November Rain
"November Rain" is a song by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead vocalist Axl Rose, it was released as a single in 1992 from their third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991).
"November Rain" | ||||
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Single by Guns N' Roses | ||||
from the album Use Your Illusion I | ||||
B-side | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (LP version) | |||
Released | February 18, 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1990–1991 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Axl Rose | |||
Producer(s) |
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Guns N' Roses singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"November Rain" on YouTube |
"November Rain" peaked at number three on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the longest song in history to enter the top ten of that chart at the time of its release. It is also the fourth longest song to enter the Hot 100 chart (second longest at the time of its release).[3] The song 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.
History
Slash states in his autobiography that an 18-minute version of "November Rain" was recorded at a session with guitarist Manny Charlton (of rock band Nazareth) in 1986, before the recording sessions for Appetite for Destruction began.[4]: 151
According to a story Axl Rose told an audience during the 2006 leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour, none of the other band members had wanted to partake in the production of this song (or the other notable ballad "Estranged"). Slash and Duff McKagan were particularly opposed to the drift to symphonic ballads, and felt their choice of more direct rock songs were being overlooked by Rose. However, Rose talked them into it over discussions at Can-Am Studios (where some of the album was recorded and mixed). Claims of such harsh musical differences were specifically disputed by Slash in his autobiography.[4]: 454
Slash has said that the solo he played in the album version of the song (it is unclear which) was the same solo he improvised upon hearing it for the first time.[4]: 316 [5]
Song information
At 8:57 minutes long, it is the second-longest song on the album, the longest being the 10:14 "Coma". It is the third-longest song by Guns N' Roses, behind the 9:24 "Estranged" from Use Your Illusion II. "We call it 'the Layla song'," joked Slash.[6]
Its distinct symphonic overtone owes to a sweeping string arrangement, orchestrated by Rose.[4]: 318 [7]
It was the longest song ever to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 until November 2021, when it was superseded by Taylor Swift's extended rerecording of "All Too Well".[8][9][10] The song's composition was influenced by Elton John's 1973 opus “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”.[11]
Chart performance
"November Rain" peaked at number nine in Germany and remained on the chart for 51 weeks.[12]
In Australia, "November Rain" reached number two on the 1992 end-of-year chart despite only reaching number five on the ARIA Singles Chart.[13] It was featured on ARIA's year-end charts in two consecutive years (1992 and 1993, when it appeared at 36).[14][15] 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.[16][17]
Music video

The music video, directed by Andy Morahan,[18] 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 committed suicide by gunshot after he repeatedly strayed from their relationship. November Rain is one of the most expensive music videos ever.[19]
The video tells a story reminiscent of Without You, intercut with a live performance in Los Angeles' Orpheum Theater.[20] First, in a black-and-white sequence, 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 has forgotten the wedding rings, but McKagan’s character offers some of his rings as a substitute. After the couple has left the church, the reception is shown. However, chaos ensues as the reception is interrupted by sudden heavy rain and everyone runs for shelter, one of the guests jumping through the wedding cake.
The next scene shows a funeral at the same church. Rose’s character is grieving at the death of his wife. Seymour is lying in an open coffin, but only half of her face is visible while the other is covered and a mirror placed in the middle, suggesting the other side of her face is disfigured, as would be the case with a suicide by gunshot as portrayed in Without You. As at the wedding, it starts to rain heavily during the funeral at the cemetery.
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 of Rose’s character sleeping in bed while moving about restlessly are intercut with the wedding and funeral scenes, suggesting they are part of a nightmare of Rose’s character. The last black and white scene shows Rose’s character jerking awake, as if from a nightmare.
For the outside shots of Slash while he is playing the first solo, Rose had originally envisioned it taking place in a "cool field" of sorts. However, since the video was shot in winter, there were no good-looking fields around, and eventually the band decided to film in New Mexico, where they had a church transported specifically for the shoot.[20][21] The larger church, for the wedding scenes, is Los Angeles' St. Brendan Catholic Church.[20]
The music videos for "November Rain", "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" form an unofficial trilogy of sorts. While never specifically confirmed by the band, Rose and Del James (whose short story "Without You" served as inspiration for the video, for which he was credited at the end) have made statements supporting this idea.[22][23]
In July 2018, it became the first video made before YouTube's founding to surpass one billion views,[24] as well as the first music video from the 1990s to hit over a billion YouTube streams.[25] As of 2022, the video has over 1.8 billion views.
Live performances

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.[11]
Reception
"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.[26] 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".[27]
The song was placed at number 140 on Pitchfork's "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".[28] In Chile, the song was placed at number 73 on Chilean radio Rock & Pop.[29] In 2017, Paste ranked the song number nine on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs,[30] and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs.[31]
NPR described the song as "one of the ultimate hard-rock power ballads",[1] while VH1 stated 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".[32] Glide Magazine named the song at second in their list of "Favorite Hair-Metal Power Ballads".[2]
Track listings
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "November Rain" | Axl Rose | 8:57 |
2. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler | 5:55 |
3. | "Patience" | Stradlin | 5:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "November Rain" | Rose | 8:57 |
2. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler | 5:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "November Rain" | Rose | 8:57 |
2. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler | 5:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "November Rain" | Rose | 8:57 |
2. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, Adler | 5:55 |
3. | "Patience" | Stradlin | 5:53 |
Personnel
Guns N' Roses
- Axl Rose – lead and backing vocals, piano, synthesizer programming, choir
- Slash – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals, choir
- Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, choir
- Duff McKagan – bass guitar, backing vocals, choir
- Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals, choir
- Dizzy Reed – backing vocals, choir
Additional musicians
- Stuart Bailey – backing vocals, choir
- Shannon Hoon – backing vocals, choir
- Johann Langlie – synthesizer programming
- Reba Shaw – backing vocals, choir
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[57] | 4× Platinum | 280,000![]() |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[58] | Gold | 45,000![]() |
Germany (BVMI)[59] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[60] | Platinum | 50,000![]() |
Netherlands (NVPI)[61] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] | Platinum | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] | Platinum | 600,000![]() |
United States (RIAA)[64] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Thompson, Stephen (June 28, 2018). "Hear A Never-Before-Heard, Piano-Only Demo Of Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain'". NPR. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- Bernstein, Scott (January 4, 2007). "THE B List: Favorite Hair-Metal Power Ballads". Glide Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- "The Longest & Shortest Hot 100 Hits: From Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce & David Bowie to Piko-Taro". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. New York: Harper Entertainment.
- Select, November 1996
- Rowland, Mark (February 1991). "LA Law and Disorder". Select, reprinted from Musician. p. 46.
- Guns N' Roses – The Making of 'November Rain' (part 6) on YouTube
- 2000 Guinness World Records ISBN 0-553-58268-2
- 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.
- "What Do Taylor Swift, Guns N' Roses, Meatloaf, and David Bowie Have In Common? | Enstars". November 23, 2021.
- "Flashback: Guns N' Roses Play 'November Rain' With Elton John". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "1992 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- "1993 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- "mvdbase.com – Guns 'n' Roses – "November rain"". mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019.
- "SoYouWanna.com - Learn What You Wanna Do". Soyouwanna.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2006.
- Rampton, Mike. "A PROBABLY FAR TOO FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF GUNS N' ROSES' NOVEMBER RAIN VIDEO". kerrang.com. Kerrang. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- Guns N' Roses – The Making of 'November Rain' (part 3) on YouTube
- Guns N' Roses – The Making of 'November Rain' (part 4) on YouTube
- Guns N' Roses – The Making of 'November Rain' (part 6) contd on YouTube
- 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.
- Milman, Lilly (July 16, 2018). "Guns N' Roses Break YouTube Record With 'November Rain' Video: Report". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- "The Rock - New Zealand's rock radio station".
- Controversy #6, p8, 1993
- "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150-101". Pitchfork. p. 2. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- "Guns N Roses - November Rain — Rock&Pop". December 24, 2012.
- Rolli, Bryan (September 27, 2017). "The 15 Best Guns N' Roses Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- Law, Sam (October 8, 2020). "The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- McPadden, Mike (July 23, 2015). "Slash Turns 50: Rock With His 10 Greatest Guitar Moments". VH1. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 12. March 21, 1992. p. 27. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – November Rain". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 40, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". VG-lista. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 40. October 3, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Guns N Roses Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. December 19, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1992". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1992". Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". Single Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "Top 100 Hits for 1992". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- "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.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Guns N' Roses; 'November Rain')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "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".
- "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.
- "New Zealand single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "British single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- "American single certifications – Guns N' Roses – November Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 31, 2015.