# Estranged by Guns N' Roses **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825 "2011-09-28T00:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/1 "2011-09-28T00:05:38Z")
I’ve been listening to this song over and over for days now at work and at home. How did this ever fly under my radar? How did I have this album on my iPod for the past 6 years and never listen to this? How did I, a high school graduate of 1993 never know this song!? I remember very well when Kurt Cobain died back in 1994. I also remember Layne Staley dying back in 2002 and feeling like a chapter closed. But how the hell did I miss this song? I really can’t stop listening to it. Luckily I’m enjoying it, though the nostalgia is not so fun. I miss the 90s a lot, and at the time I just wanted to get through them. _sigh_ Any 90’s kids out there have a shoulder to cry on? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/2 "2011-09-28T00:59:55Z")
It’s one of my G’n’fckn’R faves. That, plus songs like _RocketQueen_, _My Michelle_, _Coma_ and of course, _November Rain._ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/3 "2011-09-28T01:07:35Z")
For some reason it was the “Temple of Doom” or “Return of the Jedi” of G&R’s Use Your Illusion trilogy of songs/videos (November Rain and Don’t Cry being the other two). ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/4 "2011-09-28T01:16:51Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > It’s one of my G’n’fckn’R faves. That, plus songs like _RocketQueen_, _My Michelle_, _Coma_ and of course, _November Rain._ 😃 My Michelle! Great song! If I awoke tomorrow and it was 1990, I would not be sad. I could just ride the decade through with a smile. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/5 "2011-09-28T01:19:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > For some reason it was the “Temple of Doom” or “Return of the Jedi” of G&R’s Use Your Illusion trilogy of songs/videos (November Rain and Don’t Cry being the other two). Interesting take. I just love this song, yet have no memory of it all, but do have great memories of both crap-tastic movies you list (having seen both in the theater). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/6 "2011-09-28T01:25:46Z")
Weird, never heard of it either. But I am a 1997 grad so I maybe get a pass. I can’t believe you keep listening to it. Isn’t it depressing you? I will admit here that I wanted to post “Slash’s solo from ‘November Rain’” in the recent “what is your favorite guitar solo?” thread but I was to embarrassed. So I’ll let you cry on my shoulder, pal. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/7 "2011-09-28T01:35:21Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Weird, never heard of it either. But I am a 1997 grad so I maybe get a pass. > > I can’t believe you keep listening to it. Isn’t it depressing you? > > I will admit here that I wanted to post “Slash’s solo from ‘November Rain’” in the recent “what is your favorite guitar solo?” thread but I was to embarrassed. > > So I’ll let you cry on my shoulder, pal. Thanks _snuggle_ It is depressing, but also really uplifting; the guitar just hooks me, you know? Then the lyrics hook me further. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/8 "2011-09-28T14:24:13Z")
Yeah, I love “Estranged” too, but it got outshined on Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 by “November Rain,” “Don’t Cry” and “Civil War” (which is probably my favorite GnR song). Also, I think more people bought Use Your Illusion 1 (or was it 2) because it had “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry” while Use Your Illusion 2 (or was it 1) had “Estranged.” ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/9 "2011-09-28T16:48:46Z")
Loved the video for this song. Axl jumping off the cruise(?) ship into the water and swimming with dolphins. Slash rising from the water during his solo. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/10 "2011-09-28T17:33:15Z")
For those that care, they are supposedly rehearsing this song for the new tour. This has got the hardcore\* G’n’R fans I know moist. \*To the extent that anyone can be a hardcore fan of a tribute band. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/11 "2011-09-28T17:38:29Z")
I felt the same way about almost the whole album _Lies_, especially “Used to Love Her”. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/12 "2011-09-28T20:42:05Z")
Where’s the love for “You Could Be Mine?” Definitely in my top 3 GnR favorites. And, obviously, John Connor’s favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/13 "2011-09-28T23:56:42Z")
_Appetite for Destruction_ has **got** to be the best _debut_ (major label) rock album of all time. Hands down. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/14 "2011-09-29T00:36:41Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > _Appetite for Destruction_ has **got** to be the best _debut_ (major label) rock album of all time. Hands down. It’s certainly up there–and a good argument can be made for it–but I can think of a lot of albums that’d give it a run for its money (Led Zeppelin I, Are You Experienced?, Black Sabbath, My Generation, Van Halen, etc.) At any rate, it’s still my favorite GnR album by a good bit. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/15 "2011-09-29T17:00:41Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > _Appetite for Destruction_ has **got** to be the best _debut_ (major label) rock album of all time. Hands down. Yup. Only **Skid Row** ’s self titled debut comes close. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/16 "2011-09-29T21:24:27Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Yeah, I love “Estranged” too, but it got outshined on Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 by “November Rain,” “Don’t Cry” and “Civil War” (which is probably my favorite GnR song). > > Also, I think more people bought Use Your Illusion 1 (or was it 2) because it had “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry” while Use Your Illusion 2 (or was it 1) had “Estranged.” Don’t Cry was on both UYI 1 and 2 (with alternate lyrics). And UYI 2 had You Could Be Mine, which got a pretty big push from T2. I know that’s why I bought it first instead of UYI 1 (I did get that later and do think it’s the better of the two, but at the time I wanted YCBM) ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/17 "2011-09-29T21:28:42Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > \*To the extent that anyone can be a hardcore fan of a tribute band. If you bother going to the G 'n R official website, you will see a lengthy and barely coherent interview of Axl by one of his journalist friends/lackeys. Among other inanities (he seems to imply that Slash joined G 'n R in the early '80s with some ten year plan of getting Izzy to quit so Slash could “take over” the band, and I think there is even a bit in there about how Slash wasn’t really a very good guitarist), Axl (pathetically) refers to “Old Guns” and “Guns” (maybe “New Guns”) and at the very least strongly implies that the latter is the better and more authentic incarnation of the “real” Guns. [http://web.gunsnroses.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090303&content\_id=a1&vkey=news&fext=.jsp](http://web.gunsnroses.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090303&content_id=a1&vkey=news&fext=.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/18 "2011-09-30T00:47:26Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > If you bother going to the G 'n R official website, you will see a lengthy and barely coherent interview of Axl by one of his journalist friends/lackeys. Among other inanities (he seems to imply that Slash joined G 'n R in the early '80s with some ten year plan of getting Izzy to quit so Slash could “take over” the band, and I think there is even a bit in there about how Slash wasn’t really a very good guitarist), Axl (pathetically) refers to “Old Guns” and “Guns” (maybe “New Guns”) and at the very least strongly implies that the latter is the better and more authentic incarnation of the “real” Guns. > > [http://web.gunsnroses.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090303&content\_id=a1&vkey=news&fext=.jsp](http://web.gunsnroses.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090303&content_id=a1&vkey=news&fext=.jsp) Axl and Slash are dead to me, as are the _real_ **G’n’FcknR.** These pathetic, washed up, bloated old alchoholics stumbling around trying to reclaim their glory days are best ignored if the genuine _badassness_ of G’N’R from the 90’s is wished to remain unperturbed in one’s memories. ---
**Author:** ![DarkFire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DarkFire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkFire)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/19 "2011-09-30T11:39:26Z")
Estranged is in my opinion much, much better than November Rain. The only other song on that level on the Illusion albums is Coma. The main reason is probably the guitars. While November Rain is a beautiful song, it’s more of a symphony type of thing. Estranged would be a mediocre song if it was not for Slash’s guitar riffs and solo at the end. The one repeating riff dominates the song. Both Estranged and Coma have amazingly interesting bits of solo AND rhythm guitars. If you manage to ignore “My world” at the end of UYI2 (which apparently the rest of the band didn’t know was going to be on there too!) then GN’R had a knack for saving the best for last. Rocket Queen, One in a Million, Estranged and Coma all are in my list of top 10 GN’R songs. The music of those songs make them so wonderful. One in a Million is basically Axl’s letter against society but I usually don’t even listen to the words. The melody and music really suck me in. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825/20 "2011-09-30T15:48:34Z")
Both UYI albums are just so damn good. Several times in the past and just today, I’ve tried to see if I could cut it down to 1 killer album that would possibly be the greatest rock album ever, but I can never figure out what to cut. I’m fairly confident my top 4 between the two records are Coma, Civil War, Locamotion (love love love the chugging guitar on this), and The Garden. Hell, take those 4 out, and you could still come up with a single amazing record. And then The Spaghetti Incident happened. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-by-guns-n-roses/597825.md?page=2)