The Top 10 Guns 'N Roses songs of all time

So it’s time to rank the top 10 Guns ’N Roses songs of all time. The band got back together this summer (at least Axl Rose, Slash and bassist Duff McKagan did) and put on great show after great show in front of large crowds (including myself when they stopped in Atlanta).

Therefore, it’s time to take a look at their entire collection and rank their songs. For the purposes of this list, I did not include any covers. You can argue that I should have since GNR is one of the best bands of all time in terms of doing great covers, but I wanted to narrow it down a bit, so Knockin’ on Heavens Door, Live and Let Die, Sympathy for the Devil and everything from cover album “The Spaghetti Incident” was not included. I will say that the cover of Hair of the Dog by Nazareth on Spaghetti is a great and highly underrated cover.

On with the countdown…



10- Breakdown, Use Your Illusion II

This song sneaks into the top 10. It’s really one of the more underrated GNR tunes and is rarely performed live. That being said, the vocals, lyrics, piano and guitar riffs and tribute to the movie Vanishing Point make it a must-listen.

9- Estranged, Use Your Illusion II

This is an epic ballad that deals with unrequited love, failed relationships and offers a glimpse of hope during a great musical change in the middle. On its recent tour, this was part of the set list. The song features outstanding guitar riffs and it is a well-put together tune musically from the hammering piano to the changes.

8- Civil War, Use Your Illusion II

This song was released prior to the Use Your Illusion albums as part of a charity compilation to benefit the Romanian Orphan Crisis in the late 1980s/early 1990s. It’s probably the most political song that GNR ever recorded and performed. Another movie tribute, to Cool Hand Luke, is a cherry on the sundae that is this song.

7- Coma, Use Your Illusion I

Yet another tune that could be considered underrated. One the recent tour, GNR dusted this one off and it absolutely rocks. The lyrics are quite mental and the music takes you through emotions that run the gamut. It’s a 10-minute song, but worth every minute of it. If you use music to distract yourself while working out on a treadmill or something, Coma can be of use.

6- November Rain, Use Your Illusion I

November Rain is really part one of Estranged. In an interview Axl Rose said that this song is about trying to avoid unrequited love while Estranged was about accepting it and getting through it. The orchestra sounds are a departure from your standard GNR song, but the melodic lyrics and timely guitar solos are great. This song had one hell of a music video back in the day, too.

5- Don’t Cry, Use Your Illusion I

This is a song that GNR has been playing since their early days in Los Angeles. Just like November Rain, it has an excellent video. In the studio version, the late Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon) does a great job with the backing vocals. Slash hammers out a rebellious guitar solo at the intensity point of the song.

4- Patience, GNR Lies

This song was released, along with the Lies album, right after Appetite for Destruction and featured a quieter, more reflective Guns ’N Roses. I am convinced that this song was the first example of GNR transcending the label of just another “hard rock” band and moving them toward musical titans.

3- Paradise City, Appetite for Destruction

This is an epic song that epitomizes what Rock ’N Roll is all about. I think everybody knows the lyrics to the chorus: “Take me down the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty”- it’s iconic stuff that will live forever. From a musical standpoint, the changes, the riffs and the vocals blend together masterfully. This is one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

2- Welcome to the Jungle, Appetite for Destruction

Speaking of iconic, this song, which was the first track on Appetite for Destruction, is widely used and is beyond just a great rock song- it’s part of American culture. It’s 100 percent energy from start to finish and within the lyrics you can find a tale of just how crazy life was for these guys in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s.

1- Sweet Child O’ Mine, Appetite for Destruction

Sweet Child checks in at No. 1 for a number of reasons, not the least of which it’s one of the most complete songs ever written. What’s not to like about this song? It has one of the more iconic guitar riffs to lead it off (and Slash jams throughout it, his solo is a wow moment), the lyrics are poetic and then when the change happens at the end, it’s a realistic feeling that you get after the early journey through romanticized thoughts. If there was a poll for best rock song ever written, I am not sure Sweet Child would finish No. 1, but it could be in the discussion and at least in the top 10.

Here are five of my personal favorites that are a bit under the radar. I had to throw at least one song from Chinese Democracy on there.

It’s So Easy, Appetite for Destruction
Rocket Queen, Appetite for Destruction
Locomotive, Use Your Illusion II
Used to Love Her, GNR Lies
Better, Chinese Democracy