The reason why although Better is the most catchy GNR song ever, it never became a hit

[GnR Chris]

I've said this a million of times and I'll say this again, Street of Dreams is a terrible song. Just terrible. It's what you'd expect if Axl was writing a broadway musical or penning a song for Journey. I have not met one casual or non-fan who actually likes this song. Anyone who thinks this song would have brought greater success to the band is dreaming. If you anyone can point out a hook in this song I'd surely appreciate it because I still haven't found one in almost 13 years of listening to it. The only thing catchy about this song is the little piano intro Dizzy wrote. I remember reading recaps of the song in 2001 from the Vegas gigs with people calling it the next November Rain. When I heard it I thought I must have downloaded the wrong song because I couldn't get over how meandering and boring the song was. It has definitely not improved with age.

Better and TWAT were the only two songs that my friends who were non-GNR fans liked. Anecdotal I know, but they really should have gone with the two songs that actually sound like GNR. Chinese Democracy (the album) has three power ballads (SOD, TIL, Sorry), and none of them would have worked as a single. TIL maybe if there was a tremendous amount of momentum behind the album and Axl was 28 years old, but it's just too mushy coming from a 50 year old dude for mainstream to dig it.

I often get the impression that people on this forum want to like this album more than it deserves. Efforts are made to make songs more radio friendly than they actually are. There were very few singles on this album. Better was one of them, if not the only one. TWAT maybe if Better charted well.

You're correct in that I don't think "Street of Dreams" would have been a commercial hit had they tried pushing it as a single. But I do get the love, and I do get the hype. I didn't like it that much at first, but it's one of my favorite tracks on that record. I love a lot about it, particularly the part around 3:46 and on.

"What this means to me is more than I know you believe.

What I thought of you now has cost more than it should for me.

What I thought was true before were lies I couldn't see.

What I thought was beautiful IS ONLY MEMORIES.

Ah ah ah ah ah, what'd I tell you?

Ah ah ah ah ah ..."

I don't care that it wasn't gonna appeal to people the way "November Rain" or anything else nearly two decades previous. By the time Axl released CD it was too late for his new version of Guns to mean anything to pop music. It's a young man's game. The time to strike was 2000-2001 when rock and roll really needed him as it was shifting to rap/rock garbage like Limp Bizkit.

[Randy Lahey]

To me ITW sounds like a smash hit.

Agreed.

[wasted]

Exile on main Street didnt take off. Many record dont go postal. It was really GNR back story that didnt help. But no rock record sold well enough to make CD success. 6. 5 from ACDC. Bombsville compared to Back in Black.

Better was release too late aith no video and had already leaked. Lets pretend that had no effect.

[Hollywood Gunner]

LOL at a certain forum population.

So the reason the album/song/singles didn't take off was because the radio stations weren't paid off, because the label didn't push it, and because music fans are stupid and don't "enjoy" the right kind of music. Funny stuff.

As for the song, it's in my top 10 favorite GnR songs of all time. Sounds terrible live as Axl can't pull it off live. But the album version is awesome.

Id say he fuckin nailed it 2 weeks ago

Edited July 30, 2013 by Hollywood Gunner

[wasted]

To me ITW sounds like a smash hit.

Agreed.

It probably did need Dre and Snoop to make it Walk This Way.

[ManetsBR]

That would have been awesome.

[Caught in a Coma]

To me ITW sounds like a smash hit.

Agreed.

It probably did need Dre and Snoop to make it Walk This Way.

Are you serious? ITW could never be a hit in this music industry, no matter who could have guested on it

[wasted]

I'm not sure about right now, but back in 2008 in UK at the height of autotune RNB it's the one only that has real pop appeal. Better kind of fits on Knac.com.

That's problem with being international band, you have to dumb it down to hit the lowest common denominator. CD sort of has a song for all countries.

I think If the World would be big in South America.

[Randy Lahey]

To me ITW sounds like a smash hit.

Agreed.

It probably did need Dre and Snoop to make it Walk This Way.

Are you serious? ITW could never be a hit in this music industry, no matter who could have guested on it

It's a hit song. If you put Dre and Snoop on it you are going platinum.

[F*ck Fear]

My World

You're right. Even a filler is better than "Better".

Some people should get their ears checked!

[Caught in a Coma]

To me ITW sounds like a smash hit.

Agreed.

It probably did need Dre and Snoop to make it Walk This Way.

Are you serious? ITW could never be a hit in this music industry, no matter who could have guested on it

It's a hit song. If you put Dre and Snoop on it you are going platinum.

Why the hell would Dr Dre or Snoop ever rap in ITW? ITW is in a style that, in the US, would have never been huge in the last ten years

[wasted]

It really begs the question did the label pussy out of fully supporting New Guns songs like Shackler's and ITW instead trying to use Chi Dem as a single because it sounds somewhat like old Guns.

[Lethalis]

I always thought that The Day That Never Comes was like "One 2" cuz they are very similar and they talk about war

The Day That Never Comes starts really nice but towards the end I just want to turn it off.

Sorry Metallica

I really like some of their other songs though.

..

And "Better" .. meh, it doesn't do much for me. Give me TWAT, IRS, SOD, Madagascar etc.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Lethalis

[ColdHeartBreaker]

The original Better leaks caused a stir in the rock-fanbase who were still willing to give Axl's GnR a chance, it gained generally favourable reactions. By 2008 it was old news.

[wasted]

That's when CD should have dropped, that Better leak should have been the single. a cd single with Better, IRS, TWAT, Catcher on it, studio versions and everyone would have bought it and made it go No. 1 then drop ITW with Dre and Snoop riding shotgun, then put out a video for TIL with Axl alone at a piano in a empty bar with him and band watching himself playing from behind a one way window. Then then all leave to finish the video on the roof of a skyscraper with choppers circling.

[Scumcat Esq.]

I always thought that The Day That Never Comes was like "One 2" cuz they are very similar and they talk about war

The Day That Never Comes starts really nice but towards the end I just want to turn it off.

Sorry Metallica

I really like some of their other songs though.

Sure it starts great. Fade to Black and Rain are good songs.

So do I, but surprisingly none of them from Death Magnetic.

[Lim666]

this Axl song sucks. what a stupid intro....even coming back as outro. boring no-GN'R guitar parts, falsetto voice all over and a chorus better being forgotten.

i like the metal part in the middle though.