The song “Sweet Child o' Mine” is a work by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released in the United States in 1988, and the composition topped the national Billboard Hot 100 hit parade, becoming the band's only single to reach number one on this chart. In Britain, the single reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart.
The History of the Creation and Meaning of the Song Sweet Child o' Mine by Guns N' Roses
During one jam session, Steven Adler and Slash were warming up for a show, and Slash began playing a "circus" tune, teasing Adler. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin asked Slash to repeat the tune. Stradlin picked out some chords, Duff McKagan created the bass line, and Adler developed the rhythm. In his autobiography, Slash noted:
“In just an hour, my guitar etudes had transformed into something completely different.”
Axl Rose, the band's lead singer, was in his upstairs room listening to the band, which inspired him to write the lyrics, which he completed the following day. He based the lyrics on his girlfriend Erin Everly and credited Lynyrd Skynyrd as an inspiration to "make sure we had that genuine feeling." During the next session, the band added the bridge and guitar solo to the song.
Before recording his vocals, Axl carefully studied many Lynyrd Skynyrd compositions. Their sincere, warm sound made a strong impression on him, and he decided to try to recreate a similar atmosphere in this piece of music.
While recording a demo with producer Spencer Proffer, he pitched the idea of including a breakdown at the end of the track. The members of Guns N' Roses were happy with the idea, but they couldn't agree on how to implement it. As they listened to the track over and over, Rose began saying to himself, "Where are we going? Where are we going now?" Upon hearing this, Proffer suggested that he use the words as a vocal part.
In the autobiography of band member Duff McKagan, it is stated that Slash always considered this song to be the worst in Guns N' Roses' repertoire. Slash noted:
“It’s a mix of influences, from Jeff Beck, Cream and Zeppelin to unexpected sources like the solo on Manfred Mann’s version of ‘Blinded By The Light’ and Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Baker Street’.”
Axl Rose had a tough childhood, but in this song he remembers one bright moment, referring to his childhood memories "where everything was as clear as a bright blue sky." He stated:
“The phrase 'blue sky' actually goes back to one of my earliest childhood memories - looking up at the blue sky and wanting to disappear into it because it was so beautiful.”
The song showed a softer side to Rose that he hadn't shown before and has only shown occasionally since. Rose said of the song's meaning:
“A lot of rock bands aren't strong enough to put any sentiment or emotion into their songs unless they're going through pain. 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is the first positive love song I've ever written, but I didn't have anyone to write about before.”
It's the most covered song Slash has ever done. He said:
“There are some really beautiful instrumental arrangements for piano or violin, but I was shocked by some of the muzak versions. I was sitting in a doctor’s office one day and thought, ‘That sounds familiar,’ and then I realized it was someone else’s interpretation of my piece. That can be quite unsettling.”
During the interview, Slash was asked where he had encountered his compositions being performed in the most unexpected places. He answered:
"I heard "Paradise City" and "Patience" in some pretty weird circumstances, but the most unusual thing was hearing Muzak versions of "Sweet Child O' Mine" in elevators, shopping malls. I even heard a harp arrangement once.
I was staying at a hotel where the pianist in the lobby was playing this tune. When that happens, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s like, “Hey, wow, that’s our song!” On the other hand, I’m a little embarrassed that I even noticed it. And of course, there’s a certain amount of confusion: it’s being played by someone I don’t know, who’s never met me, and who’s just playing your music among the many other pieces he has to play. Imagine how Paul McCartney feels about the fact that his music can be heard literally everywhere.”
In an interview, Slash admitted that he didn't like the song except for its riff. He explained:
“You know, Guns N’ Roses was always a real hardcore band in the AC/DC style, with a heavy rock sound. If we did ballads, they were bluesy. It was a fast ballad. It’s one of the nicest things you can write. But at the same time, it’s a great song – I’m not criticizing it – it just didn’t really fit in with our style at the time, so to speak. And of course, it became the biggest hit we ever had.”
In 2015, an article was posted on the website of Australian music television channel MAX, which drew attention to the similarities between the song "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses and the song "Unpublished Critics" by Australian Crawl, released in 1981.
The article featured both songs, asking readers to compare them. The story quickly went viral online, sparking a lot of discussion both in the comments section of the article and around the suggestion that Unpublished Critics may have influenced the creation of Sweet Child o' Mine. Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan was among those commenting. He admitted that the similarities between the songs "stunned" him, but added that he had never heard Unpublished Critics before.
