One in a million

[axl_rose_700]

I know this has been discussed alot before but I was wondering about people's opinion's on One in a million!?

Do you think that Axl was/is a disgrace for recording it? Does it offend you, or can you see what Axl is trying to say, but he just picked a poor choice of words?! This is personally what I think, I know what it's like to say something and people interpreting their own way and then no matter what you say to try and explain yourself they don't accept it, they just stick with what they think and ignore what you have to say!

Also, what do you think to Slash's contribution to the song, as we know Slash is mixed race and on the BTM he said it was 'unsettling' (I think) when Axl started to use the word nigger. Now personally if I was Slash ( I wish  ) then I wouldn't have recorded my part for the song if I felt that strongly about it, I would just have refused.

Your thoughts...

[Eva GnRAxlRosette]

I don't think Axl was/is a disgrace for recording it.
The song does not offend me - I know what Axl meant.
The references are in relation to his personal experiences
He made the song in a more joking manner / style but the way the band did their parts made Axl have to change the way he meant to deliver the song vocally which made it come across more seriously than was intended.

Axl has commented on this song many times - in interviews and in concert also.
Once comment he made that has stuck with me was how he said that he understood that it was too easily misinterpreted.  and I agree on that.  Its like art which features nudity - obscene or art?  Very subjective.

As for Slash, yeah - I agree.  I don't see that he was forced to play on it.
And the use of the word "nigger" - in my opinion - in and of itself does not make something rascist towards black persons.  But anyway, its not like Axl changed the lyrics and threw that in there behind Slash's back.  If it disturbed him then he shoulda been disturbed about it since the first time they played the song and Axl used the word.  The song was played live before it was released... at least that's what I recall.  I had a bootleg of it being performed... man I can't remember the place - some small club in NYC..? that was before LIES came out.   And even if the first time he heard the lyric "nigger" was in the studio, I agree, he should have refused to play on the track if he found it offensive.  I think that him making the comment after the fact was just a case of him trying to cover his own ass.  Too little too late in my opinion to be taken seriously.

[SADIS]

"One In A Million" is my all time favorite GNR song together with "Estranged".

I think the song is brilliant. People who are falling over the fact that he uses some "racist" or "discriminating" words should look at the perspective of the song. It's based on what he has gone through.

Damn, if I was a rockstar I would sing that song every set I did. Not because I'm a racist but because it showcases just how people are. You don't think a black person ever discriminates? You don't think immigrants are being rude buy treating people as if they don't belong in their own country?

I live in Holland, and do get bored of the "niggers/gangsta's" who come up in my face trying to show me how "cool" they are. Or try to rip my mobile or the money I got for my birthday from my parents (yes I've been robbed twice). And yes, I would call them niggers because that's what they call themselves in the video's. I am sick of all the people coming from Afghanistan, Iran, Irak etc. and act as if I'm the devil himself for living with Western values. And I'm sick of the Immigrants (especially Muslims) acting as if I don't belong in my own neighbourhood/country. And yes, I am gay but I don't understand why more gay men are having unprotected sex and spreading some fucking disease. I do hate religion and certainly don't need it, as it seems it only makes the world a more bad place. And I really don't watch much TV and all I care for is making my living.

See, for me the song is exactly how I feel. But Axl was world famous and couldn't express it? Come on man! He showed me that it's ok to have those feelings and as he stated, it's not how he feels all day, it's just how he felt some things. It's not as if he wanted us to be nazi's, he just expressed how he felt at that time. Nothing more. Should that just be ignored and wiped under the rug?

no, for me that song is so beautiful because of all the facts other people say it's wrong. It's as real as it can get.

[PhillyRiot]

It is a great song.  I love the sound of the electric guitar blended wioth the acoustic guitar, and Axl belts out a non-politically correct classic.  Old school GNR at its best if you ask me.

[norway]

love the sound, and the lyrics is very powerfull+ axl "JUST TRYING TOO MAKE IT ME"-part
 the whispering end... wow

[SADIS]

love the sound, and the lyrics is very powerfull+ axl "JUST TRYING TOO MAKE IT ME"-part
 the whispering end... wow

Ehm......."JUST TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET"

[chinesedemocracy05]

Sadis is totally right its one of their best and definately the best song on lies if people overlook the one racist thing Axl said (Patience is a close second)

[Dead N' Bloated]

All I gotta say is FUCK POLITICAL CORECTNESS

[AxemanOnFire]

I don't like the lyrics because I think it was Axl courting controversy. He knew he'd sell loads more EPs if there was a Mothers against Guns n' Roses type of thing happening. That said, I think it's a musically cool song, with a catchy acoustic riff.

[Sakib]

And I'm sick of the Immigrants (especially Muslims) acting as if I don't belong in my own neighbourhood/country.

hey im muslim.wot do we eva do fuck ur life up. by the way, im a new gn'r fan and i cant find one in a million on the version of lies cuz its been erased. n e 1 no where i can find it

[norway]

love the sound, and the lyrics is very powerfull+ axl "JUST TRYING TOO MAKE IT ME"-part
 the whispering end... wow

Ehm......."JUST TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET"

ops good song

is it omitted from the cd's now? my cd's has it

[erose]

one in a million is so fucking brilliant it's not even funny! by far the best acustic guitarsolo i've ever heard too so i think slash was kind of into it ...

i think it says it all if SADIS is not offended by the song, those who are can fuck off and go buy something from the new age section btw...

it was played live once or twice, once in new york city at a small legendary club called CBGB's back in 88 if i remember correctly, the other i don't know.

i know axl said he was going to take the song off feauture pressings, but never thought he actually did.

it's like this, if a white person robbed me i would call him all the nasty things i could come up with, why should it be different with a black person or a muslim or a gay dude???

as for the muslim thing, i totaly agree with SADIS again, don't tell me muslims are good at adapting to the places they move too, they are not! would i adapt if i moved to a muslim country, i don't know, but if i didn't what else could i expect than fucking hostility and not friendlyness??? hell, i might even get stoned to death for having sex outside marrige.... how fucking clever is that!

and don't get me started on americans 

peace and love everyone, one in a million fuckn' rocks! 

[Sakib]

as for the muslim thing, i totaly agree with SADIS again, don't tell me muslims are good at adapting to the places they move too, they are not! would i adapt if i moved to a muslim country, i don't know, but if i didn't what else could i expect than fucking hostility and not friendlyness??? hell, i might even get stoned to death for having sex outside marrige.... how fucking clever is that!

and don't get me started on americans

peace and love everyone, one in a million fuckn' rocks!

wot a load of toss man. im muslim and i'm fine.in a muslim country, they'll only treat like psychos if theyr psychologically mad. i aint don nothing

[erose]

as for the muslim thing, i totaly agree with SADIS again, don't tell me muslims are good at adapting to the places they move too, they are not! would i adapt if i moved to a muslim country, i don't know, but if i didn't what else could i expect than fucking hostility and not friendlyness??? hell, i might even get stoned to death for having sex outside marrige.... how fucking clever is that!

and don't get me started on americans

peace and love everyone, one in a million fuckn' rocks!

wot a load of toss man. im muslim and i'm fine.in a muslim country, they'll only treat like psychos if theyr psychologically mad. i aint don nothing

i know you haven't and thats my point. Like the film director who got shot and murdered in Holland, and like the two buildings who got smashed a few years ago, shit like that give muslims a bad name...

and a week ago there was this demonstration(in oslo) which was about "muslims against terror and religious fundamentalism" or something like that and only 300 met up out of 30 000 or so, what does that tell you...

again, nothing personal, i just have a bad habbit of cutting all over one coam or how you say it. i'd me more than happy to be prooven wrong and so on, but i guess it's kind of hard.... only time can do so i guess...

[Bad_Apple]

the song is amazing!  all the accustics on that are brilliant (you're crazy is one of my top 10 songs!)

the lyrics themselves are kwel....but what do I know....I'm a white female.  But then, why don't we talk about the song "back off bitch"....isn't that offensive twds women? (At first I hated BOB, and still now don't care for it....bc I don't like the negative condentation of  the word "bitch".)

I feel if I was gay or black, I would resent this song. I mean, I "idolize" the band, and by them (more specifically axl) saying those words would hurt me.  On the other hand, if I didn't give a flyin f*ck about the band, then I would say, "screw em".  So musically the song rocks, and lyrically the song is good, except it is offensive, no doubt.  However, what about artistic freedom? What about Emenem and his words about gays and his ideas of screwing his moma!?  Same old story.....right?

I think an artist has rights to express themselves, and it was defiately risky for axl to say what he said.  but thats what gnr was about---risks/danger.

I personally wouldn't sing/write those words (I don't agree with his small-minded opinion).  however, look where he came from: Hicksville.  Not that it's an excuse for his words.  When I read interviews for his reasoning behind the words, it's pretty lame.  He uses lame excuses, and it's probably the only time I think he sounds uneducated. 

Slash on the other hand probably got a lot of flack since he is biracial.  He proably just didn't have the balls to speak up----I mean Axl was "the boss"...right?  (haha)....  plus Slahs isn't too confrontational, he seems more laid back.  I personally feel bad that ppl always bug him about it.

I hope Axl has grown (and I'm sure he has) and sees the world differently....that the world isn't "out ta get him"....

(interestingly enough his new song---Madagascar, is it?---contains lines from "misissipi burning" which is about racial inequality.  And on tour during that song would feature Martin Luther King in the back drop.  Interesting---have we come full circle, Axl?)

[Sakib]

CAN ANY1 PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET THAT SONG? MY COMPUTER CRASHES WITH KAZAA EVRYTIME I DOWNLOAD IT AND ITS NOT ON THE COPY OF LIES IN THE SHOPS HERE NOW.

also, slash probably new that the lyrics werent intended to be racist n e way which is why he said nothing. i saw it on a documentary.

look at god save the queen by sex pistols. offensive 2 da queen of uk calling her a facist and god no's wot the hell but they still produce copies of that song.

[erose]

i recently got rid of kazaa and installed lime wire because of a recomandation from a friend, i really recomend that you do that if you want some new gn'r stuff. all you need to search for is one in a million and it will pop up as number two! 

www.limewire.com

[Wooody]

CAN ANY1 PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET THAT SONG?

how about in the album called lies ? I'm a big downloader myself and have over 50 gb of music. But not buying a gnr album is blasphemy. Shame on you.


as for one in a million:


January 15th, 2000: Editorial: Why Axl Shouldn't Pull 'One in a Million'
Axl Rose intends on yanking the controversial track from future pressings of Gn'R Lies because of misinterpretation
So here we are. Officially 9 years beyond the last Guns n' Roses full length studio album (of original material), and Axl is back. This time preparing us for a new Gn'R sound through a series of carefully placed interviews that tell us very little other than that the new album, tentatively titled Chinese Democracy, won't be a techno feast, nor a traditional Gn'R effort. Perhaps somewhere in the middle. But really, who knows at this point. Whatever Axl does do, it will surely be controversial and potentially thought provoking. Whether it be diehard old school rockers rejecting the new material or the PC crowd's inevitable content watch, the album is bound to cause a stir.
Yet, in a move that seems to go against the very core of Axl Rose's uncompromising vision, he is deciding to pull the controversial track "One in a Million" from future Gn'R Lies pressings, starting in February. Axl sites that the song is "too easily misinterpreted." For the few who aren't aware, the mostly acoustic tune is sung from the perspective of a bigot who refers to races and sexual orientations in a crude, highly offensive manner. Those who actually listen to the song realize that Axl is dramatically attacking the bigot by demonstrating how ridiculous and frustrated he/she must be to think that way. They are a troubled soul he is telling us. Naturally, the song's intent and message did not resonate with the political minded who refused to actually "get" the song. Of course, Axl didn't help his situation by consistently landing himself in altercation after altercation whether it be with fans or press (or bandmates). He, himself, was a character. Perhaps the lines were blurred with those who couldn't separate his hostility from the "characters" in his songs. But to analyze Axl Rose any further would be condescending and futile to say the least. He knows who is better than I ever will.
My concern is with the retraction of "One in a Million." While Axl recently stated in a Rolling Stone interview that this is part of a move to be more positive, I can't help but believe that he is giving the impression that the song was indeed negative to begin with. It is disturbing, that's for sure. But so was the WW II film Saving Private Ryan, but ultimately, it's purpose was to educate and give us a glimmer of what that world meant. Isn't that what Axl was trying to do with "One in a Million"? Bowing down doesn't fit Axl well. Even amidst his new "positive" attitude, he admits some of the material on the new album will be aimed at telling his side of the ugly breakup between him and model Stephanie Seymour in hopes that her boy grows up to "hear the truth."
I guess my beef comes with bending to those who criticize before they understand. Ironically, Axl was putting down that very characteristic in "Million." Besides, the song is legitimately moving and well written musically. It is also a part of popular history. Will Gn'R Lies really be the same without it? Come to think of it, "Used to Love Her" ought to be ripped from the disc too. If lyrics like "I used to love her but I had to kill her... She bitched so much, she drove me nuts" are taken as literally as "Million", then it too has to go doesn't it?
Perhaps another solution to the misunderstanding would be appropriate. Why not print an additional inlet card for the CD package that states the purpose and meaning of the song? Or perhaps write on the package itself, in parenthesis "this song is intended to be a characterization and not a reflection of the artists' views"? Instead of taking away your art, add to it Axl. Educate those who listen with muddy ears by giving them the insight to get something from it other than misguided anger.
By Brian Coles
source: electricbasement.com

[erose]

CAN ANY1 PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET THAT SONG?

how about in the album called lies ? I'm a big downloader myself and have over 50 gb of music. But not buying a gnr album is blasphemy. Shame on you.

dude, read his posts, one in a million is not on his version of lies..... or did i maybe read his post wrong

 

[willow]

The song was and still is brilliant!! I remember when it came out and people were making such a fuss about it. I was just a teen and I got it. Axl had a great idea, its just that people are so negative. They just don't get it!!
Take it for what it is!!!!