Patience (Guns N' Roses song)

"Patience" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which appears on the album G N' R Lies and was released as a single in 1989. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song is a ballad,[3] played using three acoustic guitars and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. A music video of the song was shot and appears on the band's music video DVD, Welcome to the Videos.

"Patience"
Standard artwork (U.S. vinyl pictured)
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album G N' R Lies
B-side"Rocket Queen" (LP Version)
ReleasedApril 1989 (US),
June 26, 1989 (UK)[1]
Recorded1988
GenreAcoustic rock
Length5:56
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Guns N' Roses
Producer(s)
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Paradise City"
(1988)		 "Patience"
(1989)		 "Nightrain"
(1989)

The motivation for the track is generally accepted to be the troublesome relationship between Axl Rose and his now ex-wife Erin Everly, though this was never stated in the album or interviews. According to bass guitarist Duff McKagan, "Axl came up with a great lyric, seemingly out of nowhere, that of course became the story and melody of that song."[4] It has also been stated by the band that Stradlin wrote the song about his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy.

Steven Adler did not record on the track, although in some live performances prior to release of the album, such as their performance at the Orange County Fair in New York in the summer of 1988, percussion (and electric instruments) were used.

In the video, the band members are situated in a hotel where they are the only constant images, as all other people are present for a moment, then fade away. The video, directed by Nigel Dick, was one of many produced by the band. The video was filmed on Valentine's Day during 1989, some scenes being shot at the Record Plant. It was the last video in which Steven Adler appeared (even though he did not play on the recorded track) and the last before the Use Your Illusion videos. Mike Clink is also featured in the video, sitting at the mixing board. The video was shot in The Ambassador Hotel, made famous due to Bobby Kennedy's assassination in 1968. The hotel was inoperative and scheduled for demolition, but was not demolished until 2006.

Rock musician Chris Cornell recorded a cover of the song, which was released posthumously on July 20, 2020.[3]

Live performances

"Patience" has been a staple in Guns N' Roses' setlists on all tours since the song was released. When performed live, electric guitars are often used instead of acoustic. Despite the album version of the song featuring no drumming, the drummers make active use of their drum kits during performances, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed makes use of his keyboard as well. In the 21st century, the band's lead guitarist (Slash) would play electric guitar, while the second guitarist (Buckethead, Paul Tobias, Richard Fortus, Bumblefoot or Duff McKagan) would play acoustic.

  • The band performed the song live at the American Music Awards filmed at the Shrine Auditorium. Steven Adler was in rehab at the time of filming, and Don Henley filled in for him during the taping.

Formats and track listing

All tracks are written by Guns N' Roses.

7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Patience" (LP version)5:56
2."Rocket Queen" (LP version)6:13
UK 12" vinyl, 3" CD
No.TitleLength
1."Patience" (LP version)5:56
2."Rocket Queen" (LP Version)6:13
3."Interview with W. Axl Rose" (Recorded in Los Angeles 19 May 1989)7:44

Personnel

Charts

References
  1. Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p. 347. ISBN 0-86241-385-0.
  2. "Allmusic (Guns N' Roses charts and awards) Billboard singles".
  3. Blistein, Jon (July 20, 2020). "Hear Chris Cornell's Previously Unreleased Cover of Guns N' Roses' 'Patience'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  4. London, Axl, and Continued "Patience" Archived October 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Australian-charts.com – Guns N' Roses – Patience". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Patience" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  7. Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Guns N' Roses – Patience". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Patience" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. "Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Patience". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. "Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Patience". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. "Guns N' Roses: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  16. "Chris Cornell Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  17. "Chris Cornell Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  18. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  19. "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 101 (51): Y-22. December 23, 1989.
  20. "Billboard Top 100 – 1989".
  21. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  22. "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  23. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
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