"November Rain"
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion I
B-side"Sweet Child o' Mine" (LP version)
ReleasedFebruary 1992 (1992-02)
Studio
  • A&M
  • Record Plant
  • Studio 56
  • Image Recording
  • Conway
  • Northstar Recordings (violins)
  • Metalworks Recording
  • Skip Saylor Recording (album mixing)
Genre
Length8:57
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Axl Rose
Producer(s)
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Live and Let Die"
(1991)		 "November Rain"
(1992)		 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
(1992)
Music videos
"November Rain" on YouTube
"November Rain" (2022) on YouTube

"November Rain" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead vocalist Axl Rose, the power ballad was released in February 1992 as the third single from their third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991). The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was the longest song to enter the top ten of the chart at the time of its release. Currently, it is the fourth longest song to enter the Hot 100 chart.[4] Additionally, "November Rain" reached number two on the Portuguese Singles Chart, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 on several other music charts around the world.

Background

Slash states in his autobiography that the band recorded in 1986 an 18-minute version of "November Rain" at a session with guitarist Manny Charlton (of rock band Nazareth) the year prior to beginning sessions for Appetite for Destruction.[5]: 151 

According to a story Axl Rose reported during the 2006 leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour, no other band members wanted to participate in the production of this song (or the other notable ballad "Estranged"). Slash and Duff McKagan were opposed to the band's drift to symphonic ballads, feeling their choice of more direct rock songs were being overlooked by Rose. Eventually, Rose persuaded the others during work at Can-Am Studios (where some of the album was recorded and mixed). Slash disputed Axl's claims of harsh musical differences in his autobiography released the next year.[5]: 454 

Slash reported that his guitar solo in the song's album version developed directly from an improvisation.[5]: 316 [6]

Writing and composition

"November Rain" is the third-longest song by Guns N' Roses, behind "Coma" (10:14) from the same album, and "Estranged" (9:24) from Use Your Illusion II. According to Slash, Axl wrote the song “about a time someone bent his fingers back like he was a little baby.” It was the longest song ever to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 until November 2021, when surpassed by Taylor Swift's extended rerecording of "All Too Well".[7][8][9] The song's composition was influenced by Elton John's 1973 opus “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”.[10]

Its distinct symphonic overtone owes to a sweeping string arrangement, orchestrated by Rose.[5]: 318 [11] "We call it 'the Layla song'," joked Slash, referencing a similarly-constructed rock song with a long, instrumental second part.[12] It was later preceded by the coda from Layla on the Not in This Lifetime... Tour.

On November 4, 2022, the original track was re-released on a Use Your Illusion reissue, but with newly recorded orchestration replacing the sampled sounds used on the original mix. The orchestration consists of a real 50-piece orchestra, conducted and arranged by Christopher Lennertz.[13] The track was mixed by Steven Wilson replacing the sampled sounds used on the original mix.[14][15]

Critical reception

Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times wrote, "This sweeping ballad--reminiscent of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s most majestic work--underscores the ambition and range of the best and most volatile American hard-rock group in a decade."[16] Dave Jennings from Melody Maker said, "There's probably no other band who can match the Gunners' ability to sound frighteningly real and then laughably crass in rapid succession. [...] On "November Rain", they fit both extremes into one nine-minute epic ballad."[17] Another editor, Simon Reynolds, declared it as "a lush, swoony, mock-orchestral epic mid-way between Trevor Horn, Jim Steinman and 'Purple Rain'."[18] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel viewed it as "a schlocky, over-produced ballad".[19] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post felt that in the wake of their breakthrough power ballad "Sweet Child o' Mine", Guns N'Roses "have wisely chosen to play to their female constituency" with "November Rain". He explained that the song "finds Axl in an Elton John mood with a piano, synthesized strings and the realization that while 'It's hard to hold a candle/ in the cold November rain,' we should 'never mind the darkness/ we can still find a way/ cause nothin' lasts forever/ even cold November rain.' On the other hand, at almost nine minutes, this song comes close."[20]

Chart performance

In the United States, the song peaked at number three for two weeks in 1992, making it Guns N' Roses' sixth and last top-10 hit. It stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks and on the Hot 100 for 30 weeks.[21] The song also peaked at number nine in Germany and remained on the chart for 51 weeks.[22] In Australia, "November Rain" was ranked at number two on the 1992 end-of-year chart despite only reaching number five on the ARIA Singles Chart.[23] It was included on ARIA's year-end charts in two consecutive years (1992 and 1993, when it appeared at 36).[24][25] A similar situation took place in New Zealand, where the song peaked at number seven but stayed in the top 20 for 24 non-consecutive weeks, ending 1992 as New Zealand's second-best-selling single.[26][27]

Music video

Composite image of the wedding dress from the "November Rain" music video worn by Stephanie Seymour

The accompanying music video for "November Rain", directed by Andy Morahan,[28] was inspired by Del James's short story "Without You", for which he is credited in the long version of the video. The short story portrays a rock star struggling to come to terms with the loss of his girlfriend, who died by suicide (gunshot) after he repeatedly strayed from their relationship. November Rain is one of the most expensive music videos ever.[29]

The video tells a story reminiscent of "Without You", and features a live performance footage from Los Angeles' Orpheum Theater.[30] First, in a silhouette, Rose's character is seen going to bed and taking pills; a bottle of whisky is also visible next to him. The scene, now in color, changes to the wedding of the main characters, played by Rose and his then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour. The other band members are among the many guests.

Slash's character realizes he forgot the wedding rings, when McKagan's character offers his rings as a substitute. After the wedding couple leaves the church, we see the wedding reception which is later interrupted by sudden, heavy rain, causing everyone to run for shelter.

The next scene shows a funeral at the same church. Rose's character grieves at the death of his wife, now inside a casket with a mirrored object obscuring half of her face. A heavy rain falls upon the cemetery when the casket is laid to rest.

A final scene shows Seymour's character back at the wedding, tossing her white bouquet, which turns red in the air and lands on her coffin. Black and white scenes Rose's character's nightmares show a mix of wedding and funeral scenes. The music video ends with Rose's character kneeling beside her grave and the bouquet turns back to white as the rain washes the red color away.

For the outside shots of Slash's first guitar solo, Rose had originally envisioned it taking place in a "cool field". However, since the video was shot in winter, there were no good-looking fields around, and the band decided to film in New Mexico, where they had a church building transported specifically for the shoot.[30] The larger church, for the wedding scenes, is Los Angeles' St. Brendan Catholic Church.[30]

The music videos for "November Rain", "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" form an unofficial trilogy of sorts. While never specifically confirmed by the band, Del James' short story "Without You" served as inspiration for the video, and received recognition in the video's end credits.

In July 2018, the music video became the first video created prior to YouTube to surpass one billion views.[31][32] In February 2023, the music video reached another milestone after it surpassed two billion views and remaining the oldest song (from the early 1990s) to achieve that feat.[33]

The video was re-released in November, 2022, with the newly-synced orchestration, to promote the Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe Edition) box set.[34]

Live performances

Axl Rose performing "November Rain" at Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, UK, in May 2012

The band performed a nearly nine-minute live version of the song with British musician Elton John on piano at the end of the 1992 VMAs ceremony.[10] On January 22, 2023, Axl performed a solo version of "November Rain" in tribute to Lisa Marie Presley, at her memorial service at Graceland, in Memphis.

Retrospective response

"November Rain" was voted number one on the Rock 1000 2006, an annual countdown of the top 1,000 rock songs by New Zealand radio listeners. It was voted number two on the 2007 version, beaten by "Back in Black" by AC/DC.[35] The song topped the "album tracks" section of a 1993 readers' poll in GN'R fanzine Controversy, beating "Coma". The top ten was completed by "Estranged", "Civil War", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Don't Cry", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Patience" and "Mr. Brownstone".[36]

The song placed number 140 on Pitchfork's "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".[37] In Chile, the song placed at number 73 on Chilean radio Rock & Pop.[38] In 2017, Paste ranked the song number nine on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs,[39] and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs.[40]

NPR described the song as "one of the ultimate hard-rock power ballads",[1] while VH1 added that the song "is the sprawling, cosmic-reaching, just-so-insane-it-works hard rock epic toward which every previous single-track hard rock epic had led and from which every subsequent single-track hard rock epic has emerged".[41] Glide Magazine named the song at second in their list of "Favorite Hair-Metal Power Ballads".[3]

Track listings

CD maxi
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."November Rain"Axl Rose8:57
2."Sweet Child o' Mine"Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler5:55
3."Patience"Stradlin5:53
Cassingle
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."November Rain"Rose8:57
2."Sweet Child o' Mine"Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler5:55
7-inch maxi
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."November Rain"Rose8:57
2."Sweet Child o' Mine"Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler5:55
12-inch maxi
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."November Rain"Rose8:57
2."Sweet Child o' Mine"Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler5:55
3."Patience"Stradlin5:53

Personnel

Guns N' Roses

Additional musicians

  • Stuart Bailey – backing vocals, choir
  • Shannon Hoon – backing vocals, choir
  • Johann Langlie – synthesizer programming
  • Reba Shaw – backing vocals, choir

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[68] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[69] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[70] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[71] Platinum 50,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[72] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[73] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[74] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[75] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Thompson, Stephen (June 28, 2018). "Hear A Never-Before-Heard, Piano-Only Demo Of Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain'". NPR. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  2. ↑ Newbould, Chris (November 29, 2018). "Review: Guns N' Roses start well, then, well..." The National. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Bernstein, Scott (January 4, 2007). "THE B List: Favorite Hair-Metal Power Ballads". Glide Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ "The Longest & Shortest Hot 100 Hits: From Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce & David Bowie to Piko-Taro". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. New York: Harper Entertainment.
  6. ↑ Select, November 1996
  7. ↑ 2000 Guinness World Records ISBN 0-553-58268-2
  8. ↑ Feature, Guitar World Staff 2009-01-29T16:56:08Z. "50 Greatest Guitar Solos". guitarworld. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "What Do Taylor Swift, Guns N' Roses, Meatloaf, and David Bowie Have In Common? | Enstars". November 23, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Flashback: Guns N' Roses Play 'November Rain' With Elton John". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ Guns N' Roses – The Making of 'November Rain' (part 6) on YouTube
  12. ↑ Rowland, Mark (February 1991). "LA Law and Disorder". Select, reprinted from Musician. p. 46.
  13. ↑ @clennertz (September 20, 2022). "Been keeping this one quiet for far too long. Unbelievable experience! 18 year old me still thinks he was dreaming!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ Steven Wilson remixes [@swremixes] (September 20, 2022). "The new 2022 version is the same performance as the original but with newly recorded orchestration" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ @stevenwilsonhq (November 5, 2022). "I mixed the new 2022 version of the @gunsnroses classic 'November Rain'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (December 31, 1992). "Dance Energy Saves Dreary '92: Year-End Review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  17. ↑ Jennings, Dave (February 29, 1992). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 29. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  18. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (September 21, 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 32. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  19. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (September 27, 1991). "Guns N' Roses". Orlando Sentinel.
  20. ↑ Harrington, Richard (September 15, 1991). "Guns N'Roses, Back in Fighting Form". The Washington Post. p. G01.
  21. ↑ "November Rain". May 28, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  24. 1 2 "1992 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  25. 1 2 "1993 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  27. 1 2 "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Guns 'n' Roses – "November rain"". mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019.
  29. ↑ "SoYouWanna.com - Learn What You Wanna Do". Soyouwanna.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2006.
  30. 1 2 3 Rampton, Mike (July 16, 2018). "A Probably Far Too Forensic Analysis Of Guns N' Roses' November Rain Video". Kerrang!.
  31. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (July 18, 2018). "'November Rain' Is The Oldest Song With A Billion YouTube Views – What's That Mean?". NPR. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  32. ↑ Milman, Lilly (July 16, 2018). "Guns N' Roses Break YouTube Record With 'November Rain' Video: Report". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  33. ↑ Childers, Chad (February 15, 2023). "Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain' Becomes First '90s Rock Video to Pass 2 Billion YouTube Views". Classic Rock 96.1. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  34. ↑ @gunsnroses (November 4, 2022). "November Rain (2022 Version) is here!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ↑ "The Rock - New Zealand's rock radio station".
  36. ↑ Controversy #6, p8, 1993
  37. ↑ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150-101". Pitchfork. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Guns N Roses - November Rain — Rock&Pop". December 24, 2012.
  39. ↑ Rolli, Bryan (September 27, 2017). "The 15 Best Guns N' Roses Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  40. ↑ Law, Sam (October 8, 2020). "The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  41. ↑ McPadden, Mike (July 23, 2015). "Slash Turns 50: Rock With His 10 Greatest Guitar Moments". VH1. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 12. March 21, 1992. p. 27. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  46. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  47. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  48. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – November Rain". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 40, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". VG-lista. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 40. October 3, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  53. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  54. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Guns N Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Guns N Roses Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  60. ↑ "U.S. Cash Box Charts" (PDF). popmusichistory. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  61. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  62. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  63. ↑ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. December 19, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  64. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1992". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  65. ↑ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1992". Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  66. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". Single Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  67. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1992". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  68. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  69. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved March 28, 2019. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2019 to obtain certification.
  70. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Guns N' Roses; 'November Rain')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  71. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 26, 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "November Rain" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  72. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Guns 'n' Roses – November Rain" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved February 22, 2019. Enter November Rain in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1992 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  73. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  74. ↑ "British single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  75. ↑ "American single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
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