One In A Million

[bigcountry]

It's this simple..........

It was his point of view on what he had seen and experienced.

A stated before how many times during a rap album do you hear the "N" word, but that's ok because is it black on black which is total bullshit to say one is any more offensive than the other, it's the same word!!!!!

I get so sick and tired of Blacks in my area that think I owe them something just because they are black and I am white. I had not one damn thing to do with slavery and why should I cave to you because of something that happened decades and decades ago. Fuck that I owe them nothing!!!

So if blacks have a conversation and use the word just like any other word but if a white person is included the same conversation and they say the very same word all hell might brake loose. GET OVER IT!!!!!

Same goes for any minority.

As far as same sex couples, hey go for it whatever makes you happy but some will try and shove it down your throat and call it gay pride if they are making out in the store or gas station just to get attention and show there gay pride when in all reality they are doing more to harm there effort to be recognized the same as traditional relationships between a man and a women.

Some may get pissed over what I have posted but it is the truth about how things happen where I live.

Edited June 14, 2012 by bigcountry

[dalsh327]

Lyrics like that need a coherent explanation otherwise people understandably think they are your views. Axl never really explained in full.

I've always thought the song was self explanatory.

"Radicals and Racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

Don't need your religion

Don't watch that much T.V.

Just makin' my livin', baby

Well that's enough for me"

That's just it. Axl once said that the song was about the bus stop and as the song states, this the the view of a "small town white boy". He may think like this or have these views from time to time but he's not acting out on them and he's not harming anyone. Instead he just continues on with his life and that in itself is a profound message imo and it's right there in the song!

Fair enough, but now that he's lived in LA for 30 years he should address what he said in a more logical way considering the massive offence he caused to huge sections of society around the world.

Im not saying he is racist, homophobic or anything like that, but forget about the late starts, people in the media have long memories and Ax's reputation is suffering for that song to this day and regardless of how great a singer/frontman he is he needs to either play that song live or apologize.

Why should someone apologize for a song?

Huge sections of society? The controversy lasted 5 seconds. Compared to "Cop Killer", which is prob. the most controversial song of all time.

Janes Addiction use the N-word in "Whores", but no one's gotten up in arms about it.

There's other things Axl should publicly apologize for, what he wrote in a song isn't one of them.

[Desperado]

I don't care what people say but the lyrics to this song are the worst in any Gn'R song. And I'm not talking about the "N" word (even if the context is really really racist) I'm talking more about this..

Immigrants and fagots

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 talk so many God damn ways

It's all Greek to me

that must be the worst redneck stupid crazy shit I have ever heard. You simply can't justify that in any way....... like to see you try.

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Desperado

[Estranged Reality]

I don't care what people say but the lyrics to this song are the worst in any Gn'R song. And I'm not talking about the "N" word (even if the context is really really racist) I'm talking more about this..

Immigrants and fagots

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 talk so many God damn ways

It's all Greek to me

that must be the worst redneck stupid crazy shit I have ever heard. You simply can't justify that in any way....... like to see you try.

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

the lyrics are awful and repugnant.

and it's the prime example of the old celebrity culture where everyone was afraid to say no. i guess that kinda continued a bit with the spiraling costs on chinese democracy, but i think for the most part that era is sort of dead in the digital age, because celebrity culture has changed so much. gwyneth paltrow tweeted the song title 'black persons in paris' last week and was crucified - just for naming the title of the song! but back then it was a little different...axl got in trouble but he was still such a huge figure at the time that it sort of slipped by with a slap on the wrist you know? i think if that song were written today by a white musician, well...it just wouldn't be written! period.

having said that, i think the song itself ISN'T a direct reflection of axl's feelings so much as the confused, overwhelming sensations he probably experienced as being a redneck, small-town boy suddenly thrust into the limelight of LA culture. he suddenly had everything and his eyes were opened to a whole new lifestyle but it was probably very much in stark contrast to his ideals and morals growing up - the small-minded kid suddenly in a very open world. people always say it's a narrative about how he felt stepping off the bus from Indiana, but more than that, i also think it's an extension - how he felt after he started to become famous and probably had a lot of conflicting feelings/emotions, having to deal with all sorts of people and cultures he never was taught how to deal with, and i think that confusion/frustration/immaturity comes out in the song in a tragically beautiful way, if i can say that without sounding too romantic about it or defending the lyrics (because i'm not). but now that time has passed in a weird way they're sort of historically insightful because it really is a good example of what made axl's lyrics so unique, he always had a lot of repression and confusion in his writing and i think that's what people connect with even if they don't always empathize with what he's describing per se?

musically, i've always thought it was one of their best songs. but yeah, the lyrics mean he'll probably never play it live again.

[The Archer]

^^^

Musically, just one of their absolute best. I love listening to it.

[Chewbacca]

Because most people misinterpret it.

How do people misinterpret it? It seems like a pretty straightforward song to me.

More like, people get offended by certain words used in it but miss the bigger picture the song tries to paint (at least imo).

This.

[Desperado]

I don't care what people say but the lyrics to this song are the worst in any Gn'R song. And I'm not talking about the "N" word (even if the context is really really racist) I'm talking more about this..

Immigrants and fagots

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 talk so many God damn ways

It's all Greek to me

that must be the worst redneck stupid crazy shit I have ever heard. You simply can't justify that in any way....... like to see you try.

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

the lyrics are awful and repugnant.

and it's the prime example of the old celebrity culture where everyone was afraid to say no. i guess that kinda continued a bit with the spiraling costs on chinese democracy, but i think for the most part that era is sort of dead in the digital age, because celebrity culture has changed so much. gwyneth paltrow tweeted the song title 'black persons in paris' last week and was crucified - just for naming the title of the song! but back then it was a little different...axl got in trouble but he was still such a huge figure at the time that it sort of slipped by with a slap on the wrist you know? i think if that song were written today by a white musician, well...it just wouldn't be written! period.

having said that, i think the song itself ISN'T a direct reflection of axl's feelings so much as the confused, overwhelming sensations he probably experienced as being a redneck, small-town boy suddenly thrust into the limelight of LA culture. he suddenly had everything and his eyes were opened to a whole new lifestyle but it was probably very much in stark contrast to his ideals and morals growing up - the small-minded kid suddenly in a very open world. people always say it's a narrative about how he felt stepping off the bus from Indiana, but more than that, i also think it's an extension - how he felt after he started to become famous and probably had a lot of conflicting feelings/emotions, having to deal with all sorts of people and cultures he never was taught how to deal with, and i think that confusion/frustration/immaturity comes out in the song in a tragically beautiful way, if i can say that without sounding too romantic about it or defending the lyrics (because i'm not). but now that time has passed in a weird way they're sort of historically insightful because it really is a good example of what made axl's lyrics so unique, he always had a lot of repression and confusion in his writing and i think that's what people connect with even if they don't always empathize with what he's describing per se?

musically, i've always thought it was one of their best songs. but yeah, the lyrics mean he'll probably never play it live again.

I understand that but I still don't think that it's really an argument.

I also like the music alot but I can't listen to it because I have to hear those awful lyrics. I do hope that his views has changed over time now that he probably knows alot more over 20 years later but that doesn't change the fact that this song with these lyrics still exists. I'm not saying that this or other songs like this one never should have been made because I'm all for freedom of speech but I still think that those kind of songs are just stupid and ignorand.

Because most people misinterpret it.

How do people misinterpret it? It seems like a pretty straightforward song to me.

More like, people get offended by certain words used in it but miss the bigger picture the song tries to paint (at least imo).

This.

it isn't about the words it's about the context that he has put those words in.

and the "bigger picture" is racist and homophobic

Edited June 14, 2012 by Desperado

[Snowmass]

[Desperado]

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

[SONOFABITCH]

One in a Million is my favorie GNR song along with Coma. I wish Axl would stand by this song. It is pure genius. Unlike Coma, this is a song he could pull off no problem. It isn't politically correct anyway you slice it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

[Guest Gunns]

I love the song, great music, axls vocals are awesome, yes, lyrically its politically incorrect but it doesn't take it away from being a fucking great song!

[Freddie Mercury's Ghost]

Axl could treat it like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits treats "Money for Nothing".

Instead of singing "f**got" in that song, Knopfler has replaced it with "sissy" for the past 25 or so years when performing the song live.

"Police and gangstas, that's right - get out of my way"

"Immigrants and sissies - they make no sense to me"

I think that would be fine.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Freddie Mercury's Ghost

[Kill Devil Hill]

The reason the song is so genius is its honesty and the picture it paints. I don't find the lyrics disgusting at all. They're about how a "small town white boy" feels stepping off the bus into LA for the first time. I love the last verse because it's basically saying that even though he thinks these things, he doesn't act on them. They're just his honest feelings as he enters a foreign land.

It's one of the most honest songs I've ever heard.

[SoulMonster]

You've been here for 4 years and you don't know the answer?

No I cant understand why someone would write a song like that and not play it unless they were ashamed of it.

Hopefully he has matured enough to be ashamed of it.

[dalsh327]

Axl could treat it like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits treats "Money for Nothing".

Instead of singing "f**got" in that song, Knopfler has replaced it with "sissy" for the past 25 or so years when performing the song live.

"Police and gangstas, that's right - get out of my way"

"Immigrants and sissies - they make no sense to me"

I think that would be fine.

The radio version had the whole verse cut out anyway. MTV aired it for years without editing it, and most people got the context of it - Knopfler basically took what these movers were talking about, word for word.

Once you start messing around with words in a song, it can lose its punch.

There's exceptions, I think Johnny Cash using crown of thorns in "Hurt" worked well enough that Reznor even used it.

[The Linguini Occurrence]

"I was pissed off about some black people that were trying to rob me. I wanted to insult those particular black people. It was a way for me to express my anger at how vulnerable I felt in certain situations that had gone down in my life. It's not a song I would write now." - Axl Rose, 1992 interviews

I'm really surpised this is still a topic of discussion in 2012. He wouldn't write the song now, so why would he perform it now? The entire song was written by Axl at a time when he was young, angry and admittedly ignorant. The offensive lyrics are based on stereotypes derived from his personal experiences. He stopped believing and supporting those stereotypes more than 20 years ago, that's why during the entire history of GNR the song has been performed only three times - all within a six month period that concluded with this final performance at the Limelight in January 1988:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qWgSVNOS0

[spunko12345]

I don't care what people say but the lyrics to this song are the worst in any Gn'R song. And I'm not talking about the "N" word (even if the context is really really racist) I'm talking more about this..

Immigrants and fagots

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 talk so many God damn ways

It's all Greek to me

that must be the worst redneck stupid crazy shit I have ever heard. You simply can't justify that in any way....... like to see you try.

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

Thank you for putting my point accross better than I have managed in this thread.

The fact that a lot of people say this explanation is well documented is irrelevant if the explanation is shoddy.

Its not going to go away until a real explanation is given for things like the Immigrants and fagots verse.

[spunko12345]

I don't care what people say but the lyrics to this song are the worst in any Gn'R song. And I'm not talking about the "N" word (even if the context is really really racist) I'm talking more about this..

Immigrants and fagots

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 talk so many God damn ways

It's all Greek to me

that must be the worst redneck stupid crazy shit I have ever heard. You simply can't justify that in any way....... like to see you try.

and if you gona use this lyrics as a justification...

Radicals and racists

Don't point your finger at me

I'm a small town white boy

Just tryin' to make ends meet

...does that mean that you're fine with people saying shit like "I'm not a racist.... but those damn ni****s steels alot of bikes!"

that is exactly the problem with it.

the lyrics are awful and repugnant.

and it's the prime example of the old celebrity culture where everyone was afraid to say no. i guess that kinda continued a bit with the spiraling costs on chinese democracy, but i think for the most part that era is sort of dead in the digital age, because celebrity culture has changed so much. gwyneth paltrow tweeted the song title 'black persons in paris' last week and was crucified - just for naming the title of the song! but back then it was a little different...axl got in trouble but he was still such a huge figure at the time that it sort of slipped by with a slap on the wrist you know? i think if that song were written today by a white musician, well...it just wouldn't be written! period.

having said that, i think the song itself ISN'T a direct reflection of axl's feelings so much as the confused, overwhelming sensations he probably experienced as being a redneck, small-town boy suddenly thrust into the limelight of LA culture. he suddenly had everything and his eyes were opened to a whole new lifestyle but it was probably very much in stark contrast to his ideals and morals growing up - the small-minded kid suddenly in a very open world. people always say it's a narrative about how he felt stepping off the bus from Indiana, but more than that, i also think it's an extension - how he felt after he started to become famous and probably had a lot of conflicting feelings/emotions, having to deal with all sorts of people and cultures he never was taught how to deal with, and i think that confusion/frustration/immaturity comes out in the song in a tragically beautiful way, if i can say that without sounding too romantic about it or defending the lyrics (because i'm not). but now that time has passed in a weird way they're sort of historically insightful because it really is a good example of what made axl's lyrics so unique, he always had a lot of repression and confusion in his writing and i think that's what people connect with even if they don't always empathize with what he's describing per se?

musically, i've always thought it was one of their best songs. but yeah, the lyrics mean he'll probably never play it live again.

Thanks for taking the time to post a reasoned and considered response. A lot of people assumed I was trolling with starting this thread but my issue is that no matter how long ago it was written, the more time that Axl doesnt fully address each line means he is culpible. Im not saying an artist has to explain and talk us through every line of all thier songs, thats ridiculous in 99.9% of an artists work, but when you write a song like OIAM i feel like you have a responsibility to either fully stand by what you say or justify it.

Im pretty confident Axl doesnt hold those views by the way, at least not now having lived in one of the most multicultural cities in the world for so long. But I know for damn sure that If I had a song like that which is so easy to take the wrong way with my name next to it I would be giving a full and frank explanation of what I had said.

The reason the song is so genius is its honesty and the picture it paints. I don't find the lyrics disgusting at all. They're about how a "small town white boy" feels stepping off the bus into LA for the first time. I love the last verse because it's basically saying that even though he thinks these things, he doesn't act on them. They're just his honest feelings as he enters a foreign land.

It's one of the most honest songs I've ever heard.

I agree that its honest.

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

It's a great song. One of my favourites. As much as I don't care about any black person, person and attacking the police in lyrics, it was incredibly stupid and unnecessary to use that, in my opinion. The song could have been a hit with some normal lyrics.

[SoulMonster]

It's a great song. One of my favourites. As much as I don't care about any black person, person and attacking the police in lyrics, it was incredibly stupid and unnecessary to use that, in my opinion. The song could have been a hit with some normal lyrics.

It's a shame that such a fantastic song (I looove Slash's solo and the combination of acoustic and electric guitars) which showcases Axl's abilities as a singer so magnificently (from the crooning normal voice to the venomous belt), is, more or less, ruined by infantile lyrics.

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

Agreed. It could, in my opinion, have been a bigger hit than Patience was. It's a lot better, in my opinion. It's a shame that the lyrics was the way they were.

[SoulMonster]

Agreed. It could, in my opinion, have been a bigger hit than Patience was. It's a lot better, in my opinion. It's a shame that the lyrics was the way they were.

I am happy to say that I have never been more in agreement with you. Based on the music alone (and not the lyrics), One In A Million is among my favourite GN'R songs. And even if I disagree with the racist and intolerant sentiment in the lyrics, the lyrics themselves are actually quite good and catchy.

[DocBrown]

Probably the best GNR song that won't ever be played live again. A real shame.

[wasted]

It's like most GNR songs about a moment when

You feel a certain emotion.

[KiraMPD]

The reason the song is so genius is its honesty and the picture it paints. I don't find the lyrics disgusting at all. They're about how a "small town white boy" feels stepping off the bus into LA for the first time. I love the last verse because it's basically saying that even though he thinks these things, he doesn't act on them. They're just his honest feelings as he enters a foreign land.

It's one of the most honest songs I've ever heard.

That's exactly how I feel about the song, it's honest. Now people my be offended by the comments mentioned in the song and that's understandable. I should probably be offended seeing as technically I am a non-white immigrant and an active supporter of LGBT rights, but I've never been offended by it. Maybe that's just me?

To me it's always seemed like the character in the song comes across all these people at the bus stop and these were his honest reactions. But he doesn't say them out loud cuz he wants no trouble, he just wants to be on his way.

Now... as far as publishing the song... it probably wasn't the best move but I don't think the band realised that at the time. I think they may have been running high off of their sucess and thought they would get away with it. Just watch the '87 CBGB clip when they play that song; they are laughing and their faces seem to say "can't believe we are getting away with this!". I don't think they ever imagined that it would get this much backlash.