The song Axl Rose wants to be remembered for: “Proud”
It’s always a real testament to an artist when and a band when they have a range of songs which can be used for a number of different instances. Guns N’ Roses are often labelled as a hard rock band, and while that’s fair, especially when you listen to their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, in isolation, there is a lot more to them than that.
The versatility of Guns N’ Roses really shines through on their Use Your Illusion albums. Those records are real trips from start to finish, as while there are a number of songs that stay true to that rugged sound the band championed on their debut, there are also more slow and serene numbers that a lot of people at the time didn’t thinks Guns N’ Roses would be able to pull off.
One of their most famous songs, ‘November Rain’, is renowned for a couple of reasons. The first is the music video, which I can personally attest to as it was the thing that got me into rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not just that it looks cool, but the storytelling and grandeur of it are truly something to behold. Meanwhile, the music backs up that grand feeling of the track, as it’s a rock ‘n’ roll epic laced with sweet moments and large-sounding portions.
However, this isn’t the song that Axl Rose feels the proudest of. While he acknowledges that he is happy the way that ‘November Rain’ turned out, he admits he wasn’t as involved with the song as he’d like to be, and he thinks the music video is a little bit too on the nose. When asked about the song he feels the greatest attachment to, he offered up a song in a similar vein to ‘November Rain’, which is ‘Don’t Cry’.
“‘Don’t Cry’, it’s like, personally I’m more proud of that than anything I’ve done as far as work-wise. ‘November Rain’, I’m really proud of and pleased with, but there was certain things that I wasn’t completely involved in, that I was in ‘Don’t Cry’ and that made it more part of me,” said Rose, “And, you know, ‘November Rain’ was exactly what we wanted it to be, but it’s a more black-and-white video where you can tell what’s happening, while in ‘Don’t Cry’ it was more surreal.”
It’s interesting that while Axl Rose is renowned for being a fiery frontman with an affinity for heavy music, he also loves a slow ballad. The Use Your Illusion albums were a double-edged sword for the band in that regard, as they were a chance for members to well and truly explore different creative ideas; however, they were also a catalyst for creative differences.
‘Don’t Cry’ might be the song that Rose is proudest of, but there are no doubt some members of Gus N’ Roses who didn’t like the track and felt as though it wasn’t a true reflection of the band. Regardless, it stands as a testament to the versatility of Guns N’ Roses and champions the fact that while they were experts in aggressive rock music, it wasn’t the only thing they could do.
