Guns N’ Roses 30 Most Popular Songs

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Guns N’ Roses’ 30 Most Popular Songs

American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band’s original members were vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler when they signed with Geffen Records in 1986. Rose, Slash, McKagan, Richard Fortus on guitar, Frank Ferrer on drums, and Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese on keyboards make up the current line-up. The band was dubbed “the most dangerous band in the world” in their early years due to their hedonism and rebelliousness, which brought comparisons to the early Rolling Stones. In 2012, the band’s first year of eligibility, the original lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together with later members Reed and drummer Matt Sorum. One of the best-selling acts in history, Guns N’ Roses has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the US. Here are the top 30 songs by Guns N’ Roses.

The 1900s’ Most Popular Guns N’ Roses Songs

1. Welcome to the Jungle (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

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The band was bound for stadium-level superstardom even though this was only their second song from their debut album. Welcome to the Jungle was written by GnR in three hours, and it has all the elements of a floor-filling heavy metal anthem. The drumming is endearingly, head-bangingly simple, the guitars flit from astounding intricacy to the most primal of chords, and Axl’s growling swagger instills confidence by osmosis. Welcome to the Jungle won VH1’s 2009 award for greatest hard rock song ever. This was included in Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

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2. Sweet Child o’ Mine (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

Sweet Child o’ Mine is genre-defining in every way. That guitar lick is well-known. The lyrics to Rose are well-known all throughout the world. This romantic megahit was inspired by the frontman’s then-girlfriend, Erin Everly, while the riff was initially a warm-up exercise that Slash came up with. The song was released as the third single from the album  Appetite for Destruction their debut album, in the US in June 1988, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list and becoming the band’s lone US number-one single. The song was released in the UK in August 1988 and that same month, it peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. 

3. November Rain (Use Your Illusion I, 1991)

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Although the word “epic” is often overused, November Rain warrants it. It’s an emotional odyssey that certainly qualifies as GnR’s most choke-up moment, veering from piano balladry to fist-pumping riffs. The longest song to ever reach the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time of its release was “November Rain,” which peaked at number three. The song entered the Hot 100 chart as the fourth-longest song ever.  It peaked at number two on the Portuguese Singles Chart, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and top 10 on a number of other international music charts.

4. You Could Be Mine (Use Your Illusion II, 1991)

You Could Be Mine was a mainstream blockbuster following its inclusion in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The single, which was supported by “Civil War” from Use Your Illusion II, peaked at number one in Finland and Spain and at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In over ten more nations, it rose to the top five.

5. Nightrain (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

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The song pays homage to Night Train Express, a notorious brand of inexpensive Californian fortified wine that was particularly well-liked by the band in its early years due to its low cost and high alcohol content.  In order to create a portmanteau of the two terms, the title is spelled differently by leaving off the T and the space. The third track from the band’s first studio album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), “Nightrain,” was made available as the album’s last single and peaked at number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list. The tune was listed as the eighth-best “Top 10 Drinking Songs” by Guitar World.

6. Paradise City (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

Despite being possibly the most well-known GnR song, Paradise City depends entirely on its catchy chorus and what a chorus it is. Children are familiar with the song “Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are gorgeous” before they are aware of the band who composed it due to its pervasiveness in popular culture. The song reached its highest point at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the group’s third top-ten single, and at number six on the UK Singles Chart. It was also the first of their three singles to top the Irish Singles Chart.

7. Don’t Cry (Use Your Illusion I, 1991)

Guns N’ Roses recorded two versions of the song “Don’t Cry” at the same time on separate albums. The song’s altered lyrics are used on the 13th track of Use Your Illusion II, whereas the original lyrics are featured on the fourth track of Use Your Illusion I. The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, respectively, and hit the top 10 in many other nations as well. “Don’t Cry” earned Guns N’ Roses’ second number-one single in Ireland and the second Use Your Illusion album number-one smash in Finland. The song also topped the music charts in Portugal, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Denmark, and Switzerland, peaking at number two, three, four, or five, respectively.

8. My Michelle (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

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The song My Michelle was written under false pretenses. When a song is named after a girl and begins with a sweet clean guitar, all the signs point to a soppy ballad that is, until the drums kick in just 30 seconds in. Then it suddenly transitions into a startlingly ominous riff, which is followed by a hasty chorus.

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9. Mr. Brownstone (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

The best Appetite for Destruction song that wasn’t released as a single was co-written by Slash and Izzy Stradlin, who used the character Mr. Brownstone to bemoan their heroin addictions. In that situation, lyrics like “he won’t leave me alone” gain a lot more impact. Despite having been written by two guitars, this song belongs to drummer Steven Adler, who slams his way through it.

10. Estranged (Use Your Illusion II, 1991)

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Estranged is the most extravagant moment in Use Your Illusion II, which is characterized by extravagance. The massive dissects Rose’s psychology while he was married to Erin Everly and the $4 million video. You get thoughtful songwriting over the course of nine minutes, a great solo, and an incomparable dynamic range. It was the perfect farewell song for GnR’s most decadent period as the final single of UYI II.

11. Civil War (Use Your Illusion II, 1990)

Guns N’ Roses’ single “Civil War” marked an end and a fresh start for the band. It was also Adler’s final recording session with the band. The song was recorded as the first of the Use Your Illusion songs in the summer of 1990. The song “Civil War,” an ominously atmospheric anti-war epic in which Axl Rose laments the deaths of all-American heroes like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., was a dramatic change from Guns’ trademark sleazoid hard rock, which was a bonus. As they devoted their efforts to achieving Use Your Illusion I and II, the band’s accomplishment of it served as notice that the stakes had been significantly raised.

12. It’s So Easy (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

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“When everyone is attempting to win my favor, things are so easy, easy.” Its catchy chorus helps to make It’s So Easy memorable, but the song is more complex than that. It’s all rallying bass, clamoring percussion, and a surprisingly lovely vocal performance from Rose in one of the tautest songs on one of rock’s tautest albums, Appetite for Destruction. On June 15, 1987, the song was made available in the UK as the group’s debut single. It was issued as a double A-Side with “Mr. Brownstone,” and it peaked at number 84 on the UK Singles Chart. Later on, in the same year, it was also made available in Germany as a maxi-single.

13. Patience (G N’ R Lies, 1988)

Guns N’ Roses’ second studio album, G N’ R Lies (1988), contains the song “Patience,” which was made available as a single in April 1989. The song’s US Billboard Hot 100 peak position was number four. Although this was never stated in the album or interviews, it is widely acknowledged that the track was inspired by Axl Rose’s tumultuous marriage to Erin Everly. “Axl came up with a brilliant phrase, apparently out of nowhere,” according to bassist Duff McKagan, “that of course formed the plot and melody of that song.” The band has also claimed that Stradlin composed the song in honor of his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy. 

14. Right Next Door to Hell (Use Your Illusion I, 1991)

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This ensured that Use Your Illusion I would start off with a rush of adrenaline. Rose and company smartly used an outburst of vintage aggression to bring everyone on board for an album that would dabble in everything from folk to prog. That chorus with the call and response is also one of the band’s greatest.

15. Double Talkin’ Jive (Maracana Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, January 23rd, 1991)

In essence, Double Talkin’ Jive is a dance anthem that has been put through the GnR filter. You’re either dead or deaf if that swaggering pounding at the beginning doesn’t get you moving. Although the main voice by Izzy Stradlin is a menacing industrial hum, the song nonetheless has the cutting guitar lines and ferocious fury required for a true hard rock stomper.

16. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Use Your Illusion II, 1990)

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American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan composed the song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” for the 1973 motion picture Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Two months after the movie’s debut, it was released as a single and went on to become a global hit, peaking in various nations’ Top 10. The song went on to become one of Dylan’s most well-known and frequently recorded works from the post-1960s, with versions by Eric Clapton, Guns N’ Roses, Randy Crawford, and others. It was listed 190 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest songs ever in 2004 and 192 in 2010. 

17. So Fine (Use Your Illusion II, 1992)

GnR’s attempt to move beyond their anarchic hair metal roots and engage in as much experimentation as they could be heard in the Use Your Illusion duology. Their David Bowie moment, So Fine, featured soft pianos and Duff McKagan’s bluesy voice. It’s an unappreciated heartstring-puller in large part due to the fact that it’s sandwiched between 13 other songs on UYI II.

18. Shadow of Your Love (Appetite for Destruction, 1987

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This speed metal gem was recorded in 1986 and released a year later as the B-side of the 12in a version of It’s So Easy/Mr. Brownstone before being forgotten for 31 years. It reappeared in 2018, and it was still the same screeching hellraiser of old. This is a piece of classic GnR because of the incoherent rants, barking hook, and ear-splitting solo. The song debuted on the Mainstream Rock chart at position 31 on May 12 and peaked at position 5 on June 19. It would subsequently be featured in the band’s Greatest Hits CD when it was reissued in 2020.

19. Rocket Queen(Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

With the exception of “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Appetite For Destruction focuses primarily on Hollywood’s seedier, seedier underbelly. The album’s final track, “Rocket Queen,” was written by GNR and is dedicated to two former female bandmates who steadfastly supported them during their formative years. One of the girls, Barbie Von Grief, came up with the moniker for her own band, from which the song’s title was derived. The song is renowned for including groans from Adriana Smith, a lady who was caught on camera engaging in sexual activity with the band.

20. Live And Let Die (Shattered Illusion, 1973)

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“Live And Let Die,” a song by Paul and Linda McCartney that was first sung by Wings, is still best remembered as the anthem for the 1973 James Bond film of the same name. However, GNR’s captivating, widescreen rendition of the song, which is widely regarded as the song’s definitive version, was one of Use Your Illusion I’s high points and was released as the album’s second single, entering the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. At the 1993 Grammy Awards, it was later nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance.

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21. Out Ta Get Me (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

Appetite For Destruction’s “Out Ta Get Me” has Axl Rose complaining about the frequent unwanted attention GNR members received from the government. Slash later referred to this song as GNR’s “huge anarchy statement.” In a 1987 Geffen Records press release, Rose stated, “It’s just [about] getting railroaded into something and wanting to get out from under it.” For this traditional outsider’s anthem, his band also provided a suitably rebellious backing track, with Slash and Izzy Stradlin both on fire the entire time. Slash later remarked to Guitar Edge, “Izzy’s material was always easy to build atop. He always had a catchy sentence that you could turn into a huge riff. We just tore into that lead line.”

22. Move To The City (Appetite for Destruction, 1987)

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The young GNR issued the four-track Live !@Like A Suicide EP late in 1986 as a preview of what was to come before strapping in for Appetite For Destruction, the stratospheric rocket ride that would make them the largest band in the world. Although not genuinely live (the crowd noise was taken from the 1970s mega-festival Texxas Jam), the severely limited-edition EP still helped the band’s reputation and included at least one underappreciated gem in Izzy Stradlin’s Rolling Stones-inspired song “Move To The City.”

23. New Rose (The Spaghetti Incident? 1993)

The Spaghetti Incident from 1993 is simple to overlook, right? When reevaluating Guns N’ Roses’ body of work, it is a standout among cover albums. The album’s track listing also provides a wealth of information about GNR’s early influences, since the group performs spirited renditions of songs that were originally released by pioneering punk and hard rock groups including UK Subs, The Stooges, and The Professionals. The crunching, Duff McKagan-sung rendition of The Damned’s punk anthem “New Rose,” which the song’s composer Brian James later told Vive Le Rock was a tremendous version of the song, the best he’s ever heard.

The 2000s’ Most Popular Guns N’ Roses Songs

24. Better (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

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GNR’s sixth album, 2008’s Chinese Democracy, is really legendary; it is said to have cost over $13 million to record and took almost ten years to complete. The album Chinese Democracy has lots of merits, even if Axl Rose is the only original Guns member to appear on it. While the album’s title track is also one of the best Guns N’ Roses tracks, “Better” is unquestionably the disc’s crowning achievement. We must agree with Rolling Stone’s assessment that “Better” sounds like old Guns N’ Roses—snarling Rose’s croon in the verses sounds like it could have come from the Use Your Illusion sessions.

25. Chinese Democracy (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

The epic opening track to one of the most anticipated albums of all time “Chinee Democracy” makes Axl’s vision for the record crystal clear. It’s a potent blend of traditional GN’R elements (Axl’s “It’s So Easy” vocals, Bumblefoot’s slinky guitars beneath the verses), and previously unexplored styles (the main riff that sounds like it belongs on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” written by drummer Josh Freese, and Bucket)

26. Prostitute (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

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The fourteenth and final song on Guns N’ Roses’ sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, which was released in 2008, is “Prostitute.” When Guns released their VHS tape describing the making of the “Estranged” clip, Axl played the piano portion under the closing credits, giving fans their first listen to this song. Axl Rose and Paul Tobias wrote the song, with help from Robin Finck. The song “blends classical orchestrations and electro-beats with searing guitar solos and some of [Rose’s] highest pitched screeching,” according to Loudwire.

27. Madagascar (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

Axl Rose and keyboardist Chris Pitman collaborated on the song “Madagascar,” which was recorded by the American rock group Guns N’ Roses and included on their sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, which was released in 2008. The song, the 12th on the album, has dramatic orchestral arrangements and a long bridge that includes a number of audio clips from movies like Cool Hand Luke, Mississippi Burning, Casualties of War, Braveheart, and Seven as well as Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream” from 1963 and his sermon “Why Jesus Called Man a Fool” from 1967.

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28. Catcher in the Rye (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

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Another song from the Chinese Democracy album that might have easily been from Slash’s early years is this one about John Lennon’s murder. Eventually, the song’s early, rather “strolling in the park” atmosphere gives way to something much more visceral. Bumblefoot’s opening guitar solo is excellent, and Robin Finck’s final solo, which Axl sings over at the end, is fantastic.

29. This I Love (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

In 1993, Axl first referenced this song in a Hit Parader interview. It was one of the final Chinese Democracy songs to ever make its way into the public domain. It consequently acquired a mythological significance among GN’R fans. It sounds similar to several Andrew Lloyd Weber tunes and is mostly symphonic, making “November Rain” sound like “Raining Blood.” However, the exquisite orchestral passages and the deeply soulful guitar solo by Robin Finck are the album’s highlights. 

30. Sorry (Chinese Democracy, 2008)

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The only song on Chinese Democracy that, for the most part, sounds like it could have been from the Slash era is “Sorry,” which stands in contrast. It has a very Western vibe, one of Buckethead’s best solos, and some excellent backup vocals by Sebastian Bach. Even those who primarily disapproved of Chinese Democracy may enjoy this song.

Guns N Roses became the biggest band in the world and the writers of some of the most iconic Rock N Roll songs because they blended a potent mixture of musicianship, authenticity, and excess into a stew that made them so famous. They have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the United States.