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The lyrics and the video are based on a short story by Del James called
Without You. The story is part of a collection called
The Language Of Fear, which was brought back to market in 2008 after being out of print. The new version of the book contains an intro by Axl Rose, who wrote: "Del James has a personal knowledge of most of the situations he writes about, and has a love of the gutter from having been there." James contributed lyrics to 2 Guns N' Roses songs: The Garden and Yesterdays, and has directed several music videos. (thanks, dejaye - wagga, Australia)
The original version was 25 minutes long, and the song was edited down to 8:59. It is the longest ever Top 10 hit and contains the longest guitar solo in a Top 10 single - Slash actually plays 2 guitar solos in the song. Rose put the song's lengthy gestation period down to opposition from Slash and Duff McKagan. (thanks, joe - Boston, MA and Cole - Watertown, NY)
The video was a huge production and got a lot of play on MTV. It starred actress and model Stephanie Seymour, Axl Rose's girlfriend at the time. In the video, she and Axl get married with Slash serving as best man and the rest of the band in the front row. After the wedding, it starts raining and the next scene is Stephanie's funeral in the same church. The video cost over $1.5 million to make.
Slash (from Q magazine, July 2004): "We got into doing these huge production videos and by November Rain it was too much, just too involved. At the end of the day it was a great video but that's when I started realizing that it was getting out of hand."
This won for best cinematography at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, where it also received a Video Vanguard award. Guns N' Roses performed this at the end of the show with Elton John on piano.
The albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II were released simultaneously. This was a bold move, but the band was huge and the albums both sold very well. When they were released, Use Your Illusion II was the #1 album in the US, followed by Use Your Illusion I. The last time an artist had the top 2 albums at the same time was in 1974, when 2 Jim Croce albums did it shortly after his death.
The album was released in September 1991, but this came out as a single in February, 1992.
Shannon Hoon from the group Blind Melon sang backup. Hoon, who died of a drug overdose in 1995, grew up in Lafayette, Indiana near Axl Rose.
According to a reader-submitted poll for Guitar World magazine, Slash's guitar solo for this song is ranked #6 out of 100. (thanks, Ari - Elizabeth, NJ)
Axl Rose was working on this as early as 1983. Former L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns said: "When we were doing that EP for L.A. Guns, like in 1983, he was playing 'November Rain' on piano. Way back then. It was the only thing Axl knew how to play, but it was his. He'd go: 'Someday this song is gonna be really cool.' And I'd go: 'It's cool now. But it's not done, you know.' And like anytime we'd be at a hotel or anywhere there'd be a piano, he'd just kinda play that music. And I'd go: 'When are you gonna finish that already, you know?' And he'd go: 'I don't know what to do with it.'" (thanks, Rayan - Lincoln, England)
Lean about the album cover in
Song Images. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
The outfit lead guitarist Slash is wearing in the music video for "November Rain" can be seen at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Florida. (thanks, Anthony - Mesquite, TX)
Former Dream Theater drummer
Mike Portnoy criticized the performance of Matt Sorum, asking why the Guns N' Roses stickman played the same exact fill every four bars nearly two dozen times on this song.
Sorum responded: "That fill was Axl's idea as a musical phrase that carried on through the trilogy, "
Don't Cry" and "
Estranged." Those albums,
Use Your Illusion I and
II, have sold 20 million combined. Remember, kids, drumming isn't all about fancy fills and splash cymbals. Ask Charlie Watts, Ringo and Phil Rudd."
Sorum has previously explained the drum fill was inspired by Nigel Olsson's work on the Elton John song "
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," after a late-night discussion with Rose.
Comments (162):
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All the players of G & R contributed to their greatness, but Axl's voice & Slash's guitar virtousity: kismet. I love this video and song. But Patience is my all time fav. It is Flawless. It shows a band that can not only rock their azz off, but play an acoustic ballad with tremedous
elouquence. I wish they would reunite at least for one album. Show the world what tock is suppose to be.
Slash absolutely blazes on this one, and the sorrow drifting up from his Les Paul is downright eloquent.
Yep, there are plenty of songs about love and love lost, but this puts it well.
Also, the november rain metaphor fits perfectly with how it feels when you are in that situation.
Cold, alone, and in the dark.
Too bad Axl is such an ass that he alienates nearly everyone in his orbit.
I like the video & the song. I love Slash and his hat and hair, but when he doesn't have the hat and sunglasses I get confused about who it is.
When you see their earlier videos and Axle is just like a kid, then he's embracing the edginess like in "Welcome to the Jungle" but then you see here, he's taking sleeping pills just to get to sleep and drinking booze, even when he's playing the piano, you see he's numbing himself because his feelings are too powerful and he must just "keep going" like a good soldier...maybe he doesn't even know why he keeps going.
Other than that though, pretty good song.
But alas it was made in the 90s a time when alternative music ruled. This song's true glory was never realised and here we have people actually debating whether or not this is a decent song.
By the way, the greatest power ballad ever IMO.
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain
AWEEEEEEEEESOOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.udargo.com/burton/MTV/
Totally worth it
Yea Dylan, man you are definitely a music elitist. Just kidding, dude. You suck a**.
First, I would like to say that Dimebag Darryl isn't the greatest like everyone says, and anybody who knows a little about music agrees with me. He only began extremely popular when he died, so he is thought of more as a fad for fake metal fans than he is thought of as a great guitarist. And Kurt Cobain sucks at guitar, but Nirvana is awesome.
So dude, to put it short, your list is sh***. (Bleep) and listen to good music while you do it, just to educate yourself a little.
First off Nirvana certainly werent metal (they were grunge).
secondly I'm a big fan of Nirvana but Kurt is no were near as talented as Slash on the guitar. I don't recall him doing any big solos like slash has done on november rain and slither!
Rose invited Hoon to sing back-up vocals on several tracks...
I like this ! :-) this is a very cool video!! And the wedding dress is the best!
feel am one of the band member singin n crushin guitar
-Ragu,Tn,India
Ana,VIC
For any of you that think that its not hard enough for GNR you can kiss my bum cause this song actually has a meaning and it really speaks to me and many other people...... I wish Slash and Axl would make up and make some more great songs cause if they did it could be possible however unlikley that they may be able to top this
it makes me cry whenever I hear it..
my best friend died a month ago and this song reminds me of him..
austic guiater version....it brings tears to your eyes....not that the orinal one dosn't.
im play paino myself and i can play the first riff for hours... but i don't.
if you lot miss guns n roses alot you shuld now that theres another band they i think there all in now exect the singer.
the best bit of the song is the end, they just explode into music, its just the best, ever (apart from sweet child o' mine lol)
Not sure if it's true but some of the lyrics do seem to point towards the strained relationship between stradlin and rose near the end.
it is an brilliant epic song, and slash's solo is fantastic, even though i dont normally like g'n'r
2, Katie from Rockville: If Slash isn't dead and he's in Velvet Revolver and plays exactly the same, how can you say he WAS an amazing guitar player? He still IS an amazing guitar player in my books.
3, Mike Stipe and Axle Rose are not related
I personally think that the 3rd solo in November Rain is the best guitar solo ever written and there isn't a person on the planet who can recreate it with the magic that Slash did/does/ever will do.
November rain, Short story without you by Del James.
zoe_jbj23@hotmail.com
Was it a McArthur Park reference???