As a die-hard Guns N’ Roses fan, I feel as though it is my duty to protect them as the band continues to face criticism that they’re uncool and past it. Does Axl Rose sound as good as he used to? No, but he still puts in a good shift. Was their Glastonbury performance good? Not really, but at least it looked like they wanted to be there. Have they released anything good recently? OK, I don’t have a comeback for that one.
The point is, I grow very annoyed at modern music lovers criticising Guns N’ Roses as if they didn’t suddenly rock up in Brixton’s The Windmill or another small venue, now they wouldn’t be selling out venues in London within days. The band’s instrumentation, aggression and creativity are something that other rock outfits can aspire to, and while they are at the epicentre of an uncool relabelling, I’m here to tear that sticker off and declare the band still have merit in spades.
However, before I became a Guns N’ Roses fan, I was also a realist. While I am being defensive of Guns N’ Roses, even I’m not so devoted that I can’t acknowledge that there are some duds amongst the musical gems. No band is perfect, not even my favourite, and while it’s taken me some time, I can acknowledge that Guns N’ Roses, in their time, have released some awful music. I’m OK with it now, and you should be too.
So, with that, these are five Guns N’ Roses songs which are OK to hate.
Five questionable Guns N’ Roses songs:
‘Out To Get Me’
Appetite for Destruction – Guns N’ Roses – 1987
Appetite For Destruction is one of the most consistently hard-hitting and exciting rock albums of its decade. Every song seems to come packed with a hit of adrenaline in the form of screeching vocals and killer guitar. However, the song ‘Out To Get Me’ stands out as a miss, partly due to questionable lyrics, and also thanks to how little it develops as a track.
Guns N’ Roses have always been exciting because they allow their songs to develop and take on new life. This could mean time changes, elongated solos, extended bridges, and general shifts in tone. However, we don’t get that on ‘Out To Get Me’, as the song remains relatively one-note throughout. Equally, the lyrics, which contain themes of sexual assault and violence, make the track difficult to listen to.
‘Bad Apples’
Welcome to the Jungle – ‘Double Talkin’ Jive’
The beauty of the Use Your Illusion albums is the versatility that they so proudly brandish. Every song is different, and there is no consistent theme that runs through, which means no two songs are the same. For the most part, that’s a good thing, but there are some tracks that completely miss the mark, and one of them is ‘Bad Apples’.
The song starts out with disco hits on the guitar and goes into a funk-infused intro. Usually, it would work, but Guns N’ Roses simply aren’t the kind of band that can pull this sound off. The feel of it leaves a bitter taste in the listener’s mouth that doesn’t subside for the whole song. Despite a pretty solid solo, this is one of Guns N’ Roses weakest songs.
‘Better’
Chinese Democracy – Guns N’ Roses – 2008
Chinese Democracy might be one of the most unnecessarily hated albums of all time. There are plenty of factors which played into the public’s disdain towards this record, specifically the fact that it was the first Axl Rose was putting out without the original team, and it was persistently delayed. The reality is that this album has some pretty good songs on it; however, ‘Better’ isn’t one of them.
It’s baffling that out of all the songs on this album, ‘Better’ is one of the two that have found a place in Guns N’ Roses’ modern setlist. The whiny, high-pitched vocals and irritating guitar line make it borderline unlistenable. It’s the worst in a half-decent bunch, and yet it seems to be a song that a lot of fans are drawn to. Stop being drawn to it. It’s okay to hate it.
‘Absurd’
Guns N’ Roses – Absurd – 2022
Realistically, this entire list could be made up of songs that Guns N’ Roses have released in the last five years, but I’ve managed to bite my tongue and narrow those songs down to just two. Forget everything I said about the above three songs; they sound like ‘Purple Rain’ when you compare them to Guns N’ Roses’ most recent offerings.
One of the worst of these new songs is the track ‘Absurd’. It’s difficult to put into words what it is that makes this song so bad; realistically, it’s just a very annoying piece of music. Every single second you listen to it feels like one wasted, as the band managed to smash together 20 different styles of music and somehow make none of them work.
‘The General’
Guns N’ Roses – The General – 2023
Another one of the band’s most recent songs that doesn’t work is ‘The General’.
Make no mistake, the track is better than ‘Absurd’, but it still falls short of being anywhere near passable. Once again, the band feel directionless throughout the whole thing.
We can all praise Guns N’ Roses for their innate ability to try different things as a band. It was this desire to try new things that led to the innovative Use Your Illusion records. However, nobody needs to hear a crossover between Axl Rose and Daft Punk. The section in the song where Rose autotunes his voice to give it a funk effect is 30 seconds that would better be spent screaming into a well.