When a song surpasses the fame of the band that created it, the artist is often faced with a dilemma: either embrace its success or grow resentful of the track that defined their career. This is especially true when the song becomes a cultural phenomenon, generating enough wealth to allow musicians to retire young. But as Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash knows, no amount of money can shield you from complex emotions tied to your work.
It’s rare for an artist to look back on their biggest hit as their crowning achievement in the studio. Most musicians feel disconnected from their most successful songs, particularly if the track doesn’t match their artistic vision. Despite the overwhelming popularity of tracks like ‘Stairway to Heaven‘ or ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit‘, even Robert Plant and Kurt Cobain famously expressed disdain for their own iconic songs. Slash, too, found himself at odds with ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine‘, despite the millions it earned Guns N’ Roses.
Released over 30 years ago, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ has become a cornerstone of classic rock radio and continues to rake in millions of streams. Yet, for Slash, it was never a song he was proud of. In fact, he would have preferred it had never been written. The song didn’t fit the dangerous, rebellious image Guns N’ Roses had worked hard to cultivate during their rise to fame in the late ’80s. The band’s chaotic aura was built on hard rock anthems, not soft ballads—and ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was exactly that.
“I hated it for years,” Slash admitted, explaining that he initially resented the track for not aligning with the band’s tough persona. “But it would cause such a reaction, so I’ve finally gotten to appreciate it.”
It all started as a joke during a rehearsal in Los Angeles when Slash began messing around with some random riffs, amusing his bandmates. Unknowingly, he stumbled upon the melody that would become their first major hit. “We were a hardcore, AC/DC-type band,” Slash reflected. “If we did ballads, they were bluesy. This was an uptempo ballad. That’s one of the gayest things you can write.”
Despite his personal distaste for the song, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ resonated with audiences instantly. The track skyrocketed to the top of the charts, helping push Appetite for Destruction into the stratosphere. It became Guns N’ Roses’ only song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and played a major role in the album selling over 18 million copies in the United States alone.
Even though Slash initially viewed the song with frustration, his perspective softened with time. In a 2019 interview, he admitted, “You come up with something you think is cool, but you never know how it’s going to translate to others. Back in the day, I wasn’t a big fan of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’” Slash’s primary issue wasn’t the riff itself, but the type of song it was. “It wasn’t about the riff, it was more about the kind of song it was at the time.”
Duff McKagan, the band’s bassist, also noted in his autobiography that Slash considered ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ to be the band’s weakest track. But, as the years went by, Slash grew to appreciate the significance of the song. “It was a crucial part of the jigsaw that helped us become the biggest band in the world for a while,” he said.
Now, with the benefit of time and reflection, Slash has come to terms with ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, seeing it not just as a song but as a pivotal moment in Guns N’ Roses’ career—a memory that continues to shape his journey, even if it wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned at the time.
