Even rock legends don’t always recognize a hit when they write one — just ask Slash.
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist recently admitted that he wasn’t a big fan of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” when it first came together. Despite being the guy behind the song’s famous riff, Slash said the track felt too much like a “ballad” for the hard-rock vibe the band was known for.
“It was just a riff I came up with — I didn’t think much of it,” he told Guitar World. “We were like a Motorhead-style band, so ballads weren’t really our thing.”
Still, the song took off — and Slash had to learn to live with playing it, even when he wasn’t in the mood. “We played it opening for Ted Nugent once, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, f***… here we go,’” he said with a laugh. “And I had to nail that riff every night, even when I was a little drunk.”
Slash also revealed that his famous solos — from “Welcome to the Jungle” to “November Rain” — weren’t carefully planned out. “I never sat down and wrote them. They just happened,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll be onstage and think back, like, how did I even come up with that?”
Though Slash quit the band in 1996 after feuding with Axl Rose, he rejoined in 2016 and says things are great now. “Most of the tension came from management stuff back in the ’90s,” he explained. “Without that, Axl and I get along great. I’ve always gotten along with Duff, and Richard Fortus is awesome — we make a great team.”
So while Slash may not have loved “Sweet Child O’ Mine” at first, the song that once made him groan has become one of rock’s most iconic anthems — and his unforgettable riff still defines the sound of an era.