As the 1980s were fading, with hair metal dominating the rock subgenres, a band off the Sunset Strip exploded into the public conscious in 1987 with quite possibly the greatest debut record ever; Appetite for Destruction. Now, Guns N’ Roses is an eternal pillar from the days of ’80s rock music, known for their hard rock edge and “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” demeanor.
Fronted by the legendary singer Axl Rose, the leader and only constant member of the band since their 1985 inception to the present day, whose vocal range was like few others before or after him. In 1984, he was invited to form a band with guitarist Tracii Guns from guitarist Izzy Stradlin, a fellow Hollywood Rose member. They recruited drummer Rob Gardner and bassist Ole Beich to form Guns N’ Roses, a combination of L.A. Guns‘ and Hollywood Rose’s names.
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Bassist Duff McKagan quickly replaced Beich not long after the band had formed. Guns left the band after a falling out with Rose, and was replaced by Saul “Slash” Hudson. Gardner, the last remaining member of L.A. Guns, quit not long after Guns, leading to the hire of drummer Steven Adler. GNR’s classic lineup was cemented by June of 1985.
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The band would play a lot of Hollywood clubs before their breakthrough success with Appetite for Destruction, embarking on the 16-month “Appetite for Destruction Tour” in August of 1987 through December of 1988.
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Keyboardist Dizzy Reed was recruited in February of 1990. Around the time the band was working on Use Your Illusion I and II, Adler was dismissed from the band due to his drug abuse. He was replaced by drummer Matt Sorum in July of 1990. After getting sober, Stradlin grew tired of his time with GNR, and left the band in November of 1991. He was replaced by guitarist Gilby Clarke, who would be replaced by guitarist Paul Tobias three years later.
Between issues with Rose’s antics and his creative differences with Tobias, Slash left the band in October of 1996. Sorum and Rose had a major blowup over Tobias and Slash’s exit, which led to Rose firing him in April of 1997. McKagan left in August of 1997, as the band’s inactivity and lack of stability made it an unsuitable situation for where he was in life at the time.
Following McKagan’s exit, the band went through frequent lineup changes into the mid 2000s, adding to the issues plaguing production of 2008’s Chinese Democracy.
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In January 2016, GNR fans’ long-awaited hopes came true, as Rose reunited with Slash and McKagan for the “Not IN This Lifetime… Tour,” the first time the three classic-era bandmates had played together in 20 years.
Guns N’ Roses is in a better place for fans these days, as Slash and McKagan make the band feel like GNR, and not just a Rose solo project. In honor of one of the greatest rock bands of all-time, here’s every song by Guns N’ Roses ranked, from “worst to first:”
Ranking Every Song by Guns N’ Roses
1. 84. Look at Your Game, Girl – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
Hidden behind I Don’t Care About You, likely because it’s a cover of a song by murdererCharles Manson. The song in itself is creepy, and best left off your playlist.
2. 83. One In a Million – G N' R Lies (1988)
Arguably Guns N’ Roses’ most controversial song, One In a Million is a shameful song thanks to Rose’s lyrics and intention.
3. 82. My World – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
What even was this? A definite warning sign that Rose’s writing was about to go off the rails.
4. 81. The General (2023)
A song has to be pretty bad to not make Chinese Democracy, and The General is just that. A relic from the post-90s GNR days, not even Slash’s and McKagan’s new pieces could save this disaster.
5. 80. ABSUЯD (2021)
The opening instrumental drew me in, but the second Rose’s vocals make their entrance, I realized this song was best left unheard.
6. 79. If the World – Chinese Democracy (2008)
This might be one of the oddest GNR songs ever. It’s trying to do too much, and none of it very well.
7. 78. Oh My God – End of Days (1999)
Off the soundtrack of a late-90s Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, End of Days, this song shows a different direction Rose took the band after McKagan and Slash had left …
8. 77. Shackler's Revenge – Chinese Democracy (2008)
Shackler’s Revenge carbon dates the long-awaited Chinese Democracy to a much earlier time than 2008. The song belongs somewhere between 1999 and 2003, and is a symptom of why the record as a whole never really worked.
9. 76. I Don't Care About You – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of punk band Fear of the same name.
10. 75. Scraped – Chinese Democracy (2008)
I’m not sure if Rose knew what kind of song Scraped was suppose to be, because it’s all over the board.
11. 74. Down on the Farm – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of a song by the U.K. Subs, Rose’s attempt to mimmic a punk-British accent drags this cover down for me personally.
12. 73. Sympathy for the Devil – Interview With a Vampire Soundtrack (1994)
I’m of the mind that songs by the Rolling Stones shouldn’t be covered. By anyone. Ever.
13. 72. Riad N' the Bedouins – Chinese Democracy (2008)
Probably up there among oddest song title spellings of all time.
14. 71. Perhaps (2023)
The A-side to The General‘s B, Perhaps is another song from the leftovers of the Chinese Democracy era. It’s far better than its counterpart.
15. 70. Human Being – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of the New York Dolls.
16. 69. Attitude – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of a song by the Misfits, Attitude is an effective American-punk cover. Unfortunately for the song, its up against a mostly-stellar Guns N’ Roses discography.
17. 68. Prostitute – Chinese Democracy (2008)
Prostitute is a song that probably would’ve benefit from a more cohesive recording process. It’s not a bad song, but it’d fair a lot better from a remaster that included Slash.
18. 67. Buick Makane/Big Dumb Sex – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of T.Rex and Soundgarden, all wrapped into one.
19. 66. I.R.S. – Chinese Democracy (2008)
This song has an edge to it that I really like, but it’s not Rose’s best vocals.
20. 65. Garden of Eden – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
This may upset some people, but it’s the weakest link off of the first half of Use Your Illusion‘s two records (in my opinion).
21. 64. Black Leather – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
Slash once said that of all the songs on The Spaghetti Incident?, this was the one the band did better than the original. Being partial to GNR over the Sex Pistols, I’d have to agree.
22. 63. Catcher in the Rye – Chinese Democracy (2008)
This song has the bones of an Illusion-era epic we all are likely accustomed to. It’s a solid song, for Chinese Democracy.
23. 62. Raw Power – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A cover of The Stooges, Raw Power is among the best of the covers on this record. Its full of a high-pace intensity that’s great for rolling down Houston roadways.
24. 61. Sorry – Chinese Democracy (2008)
This song feels more like one set for release in 2008 when compared to the rest of the track list. It helps Chinese Democracy for sure, but continues to add to the record’s identity crisis.
25. 60. Bad Apples – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
The song gets into the drama with Adler around the time of his dismissal from the band.
26. 59. Double Talkin' Jive – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
Slash’s solo makes this song feel like we are about to experience a gruesome western tale.
27. 58. Madagascar – Chinese Democracy (2008)
28. 57. Perfect Crime – Use Your Illusion (1991)
About as breakneck as Rose, Slash and GNR can get.
29. 56. Shotgun Blues – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
I fear for the “muse” of this track.
30. 55. Back Off Bitch – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
This song was a demo for Appetite for Destruction that didn’t make the cut, which is fair considering the record’s track list. However, Back Off Bitch was too good to stay on the cutting-room floor for very long.
31. 54. There Was a Time – Chinese Democracy (2008)
There Was a Time starts a little shaky, but it’s set back on track by the progressive energy of Rose’s bridge. It’s among the songs that makes Chinese Democracy feel a little “modern.”
32. 53. You Ain't the First – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
This short acoustic song shows the range of styles GNR could roll into a record.
33. 52. Mama Kin (Live) – G N' R Lies (1988)
A live Aerosmith cover from G N’ R Lies, Mama Kin was once performed with the “Bad Boys from Boston” in Paris in 1992.
34. 51. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A Johnny Thunders cover, Rose and McKagan, the latter playing all the instrument parts, recorded this tribute around the time original artist died of a drug overdose.
35. 50. Street of Dreams – Chinese Democracy (2008)
Chinese Democracy suffers from an identity crisis, as it’s really more of an Axl Rose solo record than a GNR project, but Street of Dreams feels more like a Guns N’ Roses song than most of the track list. The piano helps give it a feel of something off of Use Your Illusion.
36. 49. Move to the City (Live) – G N' R Lies (1988)
This song has elements that date back to the Hollywood Rose days. There’s a acoustic studio version from 1988 that was released on the Appetite for Destruction box set in 2018.
37. 48. Ain't It Fun – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
A Dead Boys cover featuring Hanoi Rocks vocalist and saxophonist Michael Monroe, Aint’t It Fun apparently generated enough funds for Dead Boys guitarist Chrome Cheetah, who wrote the original song, to move to a nice spot in Nashville.
38. 47. Nice Boys (Live) – G N' R Lies (1988)
An obscure live cover of Australian rock band Rose Tattoo.
39. 46. Hair of the Dog – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
My Scottish girlfriend gives me massive side-eye when this track comes on in the car (partial to Scottish band Nazareth), but this cover is fantastic, even though I too prefer the Scots’ original too.
40. 45. Since I Don't Have You – The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
For an album of punk covers, Guns N’ Roses threw fans with this Skyliners cover. It’s a pretty convincing doo wop.
41. 44. Chinese Democracy – Chinese Democracy (2008)
With an intro that’d make many of Gen Z dive to their phones for stimulation, the opening guitar riff is more than enough to pull you into the record upon first listen. When I first heard the album, Chinese Democracy, while not quite Welcome to the Jungle, gave me hope that this could be a decent record as a whole. Rose should let Slash have a crack at it.
42. 43. Hard Skool (2021)
I’ve been skeptical when diving into GNR’s releases from the 2020s, but Hard Skool impressed me a lot. It much more inline with what the evolution of the band should and could have sounded like had Rose not driven nearly everyone out of the band in the 1990s. The half-reformed Guns N’ Roses has stated they plan to release more music into their twilight years, and I hope it sounds more like this than ABSUЯD or The General.
43. 42. New Rose – The Spaghetti Incident? 91993)
Easily my favorite track off of The Spaghetti Incident?, this McKagan-fronted track is a perfect blend of punk and GNR flair. It’s an eternal member of my highway playlists.
44. 41. Bad Obsession – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
GNR goes a bit bluesy on Bad Obsession, written by Stradlin.
45. 40. The Garden – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
A psychedelic addition to Use Your Illusion I, Rose’s Alice Cooper-like vocals inspire the band to invite the legendary frontman to their studio as a guest on the record – and he accepted! Rose and Cooper trade lead vocals, while Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon provided backing vocals.
46. 39. Dead Horse – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
A masterclass on transitioning from acoustics to electric. Rose’s vocal range is at just about its best here.
47. 38. You're Crazy – G N' R Lies (1988)
With great respect to this gritty stripped-down take of You’re Crazy, the original is better.
48. 37. Shadow of Your Love (2018)
Shadow of Your Love has been kicked around since the Hollywood Rose days, with a version of it even appearing on the B-side of It’s So Easy/Mr. Brownstone in 1987. This alternate take was recorded by the “classic era lineup” around the same time, evident by the unmistakeable sound the band had during the Appetite for Destruction era.
49. 36. Better – Chinese Democracy (2008)
As dated as it sounds for 2008, Better is better than a lot of the other tracks off Chinese Democracy. The emotional shifts Rose’s vocals take in this song drive it forward.
50. 35. Reckless Life (Live) – G N' R Lies (1988)
Another Hollywood Rose relic rescued by their mini LP, Reckless Life is a pump full of adrenaline in this live cover.
51. 34. This I Love – Chinese Democracy (2008)
It’s pretty evident Rose poured a lot of time, energy and emotion into this track. This I Love is a heartbreaking track, as the GNR frontman is seemingly pleading to the universe to not let the final chapter on a love close. It’s the best song on Chinese Democracy.
52. 33. Live and Let Die – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
A cover of Paul McCartney‘s iconic James Bond theme, GNR gives the songs its proper due – with a little GNR flair – making it a worthy addition to the Illusion records.
53. 32. Don't Cry (Alternate) – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Use Your Illusion II features this alternatively-darker take to Don’t Cry, with a much more hopeless feeling than the original.
54. 31. Coma – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
To date, Coma is GNR’s longest song, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. The song is based off a near-fatal drug overdose.
55. 30. Dust N' Bones – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
I was raised right – on Guns N’ Roses – even though their profanity-laced music was not exactly what small kids should’ve been listening to. I’ll never forget being about six or seven years old, hearing this song for the first time, and then watching my mom give my dad the most sternest of looks once she realized I had heard the f-bomb.
56. 29. Breakdown – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Reed’s top-of-the-line keyboard playing ties this all-around epic together, as the band is firing on all cylinders here.
57. 28. Anything Goes – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
The first track from GNR’s debut record, the greatest of all-time, appears more than halfway through the rankings of their entire discography. I’m a 1987-1991 GNR purist, so if you don’t like the fact so many Appetite for Destruction tracks rank so high, respectfully, kiss my ass.
58. 27. Think About You – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Stradlin takes over for slash on lead guitar – primarily because he composed the song. It’s an underrated track from Appetite.
59. 26. Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock N' Roll Decadence) – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
The only unnecessary part of this track is its second title. Everything else is fantastic.
60. 25. Right Next Door to Hell – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
We’ve all had a crap neighbor, but few of us have written a hit track about one.
61. 24. 14 Years – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Rose takes the backseat on lead vocal duties so Stradlin can front this epic track.
62. 23. Get in the Ring – Use Your Illusion II
To no one’s surprise, Rose has issues with a lot of people. With having these issues, Rose wrote songs about them. Get in the Ring takes shots at the rock critics of GNR that Rose took exception to.
63. 22. Used to Love Her – G N' R Lies (1988)
Used to Love Her most likely took listeners on a very different trip than what they expected to hear, based on the title.
64. 21. Yesterdays – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
It’s worth noting that despite his dismissal prior to the record’s release, Adler appears in the music video behind the kit.
65. 20. Out Ta Get Me – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Parallels to this song can easily be drawn from Rose’s youth in the Midwest.
66. 19. My Michelle – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Appetite for Destruction is a mix of love songs and “hate to love you” songs. Easy to guess where Michelle lands.
67. 18. Locomotive – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
A fast-paced song about as long as a train rolling through a busy Houston railway intersection, Locomotive is capped off by some beautifully-haunting riffs from Slash.
68. 17. You Could Be Mine – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
From the forever-iconic Terminator 2: Judgement Day, You Could Be Mine is among the better track that I think puts Illusion II over its counterpart.
69. 16. Don't Damn Me – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
Rose’s song raging against conservatives.
70. 15. It's So Easy – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
It’s So Easy seems to draw from experiences the band had in their early days out in 1980s L.A. It’s without a bout a tentpole track from the band’s discography.
71. 14. Nightrain – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
I’ve loved this song since I was a kid – of course before I could know or comprehend this song was about drinking fortified wine.
72. 13. Rocket Queen – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Give Adler his flowers here; this is some of his best work.
73. 12. You're Crazy – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
The original You’re Crazy is the best You’re Crazy – and one of the band’s best songs. You’re crazy if you think otherwise.
74. 11. So Fine – Use Your Illusion II (1987)
McKagan took lead vocals on this track, a tribute to one of his punk icons, Johnny Thunders, as I mentioned earlier. This song was released shortly after his 1991 overdose.
75. 10. Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Originally written for Tom Cruise‘s 1990 NASCAR picture, Days of Thunder (remember when NASCAR was a thing?), the band repurposed the track for Illusion II.
76. 9. Don't Cry (Original) – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
The original Don’t Cry has more uplifting lyrics, with more of a hopeful outlook than the version that precedes it.
77. 8. Patience – G N' R Lies (1988)
Fans of Appetite for Destruction were probably shocked when they first heard Patience, as it’s a far cry from the edge of GNR’s debut record. It’s the best song from G N’ R Lies.
78. 7. Mr. Brownstone – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Completely unrelated to the Slash’s and Stradlin’s day-in-the-life take on heroin use, I have a personal connection to this song of sorts. In the late 1980s, my mother worked at a Pizza Hut as a waitress, trying to get herself through school. This man in a gold Chevy Camaro would come by from time to time, chat her up, and then throw enough quarters in the jukebox so Mr. Brownstone would be play through the end of her shift on repeat. Five years later they were married, and another five after that, I was born.
79. 6. Civil War – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
I loved this song growing up, before I started really listening to what it was saying. Civil Waris more relevant today, not only when it comes to the U.S., but on a global scale as a whole, than it was back in 1991. It’s by far and away the deepest song, lyrically, in their discography. The song also draws on peace march experiences McKagan had as a child.
80. 5. Estranged – Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Estranged is the best song from Illusion II, written about Rose grappling with the end oh his marriage to Erin Everly. Slash’s guitar work here is among his best ever.
81. 4. Paradise City – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Rock radio stations in the Midwest had this song spinning constantly even into the 2000s, as it was a constant fixture on sunny Friday evening drives up to the lake for the weekend for many summers. My “paradise city” is Wild Rose, WI.
82. 3. November Rain – Use Your Illusion I (1991)
The crowd jewel of the Use Your Illusion’s trilogy, featuring Estranged and Don’t Cry, November Rain from start to finish is a masterpiece. Between Rose’s lyrics and beautiful piano play, to Slash’s iconic guitar solo, there’s plenty to justify its placement at No. 3.
83. 2. Welcome to the Jungle – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
The placement for this song at two is controversial to many I’m sure – which has to say something for how great GNR’s two best songs are – but Welcome to the Jungle is the ultimate rock anthem. Few songs are more famous, and even fewer are heard on a nightly basis in American basketball arenas and football stadiums. It’s the song that changed what people thought hair metal could be, turning away from more of a pop-like sound and back to pure hard rock.
I envy all who got to hear this for the very first time in 1987.
84. 1. Sweet Child O' Mine – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
The conclusion of my Guns N’ Roses rankings ends on high note with what’s possibly the greatest power ballad of all time; Sweet Child O’ Mine. Slash’s opening guitar solo is among the most unmistakeable ever played. It’s a genuine love song from a band that’s been known to write many not-so-genuine ones.
Appetite for Destruction defies what it means to be a debut record, but GNR found ways to live up to the masterpiece that it was with Use Your Illusion I and II.
