Paradise City

"Paradise City"
Artwork for U.S. and Australian vinyl editions
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Appetite for Destruction
B-side
Released November 30, 1988 (US)
March 13, 1989 (UK)
Format
Recorded 1987
Genre
Length 6:46
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Guns N' Roses
Producer(s) Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Sweet Child o' Mine"
(1988)		 "Paradise City"
(1988)		 "Patience"
(1989)
Music video
Paradise City on YouTube

"Paradise City" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). It was released as a single in November 1988. It is also the only song on the album to feature a synthesizer. It is most known for its iconic lyrics, "Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty." It is also frequently played at sports stadiums during games along with "Welcome to the Jungle", also from Appetite for Destruction. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100—becoming the band's third single to reach the Top 10—and number six on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped the Irish Singles Chart, their first of three singles to do so.

Song

Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash, states that the song was written in the back of a rental van as they were on their way back from playing a gig in San Francisco with the band Rock N Riders. He says that the band was in the back of the van, drinking and playing acoustic guitars, when he came up with the intro. Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin started playing along. Slash started humming a melody when Axl Rose sang, "Take me down to the Paradise City." Slash chimed in with "Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty." Rose sang the first line again, where Slash shouted out "Where the girls are fat and they've got big titties."[1] Rose finished with "Take ... me ... home!" Slash preferred his second line but the rest of the band felt differently. He was outvoted and they used the first line. The band then expanded upon the rest of the lyrics in rounds. Finally Slash wrapped up by coming up with the heavy riff that drives the song.[2]

During a 1988 interview, Rose told Hit Parader magazine that "the verses are more about being in the jungle; the chorus is like being back in the Midwest or somewhere."

This song was often used as the band's show-closing song during the Appetite for Destruction Tour, Use Your Illusion Tour and Chinese Democracy Tour.

It was also ranked number 21 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time,[3] number three in Total Guitar magazine's list of the 100 greatest solos of all time, and has won various similar awards over the years. It ranked number 453 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Slash has stated that "Paradise City" is his favorite Guns N' Roses song.[2]

In the last two minutes of the song, it changes to double-time and the chorus is repeated several times while Slash plays a guitar solo in the background.

Guitarist Andy McCoy has said that the song is copied from several riffs written by his band, Hanoi Rocks. He has said that the chorus is just a slower version of the riff in "Lost in the City". Axl Rose has often cited Hanoi Rocks as Guns N' Roses' biggest influence. Hanoi Rocks' original rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide can also be seen in the music video for "Paradise City." The style of the main riff of "Paradise City" (involving an ascending chromatic riff) has also been used by many former Guns N' Roses members in new projects. This can be seen in Izzy Stradlin's "Bomb" and Velvet Revolver's "Do It for the Kids". According to Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns and former member of Guns N' Roses, the riff was influenced by the Black Sabbath song "Zero the Hero" from the Born Again album.[4]

Live

During live Guns N' Roses shows, "Paradise City" is usually performed last, as an encore. This has been a tradition since at least 1988, up to their latest tour. They also performed the song live at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992 (this time it was the first song of their short set).

Music video

The music video was filmed in two locations; Giants Stadium in New Jersey while Guns N' Roses were on tour with Aerosmith, and the 1988 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park. McKagan is seen wearing an Aerosmith "wings logo" T-shirt in the video. According to Slash's autobiography, the band played the song twice in the stadium, once in beginning of the show and again as the set closer.

Nigel Dick directed the video, which cost $200,000. The video was shot with six cameras in front of 77,000 people.

Formats and track listing

All tracks written by Guns N' Roses except where noted.

US 7" vinyl ()
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Paradise City" (LP version)  
2."Move to the City" (LP version)Guns N' Roses, Del James, Chris Weber 
UK 7" vinyl (GEF 50), 7" vinyl picture disc (GEF 50P), 7" vinyl holster pack (GEF 50X)
No.TitleLength
1."Paradise City" (LP version) 
2."Used to Love Her" (LP version) 
UK 12" vinyl (GEF 50T)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Paradise City" (LP version)  
2."Used to Love Her" (LP version)  
3."Anything Goes" (LP Version)Guns N' Roses, Weber 
UK 3" CD (GEF 50CD)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Paradise City" (LP version)  
2."Used to Love Her" (LP version)  
3."Anything Goes" (LP version)Guns N' Roses, Weber 
4."Sweet Child O' Mine" (LP version)  

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Italy (FIMI)[22] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Gold 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

  • Hole covered the song live in 1999.
  • Rock n' roll era singer Pat Boone included the song on his 1997 heavy metal covers album In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy.
  • Warrior Soul covered the song in a more psychedelic and metal style for the 1999 GNR-tribute album, Appetite For Reconstruction.
  • Post-hardcore band Eighteen Visions made a cover of the song which appeared on the 2004 Guns N' Roses tribute compilation Bring You To Your Knees: A Tribute to Guns N' Roses. The key of the song is dropped a step lower, and played on guitars tuned to D. The low D open chord can be heard on the bridge following the solo. Also, the fast punk ending of the GNR version is replaced with a slow, almost sludge-like turn on the original riff.
  • A chill out cover of the song by Scubba was included on the 2006 tribute compilation Bossa n' Roses.
  • In 2009, Slash's single "Sahara" has a version of "Paradise City" as a bonus track featuring Cypress Hill and Fergie.
  • In 2011, Reece Mastin, X Factor Australia winner, covered this song for his album Reece Mastin.
  • Tom Cruise covered the song in the beginning of the 2012 musical film Rock of Ages. This cover also appears in the film's end credits and soundtrack.

Live cover performances

Sampling

  • N-Trance recorded a version of "Paradise City" (using the song's riff), on their 1999 album Happy Hour.[25]
  • Baltimore-based rapper e-dubble recorded a song of the same name as part of his Freestyle Friday series, and for his mix-tape Written Thursday, that sampled heavily from the original.

Appearances in other media

Rolling Stone ranked the song 453rd on their list "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[26] Burnout Paradise uses the song for its intro music and during gameplay, along with its fictional setting being named after the song.

References

  1. ↑ "Slash Talks Original NSFW Lyrics to "Paradise City" - Fuse". www.fuse.tv.
  2. 1 2 Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. pp. 131–132
  3. ↑ "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs," 1–4 May 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006.
  4. ↑ Martin Popoff, The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, Ecw Press, 2002, p.135
  5. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  7. ↑ Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City". VG-lista. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Paradise City". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Guns N' Roses: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  16. ↑ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1989" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1989" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "End Of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 1989 - Billboard Year End Charts". Bobborst. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  23. ↑ "British single certifications". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 24, 2017. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. 
  24. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  25. ↑ Happy Hour, AMG, accessed June 12, 2007
  26. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
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