Visit iolo.com/professorofrock and use code PROFESSOROFROCK to get 60% off System Mechanic Ultimate Defense with 30 Days of FREE 24/7 Live Tech Support. Thanks for Sponsoring the video iolo! Today’s song contains one of the most iconic opening riffs of all time… from one of the most notorious and dangerous bands of the 80s: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses.
It actually pissed off the guitarist Slash who wrote it. Because it wasn’t supposed to be a song. Instead, this guitarist had written as a training exercise. And to his ears it sounded like a circus melody. Meanwhile, his bandmate, a fiery train wreck of a frontman named Axl Rose, well, he absolutely loved it. He’d actually penned a poem some time before that fit it perfectly and he was adamant about recording it. That was a good call… because this song stormed the charts and was the rocket fuel that helped their album Appetite for Destruction become the biggest selling debut in history… But before that it almost didn’t even get off the ground as MTV refused to play it. Nearly a year in, the album had only sold 200k copies... One phone call changed that. Get ready for the rest of the story… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember when music was so diverse that on mainstream radio you go from hearing Rock to New Wave to Glam Metal you’ll dig this channel, make sure to subscribe below right now and click the bell so that you never miss an interview. . We also have a patreon you'll want to check out. where we are starting to put full interviews … exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history.
So it’s time for another edition of our series The New Standards. This show takes an in-depth look into songs that transcend genre, decade, and fads - songs that are monumental touchstones in our culture and society. On previous episodes we have covered Black by Pearl Jam and Pictures of You by The Cure. But today we are giving you the story behind the 1988 #1 hit Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses.
In its early iteration, Guns N’ Roses was comprised of rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagen, drummer Steven Adler, a lead guitarist who only needed one name, Slash, and at the center of the storm legendary and chaotic frontman, Axl Rose. Axl grew up in Indiana, but fled the Hoosier State in the early 80s to escape an abusive upbringing. Growing up he had been badly beaten by his stepfather and as a sad consequence developed quite a volatile temper.
Rose went cross country to LA where became active in the local hard rock scene. There he threw in with multiple bands. With Izzy Stradlin, Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner, he formed a rock band that was called, in turn, Rose, Hollywood Rose and then L.A. Guns. After Guns and Gardner left, they were replaced by Steven Adler and Slash. With the addition of bass player Duff McKagan, the group renamed themselves Guns N’ Roses.
Following their US Hell Tour ‘85, GNR released the EP,
‘Live?!*@ Like A Suicide’ [Live Like a Suicide?] on the independent label Uzi/Suicide. This sparked some serious interest from critics and record companies alike, including Geffen… which ultimately signed the band in 86.