THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

8-Guns N’ Roses-Paradise City.

1987-It was not released as a single in the UK until 1989, when it reached Number 6,

Best Bit-At 4.47.’Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.’ Most heterosexual males couldn’t care less if the grass was purple with pink polka dots, as long as the girls are pretty.

‘Guns N’ Roses’ (see also best songs 463) were formed in 1985, in Los Angeles, California, United States, and at the time of writing they remain active, with Axl Rose being the bands one constant. The five members who signed with ‘Geffen Records’ in 1986, and who are considered the classic line up, and were also the musicians who played on ‘Paradise City’ were, Axle Rose, (vocals) Slash, (lead guitar) Izzy Stradlin, (rhythm guitar) Duff McKagan, (bass) and Steven Adler (drums.) ‘Guns N’ Roses’ took their name from two Los Angeles based ‘Glam/Metal’ bands,’Hollywood Rose,’ and ‘LA. Guns.’ Izzy Stradlin was a close acquaintance of ‘LA Guns’ member Tracii Guns, and Axl Rose had been the lead singer of ‘Hollywood Rose.’ In total there have been 20 different members of ‘Guns N’ Roses’ come and go, with some having left at one point, and then returning.

The discography of ‘Guns N’ Roses’ includes six studio Albums released between 1987-2008, and 20 singles issued between 1987-2021. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart they have achieved nine top 40 entries with ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ making Number 1 in 1988, while in the UK, 16 of their singles have made the top 40, with their cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ charting the highest at Number 2 in 1992. ‘Guns N’ Roses are one of the worlds best selling groups having sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide to date.

‘Paradise City’ was the fourth of five singles released from ‘Guns N’ Roses’ debut studio Album ‘Appetite for Destruction’ from July 1987. On release the Album garnered very little mainstream attention, and it wasn’t until the following year after the band had began to make a name for themselves through touring that it finally became a commercial success. The Album eventually reached Number 1 on Billboard, and with currently over 30 million copies sold is the best selling debut Album of all time, and currently the 11th best selling Album of all time in America.

‘Paradise City’ credits all five band members at that time with the songwriting, with the songs production being by Mike Clink, who would also go on to produce the bands next four Albums, as well as produce, and engineer for several other artists. Slash has stated that ‘Paradise City’ was written in the back of a rental van as the band were travelling back from a gig in San Francisco, he has also stated that it is his favourite ‘Guns N’ Roses’ song. Axl Rose who wrote many of the songs lyrics has never made any secret in citing the Finnish Rock band ‘Hanoi Rocks’ as his major influence in the development of ‘Paradise City,’ with that bands 1981 track ‘Lost in the City’ being the inspiration. In that songs chorus you can hear some of the same lyrics that would later make up ‘Paradise City,’ and ‘Lost in the City’s’ melody from that chorus is slowed down significantly and used in ‘Paradise City’ as well. Incidentally the rhythm guitarist of ‘Hanoi Rocks,’ who goes by the name of ‘Nasty Suicide,’ makes an appearance in the ‘Paradise City’ video. Another prominent ‘sample’ is the ‘guitar riff,’ (and is well worth a listen) which was ‘influenced’ by the Black Sabbath (see also best songs 814) song ‘Zero the Hero,’ from their 1983 Album ‘Born Again.’

‘Paradise City’ is partly Axl Rose talking about the situation he was in at that point in his life. He was born and raised in Indiana, United States, and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980’s, where he remembers being stopped on the street by a stranger who said to him,’You know where you are? You’re in the jungle baby. You’re gonna die.’ The ‘green grass,’ and the ‘pretty girls’ are happy reminders of home for Axl Rose, and basically ‘Paradise City’ is anywhere in the world where a better life can be found.

‘Just a urchin livin’ under the street, I’m a hard case that’s tough to beat. I’m your charity case so buy me something to eat. I’ll pay you at another time, take it to the end of the line.’