Patience (Guns N' Roses song)

"Patience"
Standard artwork (U.S. vinyl pictured)
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album G N' R Lies
B-side "Rocket Queen" (LP Version)
Released April 1989 (US),
June 26, 1989 (UK)[1]
Format Vinyl, cassette
Recorded 1988
Genre Acoustic rock
Length 5:56
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Guns N' Roses
Producer(s) Guns N' Roses, Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Paradise City"
(1988)		 "Patience"
(1989)		 "Nightrain"
(1989)

"Patience" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which appears on the album G N' R Lies and was released as a single in 1989. The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song is played using three acoustic guitars and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. A music video of the song was shot and appears on the band's music video DVD, Welcome to the Videos.

Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon later implied that Guns N' Roses had copied Tesla's earlier work, stating that a demo by Tesla called "Better Off Without You" was "'Patience' note for note."[3] Hannon later backtracked on his blog, saying "The song is a great song that they wrote themselves, and it is only the end part that has any similar part to the guitar chords we used. I apologize for any controversy or dis-respect I may have projected in my joking around with Eddie Trunk about this."[4]

The motivation for the track is generally accepted to be the troublesome relationship between Axl Rose and his now ex-wife Erin Everly, though this was never stated in the album or interviews. According to bass guitarist Duff McKagan, "Axl came up with a great lyric, seemingly out of nowhere, that of course became the story and melody of that song."[5] It has also been stated by the band that Stradlin wrote the song about his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy.

Steven Adler did not record on the track, although in some live performances prior to release of the album, such as their performance at the Orange County Fair in New York in the summer of 1988, percussion (and electric instruments) were used.

In the video, the band members are situated in a hotel where they are the only constant images, as all other people are present for a moment, then fade away. The video, directed by Nigel Dick, was one of many produced by the band. The video was filmed on Valentine's Day during 1989, some scenes being shot at the Record Plant. It was the last video in which Steven Adler appeared (even though he did not play on the recorded track) and the last before the Use Your Illusion videos. Mike Clink is also featured in the video, sitting at the mixing board. The video was shot in The Ambassador Hotel, famous because Bobby Kennedy was assassinated there in 1968. The hotel was inoperative and scheduled for demolition, but was not demolished until 2006.

Live performances

"Patience" has been a staple in Guns N' Roses' setlists on all tours since the song was released. When performed live, electric guitars are often used instead of acoustic. Despite the album version of the song featuring no drumming, the drummers make active use of their drum kits during performances, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed makes use of his keyboard as well. In the 21st century, the band's lead guitarist (Robin Fink, DJ Ashba or Slash) would play electric guitar, while the second guitarist (Buckethead, Paul Tobias, Richard Fortus, Bumblefoot or Duff McKagan) would play acoustic.

  • The band performed the song live at the American Music Awards filmed at the Shrine Auditorium. Steven Adler was in rehab at the time of filming, and Don Henley filled in for him during the taping.

Live cover performances

Use in media

  • "Patience" is featured in the soundtrack of the movie Warm Bodies.
  • The song can be heard briefly in the 1991 movie Cape Fear.
  • The song is used in the first episode of the 2016 TV show Dead of Summer on Freeform network

Formats and track listing

All tracks written by Guns N' Roses.

7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Patience" (LP version)5:56
2."Rocket Queen" (LP version)6:13
UK 12" vinyl, 3" CD
No.TitleLength
1."Patience" (LP version)5:56
2."Rocket Queen" (LP Version)6:13
3."Interview with W. Axl Rose" (Recorded in Los Angeles 19 May 1989)7:44

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1989–90) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 9
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[8] 8
Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 38
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 16
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14] 10
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 4
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16] 7

References

  1. ↑ Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p. 347. ISBN 0-86241-385-0.
  2. ↑ "Allmusic (Guns N' Roses charts and awards) Billboard singles".
  3. ↑ "That Metal Show. Jeff Keith & Frank Hannon (Tesla) Sneak Peak". VH1 Classic. Metal-rules.com. November 13, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Did Guns N' Roses Steal "Patience" From Tesla?". 93rockon.com. 2010.
  5. ↑ London, Axl, and Continued "Patience" Archived October 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Guns N' Roses – Patience". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Patience" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  8. ↑ Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Guns N' Roses – Patience". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Patience" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Patience". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Patience". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Guns N' Roses: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
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