Guns N' Roses remove song with homophobic and racist language from reissued album

[Latinus]

One In a Million, from the band’s 1988 G N’ R Lies EP, has been cut from a reissue of the album Appetite for Destruction thanks to lyrics such as: ‘Immigrants and faggots, they make no sense to me’

Guns N’ Roses have removed the song One in a Million from a forthcoming reissue of their album Appetite for Destruction. The 1980s rock titans have not commented on the decision, but it seems to have been prompted by the song’s lyrics, which feature racist and homophobic language.

The track was included on their 1988 EP G N’ R Lies, which was released in the wake of their No 1 debut, Appetite for Destruction, and reached No 2 in the US charts, selling more than 5m copies. It features the lyrics: “Police and niggers, that’s right / Get outta my way / Don’t need to buy none of your gold chains today.” Other lyrics include:

Immigrants and faggots

They make no sense to me

They come to our country

And think they’ll do as they please

Like start some mini-Iran

Or spread some fucking disease

And they talk so many goddamn ways

It’s all Greek to me

The song was condemned on its release, and guitarist Slash later said: “I don’t regret doing One in a Million, I just regret what we’ve been through because of it and the way people have perceived our personal feelings.” The Guardian has requested a comment from the band via their UK representatives.

Explaining the lyrics in 1988, singer Axl Rose said they were inspired in part by African American con artists in Los Angeles, and added: “Why can black people go up to each other and say, ‘nigger’, but when a white guy does it all of a sudden it’s a big putdown? I don’t like boundaries of any kind. I don’t like being told what I can and what I can’t say. I used the word ‘nigger’ because it’s a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word ‘nigger’ doesn’t necessarily mean black.” In 1992, he added: “I was pissed off about some black people that were trying to rob me. I wanted to insult those particular black people.”Regarding the immigrants line, he explained: “A lot of people from countries like Iran, Pakistan, China, Japan, et cetera, get jobs in these convenience stores and gas stations. Then they treat you like you don’t belong here.” He claimed the “faggot” line came from “very bad experiences with homosexuals” including an attempted rape: “I’m not against them doing what they want to do as long as it’s not hurting anybody else and they’re not forcing it upon me.”

Elton John, who once performed with Axl Rose live, said in 2017: “Never in a million years did I think [Axl Rose] was homophobic … I’ll fight for anyone who is misunderstood and misrepresented by the idiots out there.”

The band are releasing a number of different formats for the Appetite for Destruction reissue, which features the original album alongside G N’ R Lies and other extra tracks, including a wooden box set version costing £849.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...-reissue-album

[KMack]

They cucked out

[♥ Lily ♥]

I don't think they're racist... just misunderstood by some people... afterall the awesome British-American guitarist of Guns N' Roses (Slash) is biracial, (he's half black and half white.)

Saul Hudson (Slash) was born in Hampstead, London. He was named for Saul Steinberg, an artist. His mother, Ola J. Hudson (née Oliver; 1946–2009),as an African-American costume designer, whose clients included David Bowie, and his father, Anthony Hudson, is an English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.

Of his mixed background, Slash later remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British, while so many British musicians, in the 'Sixties in particular, went to such great pains to be black."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_(musician)

[frankhammer]

They got old but still love the almighty dollar enough to cut a classic song from a classic album. Most greedy bastards would do the same for easy money.

[Dick]

Axl predicted the future with this song

[Heather Duval]

Isnt this old? I read something about it in 2012.

[♥ Lily ♥]

In a 1989 Rolling Stone interview, Rose explained the lyrics for One In A Million: "I used words like police and niggers because you're not allowed to use the word "nigger". Why can black people go up to each other and say, "Nigger," but when a white guy does it all of a sudden it's a big put-down. I don't like boundaries of any kind. I don't like being told what I can and what I can't say. I used the word "nigger" because it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word "nigger" doesn't necessarily mean black.

Doesn't John Lennon have a song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"? There's a rap group, N.W.A. - Niggers With Attitude. I mean, they're proud of that word. More power to them. Guns N' Roses ain't bad. . . . N.W.A. is bad! Mr. Bob Goldthwait said the only reason we put these lyrics on the record was because it would cause controversy and we'd sell a million albums. Fuck him! Why'd he put us in his skit? We don't just do something to get the controversy, the press."

The cover of the GN'R Lies EP, which was designed as a mock-tabloid newspaper front page, actually contained an advance apology for the song, suggesting controversy was anticipated. A small "article" entitled "One in a Million", credited to Rose, ended: "This song is very simple and extremely generic or generalized, my apologies to those who may take offense."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_in...27_Roses_song)

He didn't mean it in the context of a racial slur, but the lyrics have been misinterpreted and misunderstood by some.

Like a lot of iconic rock stars, Axl has called Jim Morrison as his biggest idol and he's visited his grave, (although he said the experience shook him up and was an awakening call,) - but Axl Rose has also named black artists too amongst his idols.

In response to an informal study that named him the 'World's Greatest Singer" based on a study of vocal ranges, Rose told Spin in 2014, "If I had to say who I thought the best singers were, I'd say first that I don't know there's a definitive answer as in my opinion it's subjective, and second that my focus is primarily rock singers.

'That said, I enjoy Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Dan McCafferty, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Fiona Apple, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and a ton of others (predominantly Seventies rock singers) and would rather hear any of them anytime rather than me!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axl_Rose

He's also said some stuff in the past whilst high on mind-altering drugs and alcohol on-stage. Slash has performed live and recorded a song with the late black artist, singer, and dancer, Michael Jackson, on their song 'Give In To Me.'

2:28


Btw, one of MJ's songs (They Don't Care About Us - filmed in Brazil) caused controversy and anger and accusations of antisemitism when he mentioned Jews. He also apologised for the confusion and the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the lyrics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_D..._Care_About_Us

A lot of artists have had the lyrics to their songs being misunderstood, not just Guns N' Roses... so I don't think they should be solely targeted and singled-out. Marilyn Manson made a song called 'Rock n' Roll Nigger'. (He's very liberal and strongly anti racist btw.... but some people may misinterpret the context of the N word. He wasn't using it in a racial sense, and neither was Axl Rose on One In A Million, as he explained in his own words in his interview with Rolling Stone in 1989.) MM also made a cover-version of a song by The Ramones: 'The KKK Took My Baby Away.'

How many black artists also use the N word in their songs?

It's unfair when people have false accusations made about them just because the context of their words have been misinterpreted.

[Larali]

I'm sure we are all different people now than we were in the 80s.

[Dandelion]

I knew it was going to be 'One in a Million', where Axl Rose is portraying the story of a 'small town white boy' alienated at his new environment when moving to LA. Shame though, I think we should view the song in its context. I guess the band realise ethics have changed and the language would be seen as too offensive in today's society as most people have grown more tolerant, even in rural areas.

By the way. People always looked at Axl Rose as an asshole and Kurt Cobain as a honorable man. Axl Rose did ruin his band due to get short-fuse and increasing ego-mania. The guy was bipolar, so was Kurt. But I do notice appearances can be deceiving. Cobain was a drug addict and deadbeat dad, despite being a proponent for civil rights and a self-proclaimed feminist. Axl Rose on the other hand was violent and offensive in his language not giving a fuck about others at first glance. However, at least he stayed off drugs and behaved responsibly around children.

Can't judge either as bad people, though. But I still think both were polar opposite in public image and again the opposite of that in their private lives. I mention both because they posed as mutual arch-enemies back in the day dissing each other

[guerrilla]

terrific song