It’s a common opinion that rock band Guns n Roses was supplanted by Nirvana and grunge, at which point GNR became passe. The ostentatious video for the song “November Rain” is supposed to symbolize the excess of “hair metal,” Ok, perhaps that is one version of events, but grunge was not necessarily an improvement from rock in the 80s.
According to Far Out Magazine in Britain “November Rain’s” “lavish” arrangement and video was the moment that “arena rock” “jumped the shark.” Indeed, the video is cinematic, but effective. I would probably agree that there was a moment when GNR jumped the shark, but I wouldn’t attribute that to “November Rain” nor its iconic video.
If some critics feel like “November Rain” was a departure from the band’s hard rock sound, such as “Welcome to the Jungle,” they would be well-advised that Axl Rose wrote “November Rain” prior to most of the material on 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. Appetite for Destruction is surely the best GNR album, but “November Rain” has arguably aged better than many of its tracks, given that the themes and musicality of “November Rain” tends to be more eternal and universal; whereas Appetite for Destruction hit upon a certain rebelliousness and angst that placed it more in a particular time and place. With that said, AFD also has songs that continue to resonate–basically the singles.
By opening up the band’s sound in terms of instrumentation and layered vocals, “November Rain” is a welcome departure from the admittedly appealing hard rock sound of Appetite for Destruction. In doing so, “November Rain” lets the band step out of 1980s hard rock and step into… just music.
Another criticism of “November Rain” is that the arrangement is overly ambitious. But if “November Rain” seems like it has a long run time, allow me to point out that “Sweet Child O Mine” and “Paradise City” are likewise long songs with complicated structures and extended intros. It was a motif with GNR–these were not two minute pop songs. Again, they were more ambitious artistically, and for my part, I applaud that ambition.
Every time it rains you can be sure that a rock station will play “November Rain” and it still hits just right, whether you’re on your way to work at 7:30 in the morning or partying on the weekend. Could you really say the same about “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? I don’t knock it, but 90s grunge rock is very particular to a certain time and place. “November Rain,” on the other hand, has achieved universality.
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