| November Rain | |||||
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| CD, 7", 12" Single by Guns N' Roses | |||||
| Album | Use Your Illusion I | ||||
| Released | February 18, 1992 | ||||
| Recorded | 1990 – 1991 | ||||
| Genre | Power Ballad, Symphonic Rock | ||||
| Length | 8:58 | ||||
| Writers | Axl Rose | ||||
| Label | Geffen Records | ||||
| Producer | Mike Clink, Guns N' Roses | ||||
| Use Your Illusion I chronology | |||||
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"November Rain" is the tenth track from Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I album. It was written by Axl Rose and released as a single in February 1992
Music video[]
The accompanying music video for "November Rain", directed by Andy Morahan, filmed in January 1992[1] was inspired by Del James's short story "Without You", for which he is credited in the long version of the video. The short story portrays a rock star struggling to come to terms with the loss of his girlfriend, who died by suicide (gunshot) after he repeatedly strayed from their relationship. November Rain is one of the most expensive music videos ever.[2]
The video tells a story reminiscent of Without You, and features a live performance footage from Los Angeles' Orpheum Theater.[3] First, in a black-and-white sequence, Rose's character is seen going to bed and taking pills; a bottle of whisky is also visible next to him. The scene, now in color, changes to the wedding of the main characters, played by Rose and his then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour. The other band members are among the many guests.
Slash's character realizes he forgot the wedding rings, when McKagan's character offers his rings as a substitute. After the wedding couple leaves the church, we see the wedding reception which is later interrupted by sudden, heavy rain, causing everyone to run for shelter.
The next scene shows a funeral at the same church. Rose's character grieves at the death of his wife, now inside a casket with a mirrored object obscuring half of her face. A heavy rain falls upon the cemetery when the casket is laid to rest.
A final scene shows Seymour's character back at the wedding, tossing her white bouquet, which turns red in the air and lands on her coffin. Black and white scenes Rose's character's nightmares show a mix of wedding and funeral scenes. The music video ends with Rose's character kneeling beside her grave and the bouquet turns back to white as the rain washes the red color away.
For the outside shots of Slash's first guitar solo, Rose had originally envisioned it taking place in a "cool field". However, since the video was shot in winter, there were no good-looking fields around, and the band decided to film in New Mexico, where they had a church building transported specifically for the shoot.[3] The larger church, for the wedding scenes, is Los Angeles' St. Brendan Catholic Church.[3]
The music videos for "November Rain", "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" form an unofficial trilogy of sorts. While never specifically confirmed by the band, Del James' short story "Without You" served as inspiration for the video, and received recognition in the video's end credits.
In July 2018, the music video became the first video created prior to YouTube to surpass one billion views.[4][5] In February 2023, the music video reached another milestone after it surpassed two billion views and remaining the oldest song (from the early 1990s) to achieve that feat.[6]
On November 4, 2022, the same performance as the original video is published on YouTube, but resynced with the newly recorded, with a real 50-piece orchestra, conducted and arranged by Christopher Lennertz.[7] The track was mixed by Steven Wilson replacing the sampled sounds used on the original mix.[8][9] This music video was released to promote the Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe Edition) box set.[10]