Today’s feature is another song that demonstrates that on occasion an act’s throw away song on an album could become an unlikely hit. For Guns N’ Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was the result of guitarist Slash doing a string skipping exercise on his guitar while warming up before a band jam session. They were at their house on the Sunset Strip. Drummer Steven Adler picked up on the riff and began to play along. Soon, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin added some chords and bassist Duff McKagan worked out a bassline. The resulting piece of music grabbed the attention of singer Axl Rose who was upstairs working on some lyrics to other songs. He began to write a poem inspired by his girlfriend Erin. By the following afternoon the essence of the song’s lyrics was complete and with a few modifications everything fit within the music that emerged from the jam session. By the way; Axl’s girlfriend was Erin Everly, the daughter of Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. This represents the end of part one.
When Guns N’ Roses were working on demos for their debut album Appetite for Destruction their producer Spencer Proffer liked what he heard but he thought there should be a breakdown toward the end of the song to help bring it down before a big finish. According to various accounts the band liked the idea but when they got to that point in the recording process, they became stuck for an idea. It was at this point that Axl Rose sang more or less to himself,
“Where do we go. Where do we go now?”
Axl Rose
Proffer suggested that was the perfect solution, and that is how that refrain became such a noted part of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.
All of this having been said, Guns N’ Roses thought many of the other songs that ultimately became a part of Appetite for Destruction were much better. There are two quotes I have come across that support this sentiment. The first is from Slash who said;
“[The song] turned into a huge hit and now it makes me sick. I mean, I like it, but I hate what it represents.”
Slash
In this quote he is clearly referring to a combination of factors. The first is they held the song in relatively low regard. It was released as the third single after a bit of prompting. This did not go smoothly, however. In order to get the running time down to just over the four minute mark the radio stations and MTV created a video edit/remix that literally ‘slashed’ Slash’s solo. It was Axl that lost it on anyone who would listen and he was still vocal about it three years later during an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine.
“I hate the video edit of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’ Radio stations said, “Well, your vocals aren’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.”
Axl Rose
You have to admire the integrity. MTV and the radio stations typically used the same cut so most listeners were only getting the shell of the song unless they bought the album or saw the band live. This is the first opportunity for a moment of personal reflection.
In the summer of 1987 I was invited by my friend Scott to go and see The Cult at CNE Stadium. Scott was a Molson rep and at the time the CNE Grandstand hosted a summer concert series called Molson Canadian Rocks. Because of his role Scott got a bunch of tickets and a group of us made the trip from the rockin’ town of Acton. The Cult were a pretty big deal at the time. I was looking forward to seeing them live. Singer Ian Astbury was from Hamilton originally, so in some ways this was kind of a home town show for the band who managed to blend hard rock, punk, new wave and psychedelia into their repertoire. Astbury always seemed to channel Jim Morrison in my opinion so I was convinced this would be a strong concert event (side note – he later went on to become the vocalist for The Doors of the 21st Century with Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek of the Doors and the great drummer, Stewart Copeland from The Police). When we got to the venue word began to filter through the crowd that a new band from Los Angeles were going to be opening for The Cult. I kind of yawned and said whatever…
When Guns N’ Roses took the stage, I noticed three things. First, their singer had an incredible stage presence. He was all over the place. He had a ton of energy and command of the audience right from the start. Even when he stood still, he swayed. This would become a trademark for Axl Rose. The second thing I noticed was their guitarist. Toward the end he was introduced as only Slash. Really? I thought. Pretty good handle. Man, he was good though. I may be exaggerating but I am pretty sure he walked on the stage, stood in one spot and played a searing ten song set without ever moving his feet. His face was hidden behind a dark mop of hair and he wore the coolest hat. He was literally the opposite of Axl Rose, but in his own way he too, was the ultimate in cool. As the set progressed, I became more and more impressed. I don’t remember all of the details but I remember they dedicated ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ by Bob Dylan to their friends that had died in gang violence on the streets of L.A. At this point I was thinking; these guys are bad ass. I recall ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ being really strong and they closed their set with ‘Paradise City’. At this stage of my life I had been attending concerts for five years and I had never seen such an amazing set by an opening act. I am not sure I have seen a better set from an opening act since. In hindsight, it occurred to me that they didn’t play ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ in that set. Through the magic of the internet I googled set lists for Gun N’ Roses in 1987 and Bingo; there it was. More or less as I remembered and sure enough today’s feature song was not on the setlist. This is all to reflect on the earlier point. Despite the fact that Appetite for Destruction was released only a month earlier they opted not to play this track. They opened with ‘It’s So Easy’ which was their first single, released in June, in advance of the album. As mentioned, they played ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ which would be released as a single in October. ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ was not released until a year later when everyone noticed it was getting a lot of airplay on FM radio. I just thought this was interesting. This most reluctant single became Guns N’ Roses only #1 single and despite being on an album released on this day in 1987, it became the #5 song of 1988. The fact that Guns N’ Roses thought very little of the song is further reinforced in this quote from bass player Duff McKagan;
“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 gonna 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
Throughout my 18 months of Ted Tocks I am always infatuated by the songs that become ‘accidental’ hits. ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ definitely falls into that category.
Now it’s time to recall my second personal story. It was Christmas Day 1993. That was the day my life changed for the better. I became a father. Heather and I became parents. When our son Sebastian Alexander was born we became a family and it will forever be one of the best days of my life. This day was the day parenthood began. It was a tricky beginning. The birth did not go nearly as planned. On Boxing Day Heather was resting after a difficult day (understatement acknowledged). I clearly remember walking through the hallways of Peel Memorial Hospital in Brampton with Sebastian bundled in a blanket. He was sleeping. While we walked for what seems like hours, I sang ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ to him over and over. For good measure I also added another personal favourite called ‘Magical Child’ by Graham Nash. While there may be divergent styles between the two artists/acts the message was pure love and adoration. Adoration of the child, and a clear love for the person who I was fortunate enough to create such a beautiful child with. It should be noted that to this day Sebastian has an extremely wide taste in music. It has been a source of bonding for us for at least 15 years. That is pretty special.
In ‘Magical Child’ Graham Nash sings:
“Really makes me wonder why I waited for so long to
Graham Nash
Bring another life to this place
Then I finally realized I was watching myself grow up
Can you not see it in his face, your face.”
To me that passage reflects the passage to parenthood and how this transition opens so many wonderful doors.
Later in the song he refers to “bringing three lifes to this place” and thanks his wife on stage. How prophetic that became when by 2000 Heather and I added Jeremy and Nathaniel. Our family was complete.
Thank you, Heather! The sacrifices you have made are immense. The memories we have created are incomparable.
Here is ‘Magical Child’ by Graham Nash just to bring the memories that inspired today’s post into complete focus. I have always loved this song.
For today’s cover version of the actual feature song here is Sheryl Crow doing ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ on the soundtrack to the movie Big Daddy. This version is very divisive it seems. Crow won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It was produced by the amazing producer Rick Rubin along with Sheryl Crow. The acoustic delivery is very straight forward and respectful of the original. The string section and keyboard accompaniment is also strong, but for whatever reason it was absolutely panned by discriminating listeners everywhere. So much so it was voted the 4th worst cover song of all time by readers of Rolling Stone Magazine.
You decide.
“He’s got eyes of the bluest skies
Axl Rose
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain.”
Have a great day. Give someone you love a hug today.
Ted Tocks Covers 
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Originally posted on July 21, 2019
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