Mr. Brownstone

"Mr. Brownstone" is a song written by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It appears on their 1987 album Appetite for Destruction. Slash relates that the song was written by him and Izzy Stradlin while they were at Izzy and his girlfriend Desi's apartment. He states that they were sitting around, complaining about being heroin addicts, when they started improvising lyrics and music ("Brownstone" is a slang term for heroin). When they had the lyrics all together, they wrote it down on the back of a grocery bag and brought it to Axl. Slash says the lyrics describe a typical day in the life of Slash and Izzy. He also states that it was the first song the band wrote after getting signed by Geffen Records.^[1]

Mr. Brownstone was the first Guns N' Roses single in the United Kingdom, appearing as a double A-Side, alongside "It's So Easy".

One of two plays by mass murderer Seung-Hui Cho released after the Virginia Tech massacre is named after this song, and includes several references to its lyrics in the dialogue.^[2]

This song exhibits the Bo-Diddley beat originally created by Bo Diddley. This beat is often-used in many rock songs starting from the 1960s. ^[3]

Single Release

Mr. Brownstone was not released as a single worldwide like all the other singles from Appetite For Destruction, it was released as a single only in the UK but was rather known as a B-Side to It's So Easy and Welcome to the Jungle around other parts in the world, it was neglected from their Greatest Hits album possibly due to the fact it was a UK only single.

Live

Although it was never released as a worldwide single, "Mr. Brownstone" is a staple at GN'R concerts. It has been on the setlist at nearly every GN'R concert since 1986 and is usually played early during the set. Velvet Revolver have also played this song live with Izzy Stradlin making a guest apperence.

References