The band has released six studio albums: Appetite For Destruction in 1987, G N' R Lies in 1988, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II in 1991, "The Spaghetti Incident?" in 1993 and, after 15 years and with frontman Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed being the only members left from the previous lineup, Chinese Democracy in 2008. They also released three EP's in 1986, 1988, and 1993 and two live albums, in 1999 and 2014.
The group was formed in early 1985 by Hollywood Rose members Axl Rose (vocals) and Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar) and L.A. Guns members Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Ole Beich (bass) and Rob Gardner (drums). The band created its name by combining two of the members' names. Rejected names were "Heads of Amazon" and "AIDS." A short time later, Beich was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan, and Guns was replaced by Slash after not showing up to rehearsal. Slash had played with McKagan in Road Crew and with Stradlin during a short stint in Hollywood Rose. On their first tour (from Sacramento, California to Duff's home town of Seattle), Gardner quit and was replaced by Slash's friend, Steven Adler.
Stemming from the LA rock underground, the ugly lyrics matched the sleaze of the music--driven by heavy blues licks--covering misogyny, violence, city life, sex, liquor, and hard drugs. They also, however, tended to show sensitivity and a desire to break free from the city. Subsequent albums revealed influence from bands in the vein of The Rolling Stones and Queen.
Their 1987 breakthrough, Appetite for Destruction, (18-times platinum and the highest-selling debut album of all-time), coupled with the success of the hit single "Sweet Child O' Mine" in 1988, took the world by storm. "Appetite" was full of raunchy hard rock with blistering, anthemic guitar riffs and snarling vocals.
The followup EP, "G N' R Lies", contained four songs from their debut EP, three new acoustic songs, and an acoustic version of "You're Crazy". The album sold well and got into the top 10 alongside Appetite. By the end of the 1980s, they were one of the most popular bands in the world.
Steven Adler (original drummer) was kicked out of the band due to his drug abuse and replaced by Matt Sorum.
Following the release of G N' R Lies, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II made history by making the number 1 and 2 spots on the American Billboard Album chart. The albums were filled with songs that pushed Guns into a different direction, far from the Appetite era. They surprised critics who expected hard rock songs but found more "epic" tracks featuring a wider range of instruments (pianos, brass instruments, various effects, etc). The main response was that instead of releasing two albums that included "filler tracks", they could have released one CD.
The band then started a world tour to support the albums. During this tour, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin quit the band due to differences with Slash, Sorum and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety and Stradlin's anger at Rose's management of the band.
They played 192 shows in the 28-month tour, which set attendance records and concluded with a show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. This show marked the last time original members Slash and McKagan and newcomers Clarke and Sorum would play a live show with Rose.
Axl began work on a new album of original material in 1993. In 1994, Gilby Clarke left the band, and was replaced with Paul Tobias. That same year, the band recorded a cover version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" for the movie Interview with the Vampire. According to Slash's 2007 autobiography, the first version of guitar track was rejected by Axl, who wanted Slash to copy Keith Richards' playing on the original. Reluctantly, Slash agreed and recorded another version closer to the original. Slash was further infuriated when he discovered Tobias' guitar copying his own solo note by note layered in the final mix of the song. This would be the last recording by the original version of the band, and five years would go by before any new material came out under the Guns N' Roses name.
Slash drifted in and out of the band for the next couple of years, beginning a side project called Slash's Snakepit. In August 1996, GN'R returned to the studio, even though McKagan and Sorum were simultaneously touring with their side project, Neurotic Outsiders. Eventually, only Slash and Rose were left to continue working. During this period, Slash commented in an interview, "My relationship with Axl right now is sort of at a standstill." Additionally, Axl had approached guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) about jamming and possibly joining Guns N' Roses.
In 1996 and 1997, Slash, Sorum and McKagan all left the band, leaving Rose as the only remaining charter member of the band. The three later formed rock supergroup Velvet Revolver with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and guitarist Dave Kushner.
In 1998, a "clean" (i.e., profanity removed) version of Use Your Illusion was released (in the USA only), mainly so the album could be sold in Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores. The album, titled "Use Your Illusion" was a 1 CD compilation of the 2 albums.
Also in 1998, Axl put a new version of the band together and returned to the studio. This version of the band has been touring and recording sporadically ever since. The new band's membership has changed frequently, but its core members have included guitarist Robin Finck, effects man Chris Pitman, bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements)— as well as Paul Tobias, drummer Josh Freese and longtime GN'R keyboardist Dizzy Reed.
In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God", on the soundtrack of the film End of Days. The track featured additional guitar work by [arist]Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher. The song's release was intended to be a prelude to their new album, now officially entitled Chinese Democracy. Geffen also released Live Era '87-'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours. Also in 1999, during an interview with Kurt Loder for MTV, Axl said that he had re-recorded Appetite for Destruction with the new band, replacing two songs with "Patience" and "You Could Be Mine".
In 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed the band in order to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour. In 2000, virtuoso guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck. Josh Freese was replaced with Bryan "Brain" Mantia (formerly of Primus). Robin Finck returned to Guns N' Roses in late 2000 to complement Buckethead on lead guitar.
The revised lineup finally made a public appearance in January 2001 with two well-received concerts, one in Las Vegas and one at the Rock in Rio Festival in Rio de Janeiro. The band played a mixture of old hits and new songs from their forthcoming album.
The new lineup played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001. In 2002, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band because of his frustrations with life on the road. He was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love). The band then played several shows in August 2002, headlining festivals and concerts throughout Asia and Europe. They made their way to New York for a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.
In 2002, the band's first North American tour since 1993 was organized to support Chinese Democracy. However, the opening show in Vancouver was canceled by the venue when Rose arrived late due to his plane being held up by bad weather conditions at Los Angeles airport. A riot ensued. This tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts did not sell well, while shows in larger markets such as New York sold out in minutes. Due to a second riot by fans in Philadelphia, tour promoter Clear Channel canceled the remainder of the tour.
The band went on hiatus until they were scheduled to play at Rock in Rio IV in May 2004. However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing them to cancel. Also in March 2004, Geffen released Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits, since Rose had failed to deliver a new studio album in more than 10 years. Rose expressed displeasure with this album as its track listing was established without his consent and went as far as trying to block its release by suing Geffen. This failed, however, and the album went triple platinum in the USA.
In February 2006, demos of the songs "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S." and "There Was a Time" were leaked through a fan site. The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and web sites. Despite this, radio stations began adding "I.R.S." to playlists, and the song reached #49 on the Radio & Records Active Rock National Airplay chart in the final week of February - the first time an internet leak had done so.
On May 5, 2006, Axl appeared on the Friday Night Rocks with Eddie Trunk radio show (during an interview with ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach) and said the new Guns N' Roses album would be released before the end of the year. Later in May, the band launched a European tour, headlining both the Download Festival and Rock In Rio - Lisbon. Four warm-up shows preceded the tour at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and became the band's first live concert dates since the aborted 2002 tour. The shows also marked the debut of virtuoso guitarist and composer Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, replacing Buckethead. During the tour, Bach and Izzy Stradlin made frequent guest appearances. By the tour's end in 2007, the band had played to over 750 000 people in over 23 countries.
On April 5, 2008, a picture of Finck appeared on Nine Inch Nails web page under the title "Welcome Back!" starting the rumor of his possible reunion with Trent Reznor. On April 11, Finck expressed his happiness on playing again with NIN. On April 20, on Guns N' Roses' web site, Axl expressed surprise about the news.
Chinese Democracy had been given the tentative release date of March 6, then reported September 17, 2007. However, both dates passed with no sign of the album. After further release dates were discussed, the album finally came out on November 23, 2008, to mostly positive critical reviews & underselling industry expectations.
Slash, McKagan and Sorum still played together in Velvet Revolver. However, Izzy Stradlin, original GN'R rhythm guitarist and co-composer of many of the band's most successful songs, has not joined them. He did, however, play a few dates as a guest with GN'R in the summer of 2006. Keyboard player Dizzy Reed, while not a founding member of the band (joining in 1990 in the Use Your Illusion period), remained in the previous lineup. in 2014, Bassist Tommy Stinson had previous commitments to The Replacements, leading former bassist Duff McKagan to fill in. After the 2014 tour, bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarists DJ Ashba & Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, and keyboardist Chris Pitman all left the band.
Slash and McKagan rejoined in 2016, as did keyboardist Melissa Reese, as the group embarked on the "Not in This Lifetime..." stadium tour. The tour also featured several guest appearances, including from former drummer Steven Adler, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, and Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson. The tour was a massive success, becoming the third highest grossing concert tour of all-time by its end in 2019.
The band continued with the Guns N’ Roses 2020 Tour and in 2021 released two new singles “Absurd” and “Hard Skool”, both reworkings of ‘’Chinese Democracy’’ era tracks. The singles are the first songs released featuring Slash and Duff McKagan since 1994.
GN'R's current lineup includes Rose (lead vocals), McKagan (bass), Fortus (rhythm guitar), Slash (lead guitar), Melissa Reese[/bandember] (synth & programming), Frank Ferrer (drums) and Reed (keyboard and percussion).
Discography
Appetite for Destruction (1987) #1 US Billboard, 18x Platinum
G N' R Lies (1988) #2 US Billboard, 5x Platinum
Use Your Illusion I (1991) #2 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
Use Your Illusion II (1991) #1 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) #4 US Billboard, Platinum
Live Era '87-'93 (1999) #45 US Billboard, Gold
Greatest Hits (2004) #3 US Billboard, 3x Platinum
Chinese Democracy (2008) #3 US Billboard, Platinum
The above figures represent US sales only and do not constitute worldwide figures, which are much higher.
Move to the City
Guns N' Roses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's somethin' missin' here at home
You fix your hair and you're lookin' real pretty
It's time to get it out on your own
You're always fightin' with your mama and you papa
Your family life is one big pain!
When you, you gonna move to the city?
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
You stole your mama's car
And your daddy's plastic credit card
You're sixteen and you can't get a job
You're not goin' very far
You're always ridin' with the teachers and the police
This life is much too insane
When you, you gonna move to the city?
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
Right to the city Where the real men get it
Aw, child, ain't it a pity?
Sometimes it gets too shitty
Come on and hit me
You're on the streets And it ain't so pretty
You need to get a new what you please
You do what you gotta do for the money
At times you end up on your knees
I'm always buyin' With the local and the junkies
This city life is one big pain!
But you, you had to move to the city
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
Oh right to the city With the real nitty gritty
Aw, child, ain't it a pity?
Sometimes it gets too shitty
Come on and hit me
The song Move to the City by Guns N' Roses is a reflection on the discontentment with living in a small town and the yearning to move to the city for a better life. The opening lines "You pack your bags and you move to the city, there's somethin' missin' here at home" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is unhappy with the small town where everyone knows your name and everything you do. He or she desires to move to the city to start over and become whoever they'd like to be.
The second verse talks about the singer's struggles with their family and how they're always fighting with their parents. This highlights the sense of isolation and entrapment they feel in their hometown. The lack of job opportunities adds to this feeling of helplessness. The chorus, "You gotta move, you gotta move, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, Time you gotta move" is a call to action for the singer to leave behind his or her small town and make a new life in the city.
The final verse depicts the harsh reality of life in the city with lines such as "You're on the streets and it ain't so pretty," and "You do what you gotta do for the money, at times you end up on your knees." Despite the struggles, the singer states they "had to move to the city, into the city where it all began." The song is not just about the desire to escape a small town, but also about the challenges that come with chasing one's dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
You pack your bags And you move to the city
You leave behind your current life and possessions to start over in the city.
There's somethin' missin' here at home
You feel like there's something missing in your current life that the city might provide.
You fix your hair and you're lookin' real pretty
You make an effort to look good and presentable for your move to the city.
It's time to get it out on your own
You're ready to be independent and make your own way in the world.
You're always fightin' with your mama and you papa
You have a strained relationship with your parents and are looking to escape from it.
Your family life is one big pain!
Your family life is difficult and full of problems that you want to escape from.
When you, you gonna move to the city?
You've been considering moving to the city for a while and people are wondering when you're actually going to do it.
Into the city where it all began
You're moving to the city where something important happened in your life or where you think you can start anew.
You stole your mama's car and your daddy's plastic credit card
You're resorting to desperate measures to fund your move to the city.
You're sixteen and you can't get a job
You're too young to get a job and are having trouble supporting yourself.
You're not goin' very far
You're not making much progress towards your goal of moving to the city.
You're always ridin' with the teachers and the police
You're getting in trouble with authority figures and need to get away from them.
This life is much too insane
Your current situation is overwhelming and you need a change of scenery.
Right to the city Where the real men get it
You're moving to a place where you believe men thrive and succeed.
Aw, child, ain't it a pity?
You're questioning the disappointing aspects of life, including the struggles you've faced.
Sometimes it gets too shitty
Life can be very difficult, especially when things don't go as planned.
Come on and hit me
You're challenging life to throw whatever it has at you.
You're on the streets And it ain't so pretty
You're struggling to survive on the streets of the city, which is not as glamorous as you thought it would be.
You need to get a new what you please
You're willing to do whatever it takes to move up in life and get what you want.
You do what you gotta do for the money
You're willing to take any job or do anything to make money to survive.
At times you end up on your knees
You're struggling and sometimes resorting to desperate measures to survive in the city.
I'm always buyin' With the local and the junkies
You're getting involved with unsavory characters in order to make ends meet in the city.
This city life is one big pain!
Living in the city is not as glamorous as you thought and comes with its own set of difficulties.
You gotta move, you gotta move Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
You have to keep moving forward despite the challenges and setbacks you face in the city.
Time you gotta move
You don't have time to waste in the city and need to keep pushing forward.
Oh right to the city With the real nitty gritty
You're back to emphasizing the importance of the city to your goals and aspirations.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: W. Axl Rose, Saul H Hudson, Duff Rose Mckagan, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Christopher Weber
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cristian Valencia
You pack your bags And you move to the city
There's somethin' missin' here at home
You fix your hair and you're lookin' real pretty
It's time to get it out on your own
You're always fightin' with your mama and you papa
Your family life is one big pain!
When you, you gonna move to the city?
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
You stole your mama's car
And your daddy's plastic credit card
You're sixteen and you can't get a job
You're not goin' very far
You're always ridin' with the teachers and the police
This life is much too insane
When you, you gonna move to the city?
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
Right to the city Where the real men get it
Aw, child, ain't it a pity?
Sometimes it gets too shitty
Come on and hit me
You're on the streets And it ain't so pretty
You need to get a new what you please
You do what you gotta do for the money
At times you end up on your knees
I'm always buyin' With the local and the junkies
This city life is one big pain!
But you, you had to move to the city
Into the city where it all began
You gotta move, you gotta move
Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma
Time you gotta move
Oh right to the city With the real nitty gritty
Aw, child, ain't it a pity?
Sometimes it gets too shitty
Come on and hit me
Rocio Vazquez
Es como estar en lso 80s esperando las nuevas canciones, esto es increíble loco <3
CyborgBendy
@Federico Francou enrealidad move to the city pertenece al debut que salio 1987 asi que tecnicamente hablamos de finales de los 80s
محمد بريكي
https://youtu.be/UuiqMYxlRqs 😱😱
Federico Francou
La música es de los 90
Juanse Salamanca
me sorprende que todavia hay gente que escucha este gran tipo de musica
ManuFender
No solo la escucho si no que la toco también.
Dylan Mansilla
2021 CON TODO!!!
Dieres TV
A mi me sorprende que haya gente que aún no conoce esta música o no le da una oportunidad.
Ff Fft
Yo tengo 13 y escucho desde los 3 o 4 no me acuerdo mi papa ponia
jackconstantine27 7
Tengo 14 y escucho esta música desde los 5, mis bandas favoritas son GNR y AC/DC, la supremacía del Rock YEAH! 😆🤘🤘🤘