Guns N' Roseshad one of the most successful debuts in rock music history with their albumAppetite for Destruction(1987). Following their debut album, the band knew they had to create something bigger and better, which they achieved with their double album,Use Your Illusions Volumes I and II(1991). Luckily for the band, the double albums were always going to be successful, as lead singerAxl Rosehad something incredible up his sleeve since the early ‘80s.
“Sweet Child O' Mine” from their debut album was a stepping stone to their success, as it helped cement theirlegacy in the rock music sceneand became one of the most iconic rock singles to date. However, what separated them from other rock bands was a rock ballad from their sophomore album, “November Rain,” which took Rose eight years to perfect. The ballad would soon become one of the standards of rock music today.
Guns N’ Roses were faced with the daunting task of following one ofthe biggest-selling debut albums in history, but “November Rain” would soon help their sophomore album achieve success. Rose had “November Rain” in the vault long before they releasedAppetite for Destructionbecause he was a perfectionist who was waiting for the right moment to release the song. However, other members, such asSlashandDuff McKagan, refused to record the track asthey did not want to pivot to symphonic ballads.
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Rose always knew that “November Rain” was special. Speaking toRolling Stonein 1988 before their 1991 release ofUse Your Illusion Volumes I and II, Rose lamented that he was a perfectionist when it came to his music. He said, “If it’s not recorded right, I’ll quit the business.”
Rose’s perfectionism was no secret to the band. When Music Enthusiast interviewed former Guns N’ Roses guitaristTracii Guns, he confirmed thathe had been making the song for years. “When we were doing that EP for L.A. Guns, in like ‘83? He was playing “November Rain” – and it was called “November Rain” – you know, on piano,” he said. “Way back then, it was the only thing he knew how to play, but it was his. He’d go, ‘Someday this song is gonna be really cool.’ And I’d go, ‘It’s cool now.’‘But it’s not done,’ you know, he used to say.”
“And, like, anytime we’d be at a hotel or anywhere, there’d be a piano; he’d just kinda play that music. And I’d go, ‘When are you gonna finish that already?’ And he’d go, ‘I don’t know what to do with it.'”
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The band did attempt to record the song during the demo sessions for their debut album, including a 10-minute piano demo. When they were attempting to record the song, Rose’s vision for “November Rain” was already fully formed and originally 18 minutes long. However, when playing the music for a potential producer, he said it was for their second album, meaning thatthe song was still not ready.
By the time Guns N’ Roses was working onUse Your Illusion Volumes I and II, Rose had been finalizing the details on “November Rain.” The song would be nine minutes instead of the double time length, and he had added a written arrangement.“November Rain” was soon ready for the world.
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Rose spoke about his perfectionism and his process of writing ballads in 1990 toKerrang!, a year before “November Rain” was released. He said, “I was writing these ballads that I feel have really rich tapestries and stuff, and making sure each note, in effect, is right. Cos whether I’m using a lot of instrumentation and stuff or not,I’ll still write with minimalism. But it has to be right;it has to be the right note, and it has to be held the right way, andit has to have the right effect, do you know what I mean?
“November Rain” Became One of Guns n’ Roses’ Biggest Songs
By releasing “November Rain,”Rose revealed a vulnerable and sensitive side to his fans. Fans recognize him from his rock-hard persona that he displayed to the world inAppetite for Destruction, so “November Rain” showed that he can be hard and soft. However, because of the reception of the song and its vulnerable arrangements,Rose’s perfectionism paid off.
TheUse Your Illusionsalbums proved to be impressive follow-ups toAppetite for Destruction, as they sold more than 14 million copies combined and were number one and two on the Billboard 200 album chart. “November Rain,” the album’s centerpiece, which was released as a single after the albums were released, reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four in the UK when it was released as a single.
The song would soon become one ofthe greatest rock songsof all time because of the sensitivity and production alone. However,it was the music video that helped propel the song to success, as it was MTV’s most requested video of all time. The music video became one of the most viewed music videos on YouTube, as it reached one billion streams on YouTube in 2018. As of 2025, the music video has over 2 billion streams, asmany fans and listeners are still appreciating the craft today.
