Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses

Appetite for Destruction is Guns N’ Roses’ most well-known album. Most of the album is described as grimy with themes of fear and loathing, especially the first song on the album “Welcome to the Jungle''. Many described the music as dystopian, and it was seen as far harsher than the other music in the Rock’n’Roll genre at the time. It is relatively reminiscent of social challenges at the time, and often the songs contain subtle political commentary. Some described the discography as a journey through a dangerous jungle that opens up into something else. One of the songs that break this fearful pattern is a love song, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. This was created out of a musical exercise of arpeggiating which later got adapted with lyrics being added on and got turned into a ‘mushy’ sort of love song, which broke up the harsh nature of some of the other songs. 

Some of the earlier ideas for the artwork of Appetite for Destruction were far more controversial, such as national tragedies or commentary on sexual assault. One of the ideas was about the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy that occurred in 1986. The second iteration was also too controversial. They found a 1978 painting by artist Robert Williams that depicted a woman being sexually assaulted by a robot, however, the artwork was too underground and controversial. They feared that no one would want the art in their home and that Guns N’ Roses would be boycotted if that were the album art. The final iteration of the album was made from a tattoo design by a student, Billy White, Jr., with the only direction being a request for skulls and a cross. This later turned not only into the imagery for the album, but the imagery also became synonymous with the band’s identity.