Welcome to the Jungle - About NY or LA?

[monkey2233]

Hey everyone - I am frequent reader, infrequent poster.   Anyways.....I was listening to the "GNR Live at the Ritz in New York 1988" (was played often on MTV back in the day) and as Axl is speaking before Welcome to the Jungle, he says the following:

"About 5 or 6 years ago I hitch-hiked here (meaning New York) and ended up stuck out in the middle of this place, climbed up on onto the freeway, and this little old black man comes up to me and my friend with about 10 bucks between us and says "You know where you are??  You're in the jungle baby.   You're gonna dieeeee"

Axl then says "That's a true story, it ain't no lie....so Welcome to the Jungle Ritzzzzz!"  Then the song begins...

Sooo.....I always thought this song was about Axl's first experience in Los Angeles.   But according to Axl's intro at the New York Ritz show, he is referring to New York City.   Can someone clear this up? 


 

[The Rhiad]

He also has his rant in St Louis about him hitch-hiking through there and a dude picks him up and they smoke some pot. Then that dude gets a room and next thing he knew the guy was trying to rape him so he pulled out a blade and had it to his neck. So Id say about any fucked up place hes been.

[GNRfan2008]

Hey everyone - I am frequent reader, infrequent poster.   Anyways.....I was listening to the "GNR Live at the Ritz in New York 1988" (was played often on MTV back in the day) and as Axl is speaking before Welcome to the Jungle, he says the following:

"About 5 or 6 years ago I hitch-hiked here (meaning New York) and ended up stuck out in the middle of this place, climbed up on onto the freeway, and this little old black man comes up to me and my friend with about 10 bucks between us and says "You know where you are??  You're in the jungle baby.   You're gonna dieeeee"

Axl then says "That's a true story, it ain't no lie....so Welcome to the Jungle Ritzzzzz!"  Then the song begins...

Sooo.....I always thought this song was about Axl's first experience in Los Angeles.   But according to Axl's intro at the New York Ritz show, he is referring to New York City.   Can someone clear this up? 


 

The title is taken from that experience, but the actual lyrics sound like they're more about L.A. and the video (something Axl had to have had a hand in) obviously depicts L.A. and not NYC.

[Edward Rose]

Welcome to the Jungle - About NY or LA?

I think it's the kind of song that could be about a number of things, which is why it's used for things like hockey games n' shit.

The trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange
Troops fighting in a war
Politicans fighting in an election
Lawyers in a court room

It's the kind of song that makes a hit a hit. One that allot of people can relate to.

[GNRreunioneventually]

no offence to you man but as soon as i saw the title of this thread i instantly knew n00b

its about LA man

'cause Axl said that when he first came to LA this black dude said "you know where you are?, your in the jungle." And there was a 100 greatest songs that discribe LA and WTTJ was # 1

[doooodickiebr]

no offence to you man but as soon as i saw the title of this thread i instantly knew n00b

its about LA man

'cause Axl said that when he first came to LA this black dude said "you know where you are?, your in the jungle." And there was a 100 greatest songs that discribe LA and WTTJ was # 1

agreed

[FunkyMonkey]

A little bit more here...

Guns N' Roses Welcome To The Jungle has topped a new poll to find the greatest song about Los Angeles.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?topic=40963.0

[GNRforever10]

Axl may have meant to say out there instead of here, WTTJ is speaking of when his friend and him got off the bus in Los Angeles not New York. The song is the California, gritty LA days he meant to say.

[Robman?]

I actually did read somewhere that it was based on an experience in New York. GNRsource.com on the other hand, says LA.

My opinion, LA. Its the logical choice.

[don_vercetti]

Axl probably meant to say "there" or just wanted the NY crowd to feel more involved.  He equally probably had no idea that 19 years on, the most minute of his sayings would be analysed in depth like this...

[redx]

LA

/case closed 


locked

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

Paris,

/case opened.

[Jessica]

Paris,

/case opened.

 

Our own very clown !!

Funniest man of the year 

[redx]

Paris,

/case opened.

In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your
knees, knees
I wanna watch you eat french stick
Washed down with black coffee
You can ride the eiffel tower
But not for free
not for free, not for free

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

come on



THIS is the jungle.

[coeus]

LA no argument.

[BlowUpYourVideo]

Wikipedia says:

the New York incident inspired the lyrics, the song was written in Seattle, and described Los Angeles

I thought it would be comething like that.

[Axl4Prez2004]

come on



THIS is the jungle.

That's obviously not the kind of jungle you'd find in a lot of American cities.  Folks tend to be a little more uptight about nude displays...why, I don't know, but they are.   

I like BlowUpYourVideo's explanation best. 

[axe]

IZZY :  It's about Hollywood streets; true to life.
AXL :  Yeah, I wrote the words in Seattle.  It's a big city, but at the same time it's still a small city compared to L.A. and the things that you're gonna learn.  It seemed a lot more rural up there.  I just wrote how it looked to me. If someone comes to town and they want to find something, they can find whatever they want.
STEVEN :  I like the cowbell part.


Hit Parader #282, March 1988.

I think Steven sums the song up perfectly.

[Skunk]

We need more cowbell!!!