I view You Could Be Mine as like the absolute perfect example of Axl and Izzy's strengths together

[Caught_in_a_Coma]

Correct me if I'm wrong.  I believe Izzy is the primary writer of the lyrics to this song, but Axl wrote that last verse?  Axl sounds amazing and his swagger is perfect for the song.  Axl's last verse/rant is a great climax to the song.  The first two verses penned by Izzy are classic.  Izzy's background vocals are so complimentary to Axl's vocals.  This song to me, really displays how special of a duo they are.  Then, going even beyond that and looking at the whole band's involvement on the song like Sorum's amazing drumming, this song just demonstrates how special GN'R is

 

 

Some day I'd love to hear that Down By The River (I think that's its name) song Izzy was said to have set up that Axl and NuGuns had worked on for years

Edited July 9, 2016 by Caught_in_a_Coma

[sonofnazareth]

Everything they worked on was gold. 

[nonok]

It's surreal to me that Izzy would say or write "I'm a cold heartbreaker, fit ta burn and I'll rip your heart in two". Sounds very Axl-ish to me. The rest fits with Izzy's persona, but that line is just... Yeah. But I agree, this, Patience and Don't Cry are definitely the Axl/Izzy masterpieces.

[ludurigan]

agree 100%

you could be mine is like a perfect song. it has everything, including a great intro, terrific multiple hooks during the whole song and a lovely structure that makes the song improve and improve and improve and you never get tired of it all the way to the end.

there is clearly axl and izzy all over the place on that song. doing their best.

but slashs solos are also lovely and duffs and matt just provide monster rhythms! 

no one could touch these guys 

 

===

 

i love particularly the rio 1991 live versions.

 

there are so many great things about these two versions (compared to the much more known 1992 versions)

- izzy is there and that changes everything. on these particular nights his guitar is high on the mix and you can listen to it clearly. this is GNR! 

- matts drum tone is completely different on these rio 1991 shows (he would never sound like that again)

- no one in the audience knew the song (!)

- axl sings great with terrific voice. at this point he hadnt sung live for basically 2 years and his voice wasnt "torn" like it would become during the US-european tour of 1991

- axl really seems to be into the song (actually to be fair to him he always seemed to be into every GNR song and into every GNR show up to that point. He would slowly but surely lose that bit by bit during the late part of the 1991 tour and he would clearly not have much of that ability to enjoy himself and be loose and "into the song" during the autopilot 1992 tour)

- axl still hadnt developed some annoying maneirisms that he would repeat on each and every live performance of you could be mine in 1992-1993 

- izzys (and duffs!) backing vocals are just terrific

- slash is great as well. to be fair with slash, he (and duff) continued to be great on his song all the way to the very last show of 1993.

- no pyros, no keyboards, no bullshit, just the best band ever at the very top of their game

 

===

First night is a great version. - Duffs backing vocals are more noticeable, his mic was mixed with higher volume

izzys vocals are lower in the mix unfortunatelly

 

Axl disappears midway through the song and misses the last verse/rant.

it seems to be on purpose as he clearly runs offstage (and it seems like he nearly takes down some people on his way) 

what did he went to do? to try and get the lyrics to the final part of the song that he just couldnt remember?

more likely get some more "nightrain" backstage!

i have no idea.

thing is axl returns for the last chorus and finishes the song 

the fun thing to notice is that the absence of axl in this last part allows for a closer listen to what the band is doing on that last part of the song.

and this simple part of the song basically sums up everything that is missing on everything that axl and slash did on the last 20 years

its a simple chord progression

that is very dynamic

and goes into some sort of crescendo

these very simple and dynamic chord progression on GNR songs are the perfect "place" for axl to sing and for slash to solo over 

this is baically what is missing in axls and slashs songs on the last 20 years

in this particular song, this simple and rocking chord progression allows axl to sing that infectious last verse/rant with so much gusto and venom

so there we have it, GNR at its best!

 

===

second night version is even better!

 

izzys vocals are superb, he sings a slightly different vocal line (compairing to axls) and it fits and complements axls vocals perfectly -- in a very similar way that izzy is capable to with slash on guitars

funniest (and best) thing about this version is that axls mic fails midway during the song

and izzy sings lead vocals for a couple of verses and for an entire chorus

and it sounds so fucking good

 

axls changes mic midway the song and he doesnt sing the complete last verse/rant

there are some line missing but somehow axl manages to make it sound great anyway!

the final chorus with izzy and axl singing together (with izzys vocals very clear in the mix) is absolutely perfect

and after the last chorus, at the very end of the song, axl goes to Izzy and gives him the microphone

the axl/izzy vocal exchage on the very end of the song is just terrific

it is an axl/izzy fest actually and thats the sound of Guns n Roses (it would never be and still it is not the same without izzy)

all of this makes this my favourite live version of the song

Edited July 9, 2016 by ludurigan

[killuridols]

3 hours ago, nonok said:

It's surreal to me that Izzy would say or write "I'm a cold heartbreaker, fit ta burn and I'll rip your heart in two". Sounds very Axl-ish to me. The rest fits with Izzy's persona, but that line is just...

This^

There's no way Izzy would write such things. Also "when I come home late at night don't ask me where I've been, just count your stars I'm home again" sounds like what Axl would say to an Erin, lol 

How do we know Izzy wrote lyrics here? To me it sounds all Axl's.

[Jane M.]

YCBM is my all time favorite GNR song. It was inspired by Angela McCoy, or am I wrong? LOL

So many women, so many songs, I'm always lost.

[starlight]

17 minutes ago, killuridols said:

This^

There's no way Izzy would write such things. Also "when I come home late at night don't ask me where I've been, just count your stars I'm home again" sounds like what Axl would say to an Erin, lol 

How do we know Izzy wrote lyrics here? To me it sounds all Axl's.

Remember that Izzy wrote the lyrics for Pretty Tied Up or am I wrong? So it might be he wrote part of the song YCBM, both songs are similar for kind of language. But I agree I thought you could be mine was Axl's too, maybe about Erin ....not sure about the verse that says "cocaine tongue" though, was Erin doing drugs?

[rosesandguns]

3 minutes ago, Jane M. said:

YCBM is my all time favorite GNR song. It was inspired by Angela McCoy, or am I wrong? LOL

So many women, so many songs, I'm always lost.

Hahahah, well, this is a bit weird. I just posted to another topic that I just discussed with Angela McCoy like an hour ago before Andy's souncheck in Säkylä, and she said that Izzy wrote YCBM about her after they had broken up. 

[action]

this is the song that made me a fan in the first place. god i love that track.

[killuridols]

4 minutes ago, starlight said:

Remember that Izzy wrote the lyrics for Pretty Tied Up or am I wrong? So it might be he wrote part of the song YCBM, both songs are similar for kind of language. But I agree I thought you could be mine was Axl's too, maybe about Erin ....not sure about the verse that says "cocaine tongue" though, was Erin doing drugs?

No, Erin never did drugs but not all verses have to be about the same person, right? I thought there were lines on it that may sound like things Axl would say but I have no idea how the song was written and if the lyrics are a collaboration between Axl and Izzy or they are all written by one person.

[Jane M.]

4 minutes ago, rosesandguns said:

Hahahah, well, this is a bit weird. I just posted to another topic that I just discussed with Angela McCoy like an hour ago before Andy's souncheck in Säkylä, and she said that Izzy wrote YCBM about her after they had broken up. 

Straight from the source. Ha! Got one right, finally!

[rosesandguns]

Quote

Hey wasted, saw Angela briefly before Andy's tonight show at Säkylä, and Angela was really nice (a bit ad/hd though) and we talked a bit about Guns. She said that Izzy wrote Patience specifically for her during their relationship, and also that Izzy wrote You Could Be Mine about her shortly after they had broken up. She also said that she didn't recall Izzy playing/writing/talking about the song 14 years at all, and she said "I would know if it would be about me, which it isn't". Izzy and she haven't talked in decades. 

Here's my message from that other topic if anyone's interested. That's all we talked about Guns - so I've got nothing more to add on that. 

[starlight]

That is interesting so we finally  have the answer

[Słash]

Great song, It did take me time to like this song, but now its one of my favs, its a great workout track for me, it has so much of energy.

I always saw this song from a POV of Izzy and not Axl cause I knew Izzy wrote it even though Axl is singing.

Somehow I can relate to the song, it can be a mean song for some people, but its basically like FUCK YOU BITCH type of a song. Its mostly for your ex. 

[ManetsUS]

3 hours ago, ludurigan said:

agree 100%

you could be mine is like a perfect song. it has everything, including a great intro, terrific multiple hooks during the whole song and a lovely structure that makes the song improve and improve and improve and you never get tired of it all the way to the end.

there is clearly axl and izzy all over the place on that song. doing their best.

but slashs solos are also lovely and duffs and matt just provide monster rhythms! 

no one could touch these guys 

 

===

 

i love particularly the rio 1991 live versions.

 

there are so many great things about these two versions (compared to the much more known 1992 versions)

- izzy is there and that changes everything. on these particular nights his guitar is high on the mix and you can listen to it clearly. this is GNR! 

- matts drum tone is completely different on these rio 1991 shows (he would never sound like that again)

- no one in the audience knew the song (!)

- axl sings great with terrific voice. at this point he hadnt sung live for basically 2 years and his voice wasnt "torn" like it would become during the US-european tour of 1991

- axl really seems to be into the song (actually to be fair to him he always seemed to be into every GNR song and into every GNR show up to that point. He would slowly but surely lose that bit by bit during the late part of the 1991 tour and he would clearly not have much of that ability to enjoy himself and be loose and "into the song" during the autopilot 1992 tour)

- axl still hadnt developed some annoying maneirisms that he would repeat on each and every live performance of you could be mine in 1992-1993 

- izzys (and duffs!) backing vocals are just terrific

- slash is great as well. to be fair with slash, he (and duff) continued to be great on his song all the way to the very last show of 1993.

- no pyros, no keyboards, no bullshit, just the best band ever at the very top of their game

 

===

First night is a great version. - Duffs backing vocals are more noticeable, his mic was mixed with higher volume

izzys vocals are lower in the mix unfortunatelly

 

Axl disappears midway through the song and misses the last verse/rant.

it seems to be on purpose as he clearly runs offstage (and it seems like he nearly takes down some people on his way) 

what did he went to do? to try and get the lyrics to the final part of the song that he just couldnt remember?

more likely get some more "nightrain" backstage!

i have no idea.

thing is axl returns for the last chorus and finishes the song 

the fun thing to notice is that the absence of axl in this last part allows for a closer listen to what the band is doing on that last part of the song.

and this simple part of the song basically sums up everything that is missing on everything that axl and slash did on the last 20 years

its a simple chord progression

that is very dynamic

and goes into some sort of crescendo

these very simple and dynamic chord progression on GNR songs are the perfect "place" for axl to sing and for slash to solo over 

this is baically what is missing in axls and slashs songs on the last 20 years

in this particular song, this simple and rocking chord progression allows axl to sing that infectious last verse/rant with so much gusto and venom

so there we have it, GNR at its best!

 

===

second night version is even better!

 

izzys vocals are superb, he sings a slightly different vocal line (compairing to axls) and it fits and complements axls vocals perfectly -- in a very similar way that izzy is capable to with slash on guitars

funniest (and best) thing about this version is that axls mic fails midway during the song

and izzy sings lead vocals for a couple of verses and for an entire chorus

and it sounds so fucking good

 

axls changes mic midway the song and he doesnt sing the complete last verse/rant

there are some line missing but somehow axl manages to make it sound great anyway!

the final chorus with izzy and axl singing together (with izzys vocals very clear in the mix) is absolutely perfect

and after the last chorus, at the very end of the song, axl goes to Izzy and gives him the microphone

the axl/izzy vocal exchage on the very end of the song is just terrific

it is an axl/izzy fest actually and thats the sound of Guns n Roses (it would never be and still it is not the same without izzy)

all of this makes this my favourite live version of the song

The times he ran off stage are to snort some blow, I'm pretty sure.

[Jane M.]

How do you go from Patience to YCBM about the same girl? That ended ugly, for sure. 

Steven doesn't have any love for Angela either (it's on his book) but that's a whole different matter, more serious too.

[rosesandguns]

1 hour ago, Jane M. said:

How do you go from Patience to YCBM about the same girl? That ended ugly, for sure. 

Steven doesn't have any love for Angela either (it's on his book) but that's a whole different matter, more serious too.

I haven't read Steven's book but the beef with Angela is probably about the Erin/Heroin-case? McCoy's and Adler's stories about that day are "slightly" different, and even though both sources aren't very trustworthy (especially Andy), it's hard to tell who's telling the truth. I'm not keen on believing either ones versions of that incident, so it's better to leave that case be...

Edited July 9, 2016 by rosesandguns

[wasted]

1 hour ago, Jane M. said:

YCBM is my all time favorite GNR song. It was inspired by Angela McCoy, or am I wrong? LOL

So many women, so many songs, I'm always lost.

Ah, no I thought I solved this one. 

It's true it sounds like Axl but maybe but maybe Izzy wrote the music and chorus but Axl added in his verses and rant? 

 

1 hour ago, ManetsUS said:

The times he ran off stage are to snort some blow, I'm pretty sure.

That would be awesome. 

[pacu44]

There is an interview with slash, somewhere on youtube, that Izzy wrote the music and lyrics. They met with Arnold to pick a song for one of his movies, the original song was not available so Arnold asked for this one after listening to UYI 1 and 2 before the release...

 

Truth from this band, not in this lifetime...

 

When I feel like it, I will find that video and post to this thread.

[BigD62]

I tried the "when I come home late at night don't ask me where I've been, just count your stars I'm home again" line on my wife once. It didn't work so good for me. Lol. One of my favorite GnR songs for sure. Great energy in this song.

Edited July 9, 2016 by BigD62

[PirateRadio]

I'm all for unique performances, but Axl losing sound, forgetting words, and quitting singing doesn't really equate to a great performance for me. I also don't like me favorite yee-haw nascar racer to zoom into first place around turn three only to T bone the wall before the finishline. Disaster - not spectacular. 

[nonok]

I'm still skeptical about the lyrics. Slash said in his book (and other members have mentioned it, too) that Patience is pretty much an Izzy song, but Axl made it into the magical piece that it is. Same with Don't Cry, 14 Years, etc. So while I can totally picture Izzy being all profane and pissed off, he's still a cool cucumber and seems way too disengaged from the in-your-face macho aggressive way of handling things that Axl's infamous for to express himself that way lyrically - Izzy probably did write the majority of the song, but I'm positive Axl had a part in the "cold heartbreaker fit ta burn" line and the whole last verse. 

Of course I could be wrong, but we'll never know till they tell us.

Edited July 10, 2016 by nonok

[wasted]

I think we should all try singing YCBM on youtube and posting it before we criticize 

[Blackstar]

@nonok, @killuridols, I don't agree that the lyrics, at least the first verse, are typical of Axl. Imo he would never literally identify himself as "a cold heartbreaker". He preferred to see himself as the victim. Even in his most aggressive and misogynistic lyrics (e.g. Back Off Bitch, Locomotive), he is the heartbroken part. The "rant" part, yeah, could be him.

Btw, can anyone hear what Axl said in the beginning of this video? It's from the Detroit show. I hear "all that sentimental shit" (?) and "sarcastic" but I can't get the rest.

 

Edited July 10, 2016 by Blackstar

[killuridols]

2 hours ago, Blackstar said:

@nonok, @killuridols, I don't agree that the lyrics, at least the first verse, are typical of Axl. Imo he would never literally identify himself as "a cold heartbreaker". He preferred to see himself as the victim. Even in his most aggressive and misogynistic lyrics (e.g. Back Off Bitch, Locomotive), he is the heartbroken part. The "rant" part, yeah, could be him.

Btw, can anyone hear what Axl said in the beginning of this video? It's from the Detroit show. I hear "all that sentimental shit" (?) and "sarcastic" but I can't get the rest.

 

Maybe. Maybe you're more right than wrong. I think he knows he's always been bad to women so that's why I thought he could describe himself like that but it is true he plays the victim all the time. Like when he talks about his "sad sad love life" being him the first one to blame for it.

yeah, I hear "all that sentimental shit" too and something like "way to fuck up" 

Edited July 10, 2016 by killuridols