Guns N’ Roses remove problem lyrics from iconic album

Related Artists: Guns N' Roses

Well, well, well, My Michelle – it seems that even hard-rock titans from the 1980s can have second thoughts about their most remembered lyrics, even if they appear on a classic album.

Guns N’ Roses are set to rerelease their classic record Appetite for Destruction later this month, which features some of their most famous tunes including “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

But the rockers have pulled a track from the new release, one titled “One in a Million”, without saying anything. Though with a careful look at the lyrics – find them here – it might be easy to see why.

It first appeared on the 1988 EP G N’ R Lies, which was released as a compilation of sorts after their debut topped the charts and sold in excess of 5 million copies.

In an interview in 1998 with Rolling Stone, lead vocalist Axl Rose said that the language employed on the track was “influenced by” African American con artists living in Lost Angeles at the time of recording.

He said at the time: “I don’t like boundaries of any kind. I don’t like being told what I can and what I can’t say.”

One year later, Rose said that the track stemmed from his anger about "some black people that were trying to rob him" so he wanted to "insult those particular black people."

Even guitarist Slash said he was OK with the track eventually. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1991 he said: "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."

The track does certainly feature some problematic themes. First, it features the racist utterances: "Police and n******, that's right/ Get outta my way/ Don't need to buy none of your gold chains today."

The band’s language then turns towards the homophobic, as Axl sings: "Immigrants and f******/ 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****** disease/ And they talk so many g****** ways/ It's all Greek to me."

Eeesh. It doesn’t make for good reading or listening, Axl and co. Perhaps it’s for the best that it won’t appear on the reissue of Appetite for Destruction, due to drop on June 29.