One in a Million by Guns N’ Roses (1988)
One In a Million is a song released by American rock band Guns N' Roses on November 30, 1988 (US) and December 17, 1988 (UK). The song was a track from their album G N' R Lies in 1988. The lyrics describe personal experience of the band’s singer Axl Rose getting hustle upon his first arriving in Los Angeles in the Greyhound bus station. [1]
Key Lyrics
Police and niggers, that's right
Get outta my way
Don't need to buy none of your
Gold chains today
Now don't need no bracelets
Clamped in front of my back
Just need my ticket 'till then
Won't you cut me some slack
You're one in a million
Yeah that's what you are
You're one in a million babe
You're a shooting star
Maybe some day we'll see you
Before you make us cry
You know we tried to reach you
But you were much to high
Much too high
Much too high
Much too high
Immigrants and fagots
They make no sense to me
They come to our country
And think they'll do as they please
Like start some mini-Iran
Or spread some fucking disease
And they talk so many God damn ways
It's all Greek to me [2]
Controversy
Axl Rose’s narrow-minded boiled everyone’s feeling worldwide over the track from the band’s album “G N’ R Lies.” The vocalist casually mentioned the N-word on the song as part of the lyrics.
“Immigrants and faggots, they make no sense to me/ They come to our country and think they’ll do as they please/ Like start some mini Iran, or spread some f—ing disease.” [3]
The song’s lyrics brought everyone’s attention as this was troublesome and caused controversy among many different groups. One in a Million contains homophobia, nativism, and racism in the song. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1989, Rose explained the lyrics:
"I used words like police and niggers because you're not allowed to use the word 'nigger.' Why can black people go up to each other and say, 'Nigger,' but when a white guy does it all of a sudden it's a big putdown? I don't like boundaries of any kind. I don't like being told what I can and what I can't say. I used the word 'nigger' because it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word 'nigger' doesn't necessarily mean black. Doesn't John Lennon have a song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"? There's a rap group, N.W.A. - Niggers With Attitude. I mean, they're proud of that word. More power to them. Guns n' Roses ain't bad . . . N.W.A. is baaad! Mr. Bob Goldthwait said the only reason we put these lyrics on the record was because it would cause controversy and we'd sell a million albums. Fuck him! Why'd he put us in his skit? We don't just do something to get the controversy, the press." [4]
However, the band has removed the song from their upcoming re-released album Appetite for Destruction. The guitarist Slash, who is a half-black gives comments over the controversial song :
“I don’t regret doing One in a Million, I just regret what we’ve been through because of it and the way people have perceived our personal feelings.” [5]
References
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_in_a_Million_(Guns_N%27_Roses_song)
- ↑ https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/guns-n-roses/one-in-a-million
- ↑ https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/6-classic-songs-on-your-playlist-that-now-seem-outrageously-racist
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_in_a_Million_(Guns_N%27_Roses_song)
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/08/guns-n-roses-remove-song-homophobic-racist-language-one-million-reissue-album