Written and Recorded by Guns N’ Roses
In my opinion, Guns N’ Roses were the ultimate 80s hard rock/metal band. They may not be my favorite, and they surely have not produced as much material as other bands of their time, but it appeared that with the release of “Appetite for Destruction,” the recipe had been perfected. They had the glamour of the hair bands and pretty boys, but also the authenticity of their heavier, dirtier compatriots. They looked good and probably smelled bad. This is where music had finally gotten to by the late 80s. And the ultimate band must have their ultimate introduction: “Welcome to the Jungle.” What a debut.
The narrator of this song has been around the jungle for some time, a dark soul, equipped with some sort of evil serpentine, most likley, his penis. He welcomes an innocent newbie to the scene and promises her that after some “fun and games,” she’ll be on her knees, bleeding – and he wants to watch!
The jungle is full of animals, and whether it’s addiction or a blind desire to be famous and live the high life, these animals prey on your weaknesses. And if the song was not already completely awesome, then comes the bridge.
The half-time and cleaner guitar sounds immediately make it feel like a bridge, and the lyrics could not be clearer:
When you're high
You never ever want to come down
So down
so down
so down
The bridge could have ended here, but thankfully, it does not. What follows is a brilliant musical interlude that tells the story of a downward spiral. It starts on the “so down” refrain with the return of syncoptated rhythms and heavier guitars, then it’s a beautiful guitar-solo (this is Slash’s second guitar solo in the song so far – that’s cool!), and then there’s breakdown guided by McKagen’s driving bassline, and finally, Axl is back to announce:
You know where you are?
You're in the jungle, baby
You're gonna die
And then we’re back into the chorus. That was quite a bridge. My words do it little justice. Go listen. Is this the best debut bridge? I haven’t thought about it before. I will get back to that in the comments. Until then, enjoy the jungle!
-MJK
In my opinion, Guns N’ Roses were the ultimate 80s hard rock/metal band. They may not be my favorite, and they surely have not produced as much material as other bands of their time, but it appeared that with the release of “Appetite for Destruction,” the recipe had been perfected. They had the glamour of the hair bands and pretty boys, but also the authenticity of their heavier, dirtier compatriots. They looked good and probably smelled bad. This is where music had finally gotten to by the late 80s. And the ultimate band must have their ultimate introduction: “Welcome to the Jungle.” What a debut.
The narrator of this song has been around the jungle for some time, a dark soul, equipped with some sort of evil serpentine, most likley, his penis. He welcomes an innocent newbie to the scene and promises her that after some “fun and games,” she’ll be on her knees, bleeding – and he wants to watch!
The jungle is full of animals, and whether it’s addiction or a blind desire to be famous and live the high life, these animals prey on your weaknesses. And if the song was not already completely awesome, then comes the bridge.
The half-time and cleaner guitar sounds immediately make it feel like a bridge, and the lyrics could not be clearer:
When you're high
You never ever want to come down
So down
so down
so down
The bridge could have ended here, but thankfully, it does not. What follows is a brilliant musical interlude that tells the story of a downward spiral. It starts on the “so down” refrain with the return of syncoptated rhythms and heavier guitars, then it’s a beautiful guitar-solo (this is Slash’s second guitar solo in the song so far – that’s cool!), and then there’s breakdown guided by McKagen’s driving bassline, and finally, Axl is back to announce:
You know where you are?
You're in the jungle, baby
You're gonna die
And then we’re back into the chorus. That was quite a bridge. My words do it little justice. Go listen. Is this the best debut bridge? I haven’t thought about it before. I will get back to that in the comments. Until then, enjoy the jungle!
-MJK
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