Axl Rose sings while Billy Joel plays the piano at Dodger Stadium, May. 13. (Photo courtesy of Axl Rose)

Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. This week’s pick is “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by American rock band Guns N’ Roses. Released June 21, 1988, as the ninth track of their debut studio album “Appetite for Destruction,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is a love song for the band’s lead vocalist and lyricist, Axl Rose’s girlfriend Erin Everly. In the song, Axl Rose sings about his love and affection for his then girlfriend. Axl Rose utilizes poetry to express his deep affection for Erin Everly and even after their divorce, he is still very grateful for the song and her. During the song’s production, the band saw the potential for the song to be their greatest hit and centered their debut album around it. In the album, “Appetite for Destruction,” the band drew inspiration from previous rock legends like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Formed in Los Angeles, Guns N’ Roses is an American rock band that originally consisted of lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The band now consists of guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese. The band is well known for several hits, including “Sweet Child O’ Mine” which has won several awards and nominations. In 1985, the band formed from the combination of two previous rock bands, Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. In 1984, Axl Rose, who was lead singer for the Hollywood Rose, merged L.A. Guns with his band after a fight with his manager led to him getting fired. Following the formation of Guns N’ Roses, the band only did covers as they tried to finalize their lineup. On June 4, 1985, the band finalized its lineup with the addition of Adler and Slash. After the completion of the band’s lineup, they started to grow their name through impromptu tours, playing to the Hollywood club scene and focusing on their debut album. Their debut album was a huge success and gained them a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Guns N Roses’s entire discography has always been heavily influenced by their passion for rock legends and their personal life and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is a perfect blend of that discographic style.

Photo album of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, Jun. 21. (Photo courtesy of Geffen label)

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” is my favorite song from Guns N’ Roses’s entire discography. In “Sweet Child O’ Mine” Axl Rose sings about the love he has for his former fiancée. The creation of the song began during one of the band’s practice sessions. Slash, the band’s lead guitarist, was playing one of his guitar warm ups to his fellow bandmates and Izzy Stadlin, obsessed with it, added some chords to the guitar warm up. Then, Duff McKagan added a bassline and finally, Adler added a beat and gave it a steady tempo. Axl Rose heard what the band came up with and it made him think of his at-the-time girlfriend, Erin Everly. At the same time, Axl Rose started to write lyrics for the song. He wrote the song for Erin, but he wrote it so vaguely that anyone could present it to someone they loved and it would be heartfelt. His biggest hope for the song was that it would be a love song for the ages. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is a song about love and affection and all that comes with it, but it is also a caution and warning about falling in love.

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and Axl Rose understood that when writing “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” In the song, Rose utilizes storytelling, personal memories, metaphor and pathos to narrate his love for Erin Everly. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“She’s got eyes of the bluest skies

As if they thought of rain

I’d hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place

Where as a child I’d hide

And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by”

Telling personal stories through music is a recurring theme in Guns N’ Roses’s discography. In “Sweet Child O’ Child,” they sing about the great joy of love and admiration. They created a song about their lead singer’s love for his girlfriend but a love song for everyone. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.