Random Behind Scenes Of Guns N’ Roses Hit Single ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ (17 items)

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  (#13) The Band Members Were Surprised, And Not All Of Them Were Happy, When 'Sweet Child' Started Doing Well On Radio And On MTV

  Unlike Clink, GNR did not have any expectations about "Sweet Child O' Mine" becoming a hit. "We had no idea what [the song] would do for the album," McKagan admitted. "You should have seen the... difference [in crowd reaction] before, and after, that single came out." 

  McKagan said that prior to "Sweet Child O' Mine," very few GNR fans would turn out to shows where they opened for more popular bands like Aerosmith. But "afterwards everybody was on their feet with their cigarette lighters switched on. It was amazing, night and day. It happened that quickly."

  A few weeks after "Sweet Child O' Mine" was released as their second single in the US, Appetite for Destruction hit No. 1 on Billboard's albums chart. But while Steven Adler and Rose, who called his mother to share the news, were over the moon about their success, McKagan and guitarist Izzy Stradlin were not as excited.

  Stradlin didn't think it was cool, wasn't a punk thing, to have so much success. McKagan had a similar reaction, saying, "We're a rock-and-roll band. We've never written a song for commercial purposes. We... despise that."

  Slash, meanwhile, wanted nothing more than their success, saying, "I always figured we'd just be a cult band."
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  (#14) Slash Hated 'Sweet Child' For A Long Time

  "Sweet Child O' Mine" might have been a massive hit that helped propel GNR to fame, but it took a while for Slash to really appreciate the song. "I hated it for years," he admitted to Q magazine in 2005. "But it would cause such a reaction - just playing the first stupid notes used to evoke this hysteria - so I've finally gotten to appreciate it."

  In a 2014 interview with WEBN radio host KiddChris, he said, "I didn't hate it, but I wasn't fond of 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' And that gives you a good idea of how credible my opinion is... the actual riff itself I love." He continued:

  You know, [GNR] was always a real [heavy], sort of, AC/DC kind of hard rock band with a lot of attitude. If we did any kind of ballads, it was bluesy. This was an uptempo ballad... But at the same time, it's a great song - I'm not knocking it - but... it just did not fit in with the rest of our, sort of, shtick. And, of course, it would be the biggest hit we ever had.
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  (#10) Rose Hated The Music Video Edit Of 'Sweet Child' Because It Removed Much Of Slash's Guitar Solo

  The original version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" was nearly six minutes long. In order to improve the chances of the song getting played on the radio and put into rotation on MTV, it was cut to slightly more than four minutes. The edit removed much of Slash's guitar solo, a decision that the band, particularly Rose, objected to.

  In a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone, Rose admitted:

  I hate the 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.
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  (#12) 'Sweet Child' Is The Only GNR Single To Hit No.1 On The 'Billboard' Hot 100

  "It's So Easy," the first single off Appetite for Destruction, wasn't incredibly successful. While the album's second single, "Welcome to the Jungle," fared better, the album didn't start out selling very well.

  "Sweet Child O' Mine" was the third single released and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.

  Over the course of their career, GNR has had six singles crack the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, but "Sweet Child O' Mine" is the only one to hit No. 1.
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  (#15) The Official Music Video For 'Sweet Child' Was The First From The 1980s To Surpass One Billion Views On YouTube

  In October 2019, the official music video for "Sweet Child O' Mine" became the first music video from the 1980s to surpass one billion views on YouTube. In 2019 alone, the video averaged around 600,000 views per day.

  The music video shows the band rehearsing at Mendiola's Ballroom in Huntington Park, CA, surrounded by crew members. The band members' then girlfriends are also featured in the video.
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  (#17) Sheryl Crow Won A Grammy For Best Female Rock Performance For Her Cover Of 'Sweet Child,' But It Was Negatively Received By Many

  Sheryl Crow recorded a cover version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" that was used in the Adam Sandler film Big Daddy. In February 1999, Crow won the Grammy Award for best female rock vocal performance for her version of the song.

  But not everyone was a fan of Crow's interpretation. In 2011, the readers of Rolling Stone voted it the fourth-worst cover song of all time, finishing behind Miley Cyrus's cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Limp Bizkit's version of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes," and Madonna's cover of Don McLean's classic "American Pie."

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