Welcome to the Jungle

"Welcome to the Jungle"
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Appetite for Destruction
B-side	"Mr. Brownstone"
Released	October 3, 1987
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, 12" picture disc, CD
Recorded	12 March 1987
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal[1]
Length	4:31
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Axl Rose, Slash
Producer	Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"It's So Easy" (1987) "Welcome to the Jungle" (1987) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1988)
Appetite for Destruction track listing "Welcome to the Jungle" (1) "It's So Easy" (2) Greatest Hits track listing "Welcome to the Jungle" (1) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (2) Audio sample file info · help

"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. It was released as the band's second single on October 3, 1987 and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart^[2] and number sixty-seven on the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In the United Kingdom, "Welcome to the Jungle" was backed with a live cover of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie", while in the United States the B-side was "Mr. Brownstone" from Appetite for Destruction. The 12" vinyl and 12" picture disc editions of the single also featured "Whole Lotta Rosie", in addition to live versions of "It's So Easy" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". In 2009 it was named the greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.^[4]

Background and composition

"Welcome to the Jungle" was the first song co-written by lead vocalist Axl Rose and lead guitarist Slash. According to an interview published by Hit Parader in March 1988, "[Axl] wrote the words in Seattle. It's a big city, but at the same time it's still a small city compared to [Los Angeles] and the things that you're gonna learn. It seemed a lot more rural up there. [Axl] just wrote how it looked to [him]. If someone comes to town and they want to find something, they can find whatever they want."^[5] Hit Parader also quoted rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin as summarising the song as "about Hollywood streets; true to life."^[6]

Slash describes the development of the music of "Welcome to the Jungle" in his self-titled autobiography. As the band was trying to write new material, Axl remembered a riff Slash had played while he was living in the basement of Slash's mother's house. He played it and the band quickly laid down the foundations for the song, as Slash kept on coming up with new guitar parts for it. He credits Duff McKagan as coming up with the breakdown. According to Slash, the song was written in approximately three hours.^[7]

The line "Welcome to the Jungle" was also featured in the 1984 song "Underwater World" by the Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, whom Axl Rose has cited as the biggest influence of Guns'N'Roses. The songs have also similar tone and similar use of fifths (power chords).

Music video

In spite of the early morning airtime, the song's music video caught viewers' attention and quickly became MTV's most requested video. The video in question begins with a shot of Axl Rose disembarking a bus in New York and a drug dealer (Izzy) is seen trying to sell his merchandise while Axl rejects it. Slash can be seen briefly, sitting against a wall and drinking from a clear glass bottle in a brown paper bag. As Axl stops to watch a television through a store window, clips of the band playing live can be seen. By the end of the video Axl has transformed into a city punk, wearing the appropriate clothing, after going through a process similar to the Ludovico technique.

During an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine about the music video, the Guns N' Roses then-manager Alan Niven said that he "came up with the idea of stealing from three movies: Midnight Cowboy, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Clockwork Orange."^[8]

Reception

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2008)

"Welcome to the Jungle" has been featured in many music lists relating in some way to 'greatest songs': Martin Popoff included the song at number nineteen his book The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time;^{[citation needed]} it was ranked the second "greatest metal song " by VH1;^[9] it appeared at #467 on Rolling Stone' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list^[10], it appeared as number seven hundred and sixty-four on Q's "1001 Best Songs Ever" chart;^[6] and the song was named the "greatest song about Los Angeles" in a poll in Blender.^{[citation needed]} In 2009, it was named the greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.^[4]

Cover versions

• Parody band Big Daddy recorded a mashup cover for their 1991 album Cutting Their Own Groove.
• Grindcore band Hewhocorrupts covered this song on their 2004 album The Discographer.
• Crossover thrash/metalcore band Zombie Apocalypse recorded a cover for the 2004 tribute compilation Bring You To Your Knees - A Tribute to Guns 'n Roses.
• Richard Cheese covered the song in lounge music style for his 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction.
• Freedom Dub recorded a chill out rendition of the song for the 2006 tribute compilation Bossa n' Roses.
• John 5 recorded an instrumental cover of "Welcome to the Jungle" for his 2007 album The Devil Knows My Name.
• Japanese punk pop band Rocket K recorded a cover of the song. An audio sample can be heard on their official MySpace page.^[11]

Live Performances

During Guns N' Roses concerts, "Welcome to the Jungle" is usually played first as an introduction, live versions are very popular, and this song was always played during the Appetite For Destruction and Use Your Illusion Tours. The song is featured on the band's live compilation, Live Era: '87-'93.

Live cover performances

• The song was used as the concert introduction during concerts in Shakira's world tour, the Tour of the Mongoose. The song would then die down to a violin, which would play an Arabian tune. The violin would stop, the music would build up, and Shakira's hit song, Ojos Asi, would begin.
• Australian rock band Mammal frequently cover "Welcome to the Jungle" live, incorporating the first verse and chorus of the song as part of their own song "Inciting".
• Pink performed the song at her 2003's Try This Tour.

Legacy

"Welcome to the Jungle" has made its place as one of Guns N' Roses most popular songs and is considered a classic anthem of the eighties. The music video is considered one of the best videos made by the band and has won many awards. It might possibly be the lead single from Appetite For Destruction. The Music Video was very popular on MTV and many other music channels and it has so far been Guns N' Roses second most requested video on MTV after November Rain, it is very successful on radios and has entered the Rock'N Roll Hall of fame.

In 2009, the readers of Rolling Stone magazine rated it the greatest sports anthem.^[12]

Sampling

• Samples from the song were used in the drum & bass track "Smash TV" by Chase & Status.

Appearances/References in computer & video games

• In the video game Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories, the character Axel makes a reference to the song where he states, "Welcome to the Colosseum; we've got fun and games!"
• The song is playable in a beta of the music video game Rock Band.
• The song is a master track in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, where you play it with Slash after beating him in a boss battle with an originally-composed track by him.
• There is a quest in World of Warcraft in the Stranglethorn Vale called "Welcome to the Jungle"
• The song was in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as a song on the radio. The song was also played during the trailer for the game.

Appearances in other media

• The first major usage of the song was in the movie The Dead Pool.
• The song is played during the opening credits of 1989 Lean on me starring Morgan Freeman.
• The song appears two times on the 1997 biographical movie Selena first in the scene where Suzette (Jackie Guerra) and Deborah (Seidy Lopez) are giving Chris Perez (Jon Seda) his haircut, then it plays in the scene where Chris and his friends trash up the hotel room, where Selena and her bandmembers and family were staying at, only to be stopped by two security guards.
• In the film The Kingdom a team of FBI agents travel to Saudi Arabia. Jennifer Garner's character jokes to a colleague played by Jason Bateman, "You're in the jungle now" to which he replies "Thank you Axl"
• The song has been used four times in The Simpsons. It has been featured in "Marge on the Lam" (when Marge was going out with Ruth), "Eight Misbehavin'" (when Apu's children are being exploited), "Skinner's Sense of Snow" and "Mobile Homer" (when Bart and Lisa are partying with Homer in his new RV). Also, in "Bart Has Two Mommies", Ned Flanders sings a parody of the song while padding his backyard so that his sons Rod and Todd do not get hurt by playing. In the episode "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star", Homer says 'Welcome to the Jungle, Kevin'. In the episode "Waverly Hills 9021 D-OH!" Homer is greeted by 2 dudes and they tell him, "Welcome to the Jungle".
• The song is played at the beginning of every third segment of the hour for the American sports radio talk show The Jim Rome Show. The show is often referred to as "The Jungle".
• The song appears in the theatrical trailer (both red-band and green-band) for the 2008 movie Death Race.
• The music video for this song was reviewed on a Canadian show Video on Trial.

this song has made #1 on VH1 best hard rock song countdown

Appearances in professional sports media

• In 2009, the readers of Rolling Stone magazine rated it the greatest sports anthem.^[13]
• The song is played before any opponent's third down attempt at the University of Connecticut football games at Rentschler Field.
• The song is played right before tipoff of Syracuse Orange basketball games at the Carrier Dome.
• The song is often heard during Cincinnati Bengals home games due to the teams home stadium, Paul Brown Stadium's jungle-esque theme. The stadium's nickname is "The Jungle".
• The song is also played at the beginning of virtually every game in the National Lacrosse League.
• The song is played as an introduction for the Minnesota Vikings during every home game.
• The Manchester Monarchs use the song as an introduction at their home games.
• The Philadelphia Eagles play the song during kick off at their home games.
• The Saskatchewan Roughriders play the song right before and during kickoff.
• "Welcome to the Jungle" was used as a theme song for professional wrestler Mick Foley. ^[14]
• The Auburn University football team plays the opening riffs of the song at every home game. It is usually played whenever the visiting team is in a down and long scenario, but mostly used on third down to pump the crowd up to help the defense.
• The song is played frequently at the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders home games.
• The song is played by the New York Jets at every home game during player introductions.
• The song is played at the beginning of Pittsburg State University sporting events. (The school's mascot is a Gorilla)
• The song is played frequently by the New England Patriots.
• Éric Gagné used it when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2002-2005.
• The Utah Jazz use this song for the beginning of the first quarter.
• The song is frequently played in the Rose Garden, during Portland Trail Blazers games in the last minute of the game. The Boston Celtics also play the song in a similar practice, particularly in the playoffs. The TD Banknorth Garden is aptly called "The Jungle" as a result.
• The song is played at every Bloomington Prarie Thunder hockey game.
• The song is played at every Gold Coast Titans(NRL) home games as their entrance song.
• The song is played at Castleford Tigers(Super League) home games as their entrance song their stadium is also called The Jungle.
• The song is also used at lots of other rugby league games at the Wests Tigers, New Zealand Warriors and other teams in the NRL.
• This song is played at Orlando Predators games when the team is running out onto the field, referring to the predators hunting "In The Jungle". It is also played after every Predators score.
• The song is the Theme song of the South Lyon Lions. There Football Stadium being referred to as "The Jungle".
• The song is played right before tip off of St. John's University basketball games at Madison Square Garden and Carnesecca Arena.
• The song was used by TNA Wrestling during the 2008 UK Tour to hype up the crowd before the event started.
• The song was played during Rich Franklin's entrance to UFC 77.
• The song was used as Seth Green's entrance theme during the WWE Raw show on July 13th, 2009.
• The Dallas Cowboys play it at there new staduim Cowboys Staduim
• The song was also included at the game Guitar Hero III:Legends of Rock.

Other uses

• This song was nominated for the official Season 4 Intro Contest for Jones Jeans Jones at jonesjeans.piczo.com
• Welcome to the Jungle was one of many hard rock songs used by Task Force Ranger during the invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) in 1989. It was used as part of a psychological warfare operation to drive Manuel Noriega from the Vatican Embassy.
• Welcome to the Jungle is played over the intercom system at the beginning and end of the school day at Coweta High School in Coweta, OK, on game days.

References in literature, film and TV

• The song is mentioned by the character Kareem on the Goosebumps episode "How I Got My Shrunken Head", since it takes place in the jungle of Baladora.
• The phrase "Welcome to the Jungle" is used as one of the taglines for the 1989 film "Meet the Feebles".
• The pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer was named "Welcome to the Hellmouth" after the song.^{[citation needed]}
• The 2007 horror film Welcome to the Jungle borrows it's title from the Guns N' Roses song of the same name.
• The premiere two-parter of Power Rangers Jungle Fury is entitled "Welcome to the Jungle."
• In Pineapple Express, Saul says "You're in the jungle now, baby" before punching Rosie Perez's character.
• The title of the first of the new set of graphic novels in the Dresden Files book series, by author Jim Butcher from Independence, MO, is called "Welcome to the Jungle."
• Comedian Dane Cook said, "Welcome to the Jungle baby your gonna DIE!" in his 2006 HBO stand up show Dane Cook: Vicious Circle.

Track listings

References

External links

• "Welcome to the Jungle" music video at VH1 Classic