One In A Million

by

Guns N' Roses

Album: G 'N' R Lies      Released: 1988

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This song caused a great deal of controversy because of its explicit references to "Immigrants and faggots" and its use of a certain racial epithet. The song led to the group being banned from an AIDS benefit concert in New York. Front man Axl Rose apologized in advance for causing offense on the album sleeve. Later he went further, explaining exactly why he wrote the song.

In an August 1989 interview with the magazine Rolling Stone, Rose said the song was written in the apartment of West Arkeen, "who's like the sixth member of the band." It was inspired partly by his experience of the Los Angeles Greyhound bus station and seeing people getting ripped off by street hustlers - hence the unflattering reference to young black men.

The verse about "Immigrants and faggots" referred to being treated by immigrant workers in convenience stores like you don't belong, something that clearly rubbed this "small town white boy" up the wrong way.

Regarding specifically "Faggots," Rose said, "I've had some very bad experiences with homosexuals" adding that when he was hitchhiking as a teenager a homosexual tried to sodomize him, which led to the man ending up on the wrong end of Axl's razor. Rose was born in Lafayette, Indiana on February 6, 1962, and had a turbulent youth which was colored by some very negative experiences including this encounter.

In a second interview with the same magazine, in April 1992, Rose said "I've had my share of dealings with aggressive gays, and I was bothered by it."

Rose is no racial bigot; the band's guitarist, Slash, was born July 23, 1965, the son of a white Englishman and a black American woman. He grew up in Stoke-on-Trent but later moved to California where the band was formed, and although he was no juvenile delinquent he is clearly cut from the same cloth as Rose.

Despite his bad experiences with homosexuals, Axl performed Bohemian Rhapsody with Elton John at the 1992 "Concert For Life" at Wembley Stadium. The concert was a tribute to Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS the year before. (thanks, Alexander Baron - London, England, for all above)

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Comments:

If Axl is not a bigot, as his fans will struggle desperately to prove, then he made a pretty strange choice of words in this song. If his problem is with thugs and rapists, he should say so, rather than project his anger on all blacks and gays.
- Asa, Boston, MA

I can't imagine another artist ever coming out with soemthing like this. Axl was a true artist. The only one who would have tried would be John Lennon.
- jason, state of fitz, NJ

Get off Axl's nuts. I agree with him. If a black dude wrote something like this, everyone would agree with him and sympathize with "how hard it is for a black man to make it in society." Besides, my man slash is black. As far as the immagrants and faggots....he's too right.
- Jake, Fayetteville, NC

great song, completley misunderstood. if your white and walking through a bad neighborhood the first verse is completely true
- jason, state of fitz, NJ

AXL IS NO RACIAL BIGOT, although he is a dick head. this song was about the pissed off america of the 1980's, always trying to act tough but in essence, sticking together
- danny, new britain, CT

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