Sweet Child O ' Mine - wikipedia Sweet Child O ' Mine `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' 1988 US vinyl issue 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 August 17, 1988 ( 1988 - 08 - 17 ) ( US ) May 29, 1989 ( 1989 - 05 - 29 ) ( UK ) Format 7 '' 10 '' 12 '' CS CD Recorded Genre Hard rock, heavy metal Length 5 : 56 ( album version ) 4 : 59 ( single version ) Label Geffen 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 '' ( 1988 ) `` Welcome to the Jungle '' ( 1987 ) `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' ( 1988 ) `` Paradise City '' ( 1988 ) Appetite for Destruction track listing `` Think About You '' ( 8 ) `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' ( 9 ) `` You 're Crazy '' ( 10 ) Greatest Hits track listing `` Welcome to the Jungle '' ( 1 ) `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' ( 2 ) `` Patience '' ( 3 ) Music video Sweet Child o ' Mine on YouTube Audio sample file help `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' is a song by American rock band Guns N ' Roses, appearing on their debut album Appetite for Destruction. Released in August 1988 as the album 's third single, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band 's first and only number - one single in the U.S. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1988. Re-released in 1989, it reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. 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. '' Contents 1 Background and composition 2 Music video 3 Reception 4 Australian Crawl controversy 5 Formats and track listing 6 Personnel 7 Sheryl Crow cover 8 In Popular Culture 9 Charts and certifications 9.1 Weekly charts 9.2 Certifications 10 See also 11 References 12 External links Background and composition 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 gon na 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 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. During a jam session at the band 's house in the Sunset Strip, 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 ''. Meanwhile, lead singer Axl Rose was listening to the musicians upstairs in his room and was inspired to write lyrics, which became complete by the following afternoon. 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 ''. On the next composing session in Burbank, the band added both a bridge and a guitar solo. 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. Music video The `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' video depicts the band rehearsing in the Huntington Ballroom at Huntington Beach, 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 extremely 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 : 59, for the video / radio edit, 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 radio edit of ' Sweet Child O ' Mine. ' Radio stations said, `` Well, your vocals are n'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 & white. Music video has more than 670 million views in YouTube as of May 2018. Reception `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' placed No. 37 on Guitar World 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. '' It also came in at number three on Blender 's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, and at No. 198 on Rolling Stone 's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at No. 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 - one riff of all - time by the readers of the magazine. It was also in Rolling Stone 's 40 Greatest Songs that Changed the World. It places No. 7 in VH1 's `` 100 Greatest Songs of the ' 80s '', and placed No. 210 on the RIAA Songs of the Century list. The song is currently ranked as the 104th greatest song of all time, as well as the best song of 1987, by Acclaimed Music. The song has sold 2,609,000 digital copies in the US as of March 2012. Australian Crawl controversy 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. The article included both songs, inviting readers to compare the two. It also cited a reader 's comment on an earlier article 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 quickly, encouraging several comments on both the MAX article and the suggestion that `` Unpublished Critics '' had influenced `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '', including one from Duff McKagan, bass player with Guns N ' Roses when `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' was written and recorded. McKagan found the similarities between the songs `` stunning, '' but admitted that he had not previously heard `` Unpublished Critics. '' Formats and track listing All tracks written by Guns N ' Roses except where noted. US 7 '' vinyl ( 27963 - 7 ) No. Title Length 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. Title Length 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. Title Length 1. `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' ( LP Version ) 5 : 55 2. `` Out Ta Get Me '' ( LP Version ) 4 : 20 3. `` Rocket Queen '' ( LP Version ) UK re-release 7 '' vinyl ( GEF 55 ) No. Title Length 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. Title Writer ( 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 Axl Rose -- vocals Slash -- lead guitar Izzy Stradlin -- rhythm guitar, backing vocals Duff `` Rose '' McKagan -- bass guitar, backing vocals Steven Adler -- drums Sheryl Crow cover The song was covered by Sheryl Crow on her third studio album, The Globe Sessions, and 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. In popular culture `` Sweet Child O ' Mine '' has been used in several films, such as : Bad Dreams ( 1988 ) State of Grace ( 1990 ) Big Daddy ( 1999 ) The Wrestler ( 2008 ) Gulliver 's Travels ( 2010 ) Roffa ( 2013 ) The Big Short ( 2015 ) Kamp Holland ( 2016 ) Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1988 -- 1989 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 11 Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 11 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 36 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 7 Finland ( The Official Finnish Charts ) 23 Ireland ( IRMA ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 5 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 20 Spain ( PROMUSICAE ) 30 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 27 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 15 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 6 UK Rock and Metal ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) 7 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Italy ( FIMI ) 2 × Platinum 100,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Platinum 600,000 United States ( RIAA ) Platinum ( MT ) 1,000,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone sales + streaming figures based on certification alone See also List of best - selling singles in the United States List of Hot 100 number - one singles of 1988 ( U.S. ) List of UK Rock Chart number - one singles of 2010 References Jump up ^ `` Artist Chart History - Guns N ' Roses ''. Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2008. Jump up ^ Billboard Year - End Hot 100 singles of 1988 Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses ''. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2008. Jump up ^ Rowland, Mark ( February 1991 ). `` LA Law and Disorder ''. Select, reprinted from Musician. p. 45. ^ Jump up to : Meaning Behind Songs - N.I. Archived December 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : `` Here Today... Gone To Hell ! - Articles > The Story Behind The Song - Guns N ' Roses `` Sweet Child O ' Mine '' ``. heretodaygonetohell.com. ^ Jump up to : Slash ; Bozza, Anthony ( 2007 ). Slash. Harper Entertainment. pp. 154 -- 5. ISBN 978 - 0 - 00 - 725775 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses - Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. YouTube. December 24, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2013. Jump up ^ `` News ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses top rock riff poll ''. BBC News. May 2, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Acclaimed Music Top 3000 songs ''. Acclaimed Music. August 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Week Ending March 18, 2012. Songs : Your ' 80s Party Mix - Tape ''. Yahoo ! Music. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012. Jump up ^ `` How similar is ' Sweet Child O Mine ' to a 1981 Australian Crawl song ? ''. maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Slash is open to a Gunners reunion : ' Never say never ' ''. maxtv.com.au. Jump up ^ `` Guns N Roses Sweet Child O Mine comes under plagiarism charges - ViralNewsChart via Consequence of Sound ''. ViralNewsChart. May 10, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Australian Crawl fans spark online debate after pointing out similarities with Guns N ' Roses hit ''. NewsComAu. Jump up ^ `` Did Guns N ' Roses ' ' Sweet Child O ' Mine ' Copy Australian Crawl 's ' Unpublished Critics ' ? ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses ' Sweet Child O ' Mine ' Plagiarism Claims Laughed Off by Australian Crawl Singer ''. Ultimate Classic Rock. Jump up ^ Tan, Monica. `` James Reyne responds to Guns N ' Roses Sweet Child O ' Mine plagiarism rumours ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ `` Duff McKagan : Guns N ' Roses Did n't Plagiarize on ' Sweet Child O ' Mine ' ''. Radio.com. Jump up ^ `` Duff McKagan on the Aussie Crawl song : ' It is pretty stunning... but we did n't steal it from them ' ''. maxtv.com.au. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sheryl Crow to Release ' Sweet Child O ' Mine, ' Her Special Version of the Rock Classic, in June ''. Thefreelibrary.com. June 1, 1999. Retrieved April 12, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 8543. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin : levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951 - 1 - 21053 - X Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Guns N ' Roses ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Spanishcharts.com -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine '' Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Guns N ' Roses Chart History ( Mainstream Rock ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. British Phonographic Industry. Enter Sweet Child O ' Mine in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` American certifications -- Guns N ' Roses -- Sweet Child O ' Mine ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2012. Jump up ^ Grein, Paul ( February 19, 2014 ). `` Chart Watch : ' Dark Horse ' Holds Off ' Happy ' ''. Yahoo ! Music. Yahoo. Retrieved February 21, 2014. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` Monkey '' by George Michael Billboard Hot 100 number one single September 10 -- 17, 1988 Succeeded by `` Do n't Worry, Be Happy '' by Bobby McFerrin Preceded by `` The Only Exception '' by Paramore `` The Catalyst '' by Linkin Park UK Rock Chart number - one single May 16 -- 23, 2010 October 3 -- 24, 2010 Succeeded by `` Make Me Wanna Die '' by The Pretty Reckless `` Feeling Good '' by Muse Guns N ' Roses Axl Rose Slash Duff McKagan Dizzy Reed Richard Fortus Frank Ferrer Melissa Reese Tracii Guns Izzy Stradlin Ole Beich Rob Gardner Steven Adler Matt Sorum Gilby Clarke Paul Tobias Robin Finck Josh Freese Tommy Stinson Chris Pitman Buckethead Bryan `` Brain '' Mantia Ron `` Bumblefoot '' Thal DJ Ashba Studio albums Appetite for Destruction G N ' R Lies Use Your Illusion I Use Your Illusion II `` The Spaghetti Incident ? '' Chinese Democracy Live albums Live Era ' 87 -- ' 93 Appetite for Democracy 3D Extended plays Live ? ! * @ Like a Suicide Guns N ' Roses The `` Civil War '' EP Compilation albums Use Your Illusion Greatest Hits Appetite for Destruction : Locked N ' Loaded edition Singles `` It 's So Easy '' `` Welcome to the Jungle '' `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' `` Paradise City '' `` Patience '' `` Nightrain '' `` You Could Be Mine '' `` Do n't Cry '' `` Live and Let Die '' `` Knockin ' on Heaven 's Door '' `` November Rain '' `` Yesterdays '' `` Civil War '' `` Ai n't It Fun '' `` Estranged '' `` Since I Do n't Have You '' `` Sympathy for the Devil '' `` Chinese Democracy '' `` Shadow of Your Love '' Promo singles `` Mr. Brownstone '' `` My Michelle '' `` 14 Years '' `` Pretty Tied Up '' `` So Fine '' `` Dead Horse '' `` Garden of Eden '' `` Hair of the Dog '' `` New Rose '' `` Oh My God '' `` Better '' `` Street of Dreams '' Other songs `` Think About You '' `` Rocket Queen '' `` Used to Love Her '' `` One in a Million '' `` Coma '' `` Get in the Ring '' `` The Garden '' `` Madagascar '' `` Prostitute '' Videos and DVDs Use Your Illusion I Use Your Illusion II Garden of Eden : Strictly Limited Edition Welcome to the Videos Appetite for Democracy 3D Tours The Early Days of Guns N ' Roses Appetite for Destruction Tour Use Your Illusion Tour Guns N ' Roses / Metallica Stadium Tour Chinese Democracy Tour Up Close and Personal Tour Appetite for Democracy Not in This Lifetime... Tour Related Articles Discography Members Songs Awards and nominations Del James West Arkeen Guns N ' Roses Pinball Riverport Riot Watch You Bleed : The Saga of Guns N ' Roses The Roots of Guns N ' Roses Uzi Suicide Bands Slash 's Snakepit The Dead Daisies Hollywood Rose Kings of Chaos L.A. Guns Neurotic Outsiders Road Crew Velvet Revolver Book Category Sheryl Crow Studio albums Tuesday Night Music Club Sheryl Crow The Globe Sessions C'mon, C'mon Wildflower Detours Home for Christmas 100 Miles from Memphis Feels Like Home Be Myself Compilation albums The Very Best of Sheryl Crow iTunes Originals Hits & Rarities Live albums Sheryl Crow and Friends : Live from Central Park Singles `` Leaving Las Vegas '' `` All I Wanna Do '' `` Strong Enough '' `` Ca n't Cry Anymore '' `` Run Baby Run '' `` What I Can Do for You '' `` If It Makes You Happy '' `` Everyday Is a Winding Road '' `` Hard to Make a Stand '' `` A Change Would Do You Good '' `` Home '' `` Tomorrow Never Dies '' `` My Favorite Mistake '' `` There Goes the Neighborhood '' `` Anything but Down '' `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' `` Soak Up the Sun '' `` Steve McQueen '' `` The First Cut Is the Deepest '' `` Light in Your Eyes '' `` Good Is Good '' `` Perfect Lie '' `` Always on Your Side '' `` Real Gone '' `` Not Fade Away '' `` Shine over Babylon '' `` Love Is Free '' `` Now That You 're Gone '' `` Motivation '' `` Summer Day '' `` Sign Your Name '' `` Easy '' `` Callin ' Me When I 'm Lonely '' `` Shotgun '' Guest singles `` Picture '' ( with Kid Rock ) `` Building Bridges '' ( with Brooks & Dunn and Vince Gill ) `` Just Stand Up ! '' `` Coal Miner 's Daughter '' ( with Miranda Lambert and Loretta Lynn ) Related articles Discography Awards and nominations Ghost Brothers of Darkland County Book Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweet_Child_o%27_Mine&oldid=842825855 '' Categories : 1988 singles Guns N ' Roses songs Sheryl Crow songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Glam metal songs Music videos directed by Nigel Dick Songs written by Slash ( musician ) Songs written by Axl Rose Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Music videos directed by Stéphane Sednaoui Black - and - white music videos Songs written by Izzy Stradlin 1987 songs Geffen Records singles Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Use mdy dates from August 2016 Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Spain Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Singlechart usages for UKrock Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardmainstreamrock Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara Français Galego Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Slovenčina Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 16 more Edit links This page was last edited on 24 May 2018, at 22 : 57. 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Question: who wrote the lyrics to sweet child of mine
Answer: Axl Rose