Talk:One in a Million (Guns N' Roses song)

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Can someone help? cite 6 is a broken link. Just the law (talk) 06:11, 23 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone please explain to me why almost all the racial and offensive parts of the song were discussed in this portion of Controversy except for the part about little Iran? Seems like I rather biased analysis to me.

I've read every Guns N' Roses article I could find and I don't remember that part being mentioned specifically. I don't doubt that it added to the overall impression of the song but no one felt the need to highlight it. Because Wikipedia is a 3rd party source we can't say that something was controversial unless someone else has said so first.Danikat (talk) 09:21, 24 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Songwriter

I really think the article should mention who wrote the song. I am not a fan of the band, so I myself don't know. I looked it up on allmusic.com, but all that said was it was composed by the entire band. I would hazard a guess that it was written by Rose, however, I am not sure enough to put it in the article. Akamad 16:27, September 4, 2005 (UTC)

It was indeed written by Rose.

-- 08:15, 14 December 2005 (UTC)~

It was not composed by the entire, band the rest of the band asked to have it dropped from the album. An interview by the rolling stone states that slash did not think it was cool because his mother was black. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.181.109.127 (talk) 00:54, 15 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"One in a Million" is a really memorable song that unfortunately had some excessively raw and generic lyrics that left too much for interpretation. Needless to say, it was very controversial, most people misinterpreted the song completely.. something that the Writer (W. Axl Rose) of the song deeply regrets, but felt was necessary for the integrity of his art.

I think that underneath all the offensive lyrics and all that, this song is about Those "One in a Million" that make life difficult for Millions of others, and the frustrations that the Millions on the lower end of the chain feel. Resulting with them releasing their frustrations on easy targets such as "immigrants" or "faggots" or "police men" or "small-town white boys".

Or in other words, about "immigrants" and "small-town white boys" having a go at each other respectively. Or about "niggers" hassling "naive white boys" into buying whatever it is their selling, to their own benefit or expense, whilst someone else is benefiting from another human being's expense.

It's a reference to the Hypocrisy of Humanity, to how human beings "lives go to shit because their own hypocrisy finally consumed them".

It's really weird but kinda logical at the same time, cause "One in a Million" is a very Personal Portrait, it is Axl's song, perhaps one of the most (if not The most) accurate songs in describing Axl Rose as a person. Not everyone will Identify himself with this song, most people would not be "ok" with screaming the Lyrics out loud, because it's more personal and open to interpretation.

- Amateur.

Controversy

The author of the article states that "faggots" are described as "spreading some disease." This is not a direct quote. The actual lyrics are "Or spread some fucking disease." To be accurate, the quote should read "spread[ing] some [expletive] disease."

"Gold chains and bracelets" should not be in quotes because that is not a lyric in the song. It should read "gold chains" and "bracelets."

The song is not talking about buying bracelets from vendors. That is a reference to police and their handcuffs: "I don't need no bracelets, clamped in front of my back. Just need my ticket till then, won't you cut me some slack."

The account of the two deaths listed below is inaccurate. The two deaths accured at the Monsters of Rock music festival at the Castle Donnington racetrack on 08/20/88. Also, One in a Million was not performed live at this event. It was only played live twice, once at CBGB's on 10/30/87 and at The Limelight on 01/31/1988.

"led to controversy from homosexual groups when after GN'R's performed the song live at an AIDS benefit for the Gay Men's Health Crisis at Radio City Music Hall in which the crowd flew into a riot and in the aftermath two were left dead, and several others injured. [3]"

~~ErichIHall~~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by ErichIHall (talk • contribs) 05:56, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"The author of the article states that "faggots" are described as "spreading some disease." This is not a direct quote."

This is not accurate. It is a direct quote as a consequence of the following three lines being interconnected, according to this transcription:

"Immigrants and faggots, 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 fucking disease"

And they also have been recorded as such, according to listening to this section of this song in the form of an unofficial video, hosted on one of the websites being blacklisted on here, apparently, in order to examine your statement. lmaxmai, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Yeah, what's the deal with that? The fact is, GMHC dropped them from the show over the lyrics to the song...Gn'R did NOT play that concert, and the entire account related here and cited to a book by Danny Sugarman is a total fabrication. Just because some liar with a wikipedia account cites some book doesn't mean it's true. This needs to be fixed.66.162.203.207 (talk) 15:17, 3 June 2009 (UTC)mundoqueganar[reply]

Speculation on Pet Shop Boys link

The paragraph about a possible reference to the Pet Shop Boys song with the same name is mildly interesting, but is unfortunately pure speculation. It might just be true, but it may well be false - i.e. a journalist could easily ask Axl Rose if this was the inspiration for the song, and he could quite possibly answer "no". No one in the know or close to the bands is cited here, so the speculation seems to be just the musings of one contributor. And on balance, I find the theory improbable. Palefire 04:51, 1 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed the paragraph, but here it is in full, just in case anyone has anything to back it up:

There is a also a song by the Pet Shop Boys called One in a Million, which appears on their 1993 album Very. Given that the Pet Shop Boys' work touches on gay themes it could be argued their version is a riposte to the Guns N' Roses song (the Pet Shop Boys main lyric being "One in a million men can change the way you feel." The link is not as tenuous as one would think given the differing nature of the bands; Axl Rose is known to be a big Pet Shop Boys fan (although he initially hated them), and in particular of their song "Being boring" which appeared on the 1990 album Behaviour. As recorded in the Chris Heath book Pet Shop Boys versus America, Rose came backstage to meet the Pet Shop Boys on their 1991 tour of North America, and revealed that their song "My October Symphony" (also on Behaviour) inspired him to write the Guns N' Roses song "November Rain". Therefore, the Pet Shop Boys song could be a mild rebuke on their new friend's former views on homosexuality.

Palefire 04:51, 1 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:Gnr lies.jpg

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