Patience

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"Patience"
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album G N' R Lies
Released	1989
Format	vinyl cassette
Genre	Rock
Length	5:56
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Izzy Stradlin
Producer	Guns N' Roses Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
Paradise City (1989) Patience (1989) "Civil War" (1990)

"Patience" is a song by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which appears on the album G N' R Lies and was released as a single in 1988. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song is played using three acoustic guitars, and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. A music video of the song was shot and appears on the band's music video DVD, Welcome to the Videos. The music and lyrics were written by rhythm guitarist and founding member, Izzy Stradlin.

The motivation for the track is generally accepted to be the troublesome relationship between Axl Rose and now ex-wife Erin Everly, though this was never stated in the album or interviews. It has been stated by the band that Izzy wrote the song about his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy. Other points of view point to the video and suggest it is about failed relationships in general. In the video, the band members are situated in a hotel where they are the only constant images, and all other people are present for a moment, then fade away. More recently fans have taken another view on the song, as now Rose is the only remaining member from the original lineup. In an ironic and precognitive twist, the final parts of the video show Rose sitting alone in his home watching older Guns N' Roses videos in what appears to be a sad and lonely state.

The video, directed by Nigel Dick, was one of many produced by the band. It was the last video in which Steven Adler (even though he did not play on the track) appeared, and the last before the Use Your Illusion videos. The hotel depicted in the video was inoperative and scheduled for demolition, which took place days after filming.

Cover versions

• A jazz cover version by Sawa Kobayashi was included on the 2005 compilation Jazz And 80s.
• A chill out cover of the song by Sixth Finger featuring Dew was included on the 2006 tribute compilation Bossa n' Roses.

Live performances

"Patience" has been a very stable part of the guns n roses setlist during their concerts of all their tours ever since it's release, only very few shows have ever been played without it. When being performed it would usually be played with electric guitars instead of acoustic, despite having no drums on this song, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum would both make active use of their drum kit when performing this song, and pianoist Dizzy Reed would be making active use on the keyboard as well, this continued with the current lineup. However as of two shows into the "Chinese Democracy Tour" 2009/10 "Patience" has not at all been performed yet making all songs from GN'R Lies to have an absense. A live version from the 1992 performance in Tokyo is avalible on the double live album "Live Era 87-93" which the performance was also released on dvd which was released in two parts which "Patience" is featured during the first half of the concert.

Live cover performances

• In 2006, country singer Carrie Underwood began performing the song in her concerts, also in a four-acoustic-guitar arrangement, while remarking to audiences that she had grown up listening to Guns N' Roses.
• Velvet Revolver & Finger Eleven have covered the song during live performances in 2007
• Brian McFadden has covered the song on Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks.
• Aaron Lewis from Staind covered the song several times when doing acoustic concerts.
• John Mayer and Maroon 5 often covered the song on their 2003 summer tour together. Both bands (a total of 12 acoustic guitars) played at the same time.