appetite for Destruction in 1987. (Guitar Tuning: Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, eb or the equivalent with sharps) Intro D C G D D C G D D C G D Verse D She's got a smile that it seems to me C Reminds me of childhood memories G Whe.

The thing about 'Sweet Child o' Mine,' it was written in five minutes. It was one of those songs, only three chords. You know that guitar lick Slash does at the beginning? It was kinda like a joke because we thought, 'What is this song? It's gonna be nothing, it'll be filler on the record.' And except that vocal-wise, it's very sweet and sincere, Slash was just fuckin' around when he first wrote that lick.

Duff McKagan, 1988[6]

Slash has been quoted as having an initial disdain for the song due to its roots as simply a 'string skipping' exercise and a joke at the time.[6] During a jam session at the band's house in the Sunset Strip,[7] 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.[8] 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'.[7] On the next composing session in Burbank, the band added a bridge and a guitar solo.[8]

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.[8]

Music video[edit]

The 'Sweet Child o' Mine' video depicts the band rehearsing in the 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, whose father is 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 featured. 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 cut from 5:56 to 4:13, for the video edit/remix, with much of Slash's 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 video 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.' The video uses the same edits as the radio version.

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' 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.[9]

Reception[edit]

'Sweet Child o' Mine' placed number 37 on Guitar World's list of the '100 Greatest Guitar Solos.' It also came in at number 3 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.[10] In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 6 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. On a 2004 Total Guitar magazine poll, the introduction's famous riff was voted number 1 riff of all-time by the readers of the magazine.[11] It was also in Rolling Stone's 40 Greatest Songs that Changed the World. It places number 7 in VH1's '100 Greatest Songs of the '80s', and placed number 210 on the RIAASongs 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.[12] The song has sold 2,609,000 digital copies in the United States as of March 2012.[13]How to play fusionfall retro.

Australian Crawl controversy[edit]

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.[14] The article included both songs, inviting readers to compare the two. It also cited a reader's comment on an earlier article[15] 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[16] quickly, encouraging several comments on both the MAX article and the suggestion that 'Unpublished Critics' had influenced 'Sweet Child o' Mine',[17][18][19][20] including one from Duff McKagan, bass player with Guns N' Roses when 'Sweet Child o' Mine' was written and recorded.[21] McKagan found the similarities between the songs 'stunning,' but said he had not previously heard 'Unpublished Critics.'[22]

Formats and track listing[edit]

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

US 7' vinyl (27963-7)
No.TitleLength
1.'Sweet Child o' Mine' (LP Version)5:55
2.'It's So Easy' (Live at The Marquee Club 06.28.1987)
UK 7' vinyl (GEF 43)
No.TitleLength
1.'Sweet Child o' Mine' (Remix/Edit)3:57
2.'Out Ta Get Me' (LP Version)4:20
Total length:8:17
UK 10' vinyl (GEF 43TE), 12' vinyl (GEF 43T), 12' vinyl Metallic Sleeve(GEF 43TV)
No.TitleLength
1.'Sweet Child o' Mine' (LP Version)5:55
2.'Out Ta Get Me' (LP Version)4:20
3.'Rocket Queen' (LP Version)

Sweet Child Of Mine Chords

UK re-release 7' vinyl (GEF 55)
No.TitleLength
1.'Sweet Child o' Mine' (Remix/Edit)3:57
2.'Out Ta Get Me' (LP Version)4:20
UK re-release 12' vinyl (GEF 55T), 3' CD (GEF 55CD)
No.TitleWriter(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.'Whole Lotta Rosie' (Live AC/DC Cover)Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott
4.'It's So Easy' (Live)Guns N' Roses, West Arkeen

Personnel[edit]

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

Charts and certifications[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1988–1989)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23]11
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24]11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25]36
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26]7
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[27]23
Ireland (IRMA)[28]4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[29]24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[30]20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[31]5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32]27
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[33]15
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34]6
US Billboard Hot 100[35]1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[36]7
Chart (2011)Peak
position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37]30
UK Rock and Metal (Official Charts Company)[38]1
Chart (2019)Peak
position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[39]31

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1988)Position
Australia (ARIA)[40]61
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[41]50
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42]16
US Billboard Hot 100[43]5

Certifications[edit]

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[44]2× Platinum100,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]2× Platinum1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[46]Platinum (MT)1,000,000[47]

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Sheryl Crow version[edit]

'Sweet Child o' Mine'
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album Big Daddy soundtrack
ReleasedJune 22, 1999
GenreRock
Length3:49
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Guns N' Roses
Producer(s)Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow
single 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. This version earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. 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 4th worst cover song of all-time.[51] Despites its negative reception, it became a moderate hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Sweet Child Of Mine Slow Version

Sweet Child Of Mine Versions

Charts[edit]

Chart (1999)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[52]60
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[53]9
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[54]42
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[55]26
Ireland (IRMA)[56]26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[57]95
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[58]24
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[59]30
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[60]29

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Sweet Child Of Mine Lyrics

  1. ^'10 WAYS GUNS N' ROSES' 'APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION' CHANGED THE WORLD'. Revolver. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  2. ^'Artist Chart History - Guns N' Roses'. Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  3. ^Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1988
  4. ^'Guns N' Roses'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  5. ^Rowland, Mark (February 1991). 'LA Law and Disorder'. Select, reprinted from Musician. p. 45.
  6. ^ abMeaning Behind Songs - N.I.Archived December 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ ab'The Story Behind The Song - Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine''. Here Today.. Gone To Hell!.
  8. ^ abcSlash; Bozza, Anthony (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment. pp. 154–5. ISBN978-0-00-725775-1.
  9. ^'Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine'. YouTube. December 24, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  10. ^'News'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  11. ^'Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll'. BBC News. May 2, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  12. ^'Acclaimed Music Top 3000 songs'. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  13. ^'Week Ending March 18, 2012. Songs: Your '80s Party Mix-Tape'. Yahoo! Music. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  14. ^'How similar is 'Sweet Child O Mine' to a 1981 Australian Crawl song?'. maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016.
  15. ^'Slash is open to a Gunners reunion: 'Never say never''. maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016.
  16. ^'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.
  17. ^'Australian Crawl fans spark online debate after pointing out similarities with Guns N' Roses hit'. NewsComAu.
  18. ^'Did Guns N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Copy Australian Crawl's 'Unpublished Critics'?'. Billboard.
  19. ^'Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine' Plagiarism Claims Laughed Off by Australian Crawl Singer'. Ultimate Classic Rock.
  20. ^Tan, Monica. 'James Reyne responds to Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine plagiarism rumours'. The Guardian.
  21. ^'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.
  22. ^'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.
  23. ^'Australian-charts.com – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  24. ^'Austriancharts.at – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  25. ^'Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  26. ^'Top RPM Singles: Issue 8543.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  27. ^Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN951-1-21053-X
  28. ^'The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses'. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  29. ^ 'Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1989' (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  30. ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  31. ^'Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  32. ^'Swedishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  33. ^'Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  34. ^'Official Singles Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  35. ^'Guns N Roses Chart History (Hot 100)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  36. ^'Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  37. ^'Spanishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  38. ^'Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  39. ^'Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ' (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  40. ^Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  41. ^'Top 100 Singles of '88'(PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  42. ^'End Of Year Charts 1988'. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  43. ^'Billboard Top 100 – 1988'. Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  44. ^'Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 18, 2017. Select '2017' in the 'Anno' drop-down menu. Select 'Sweet Child O' Mine' in the 'Filtra' field. Select 'Singoli online' under 'Sezione'.
  45. ^'British single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. British Phonographic Industry.Select singles in the Format field.Select Platinum in the Certification field.Type Sweet Child O' Mine in the 'Search BPI Awards' field and then press Enter.
  46. ^'American certifications – Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine'. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  47. ^Grein, Paul (February 19, 2014). 'Chart Watch: 'Dark Horse' Holds Off 'Happy''. Yahoo!Music. Yahoo. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  48. ^'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.
  49. ^'Woodstock '99 Report #15: Sheryl Crow Act Short On Theatrics, Long On Emotion'. MTV.
  50. ^'Sheryl Crow, 'Sweet Child O' Mine' - Terrible Classic Rock Covers'. Ultimate Classic Rock.
  51. ^'Rolling Stone Readers Choose the Worst Cover Songs of All Time'. Rolling Stone. August 18, 2011.
  52. ^Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  53. ^'Ultratop.be – Sheryl Crow – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  54. ^'Top RPM Singles: Issue 8362.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  55. ^'Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8360.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  56. ^'The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sheryl Crow'. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  57. ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Sheryl Crow – Sweet Child O' Mine' (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  58. ^'Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  59. ^'Official Singles Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  60. ^'Sheryl Crow Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2019.

External links[edit]

  • Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
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