Breakdown

by **Soulmonster** Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:59 am

BREAKDOWN

Album:
Use Your Illusion II, 1991, track no. 7.

Written by:
Axl Rose.

Musicians:
Drums: Matt
Bass: Duff
Lead and Rhythm Guitars / Banjo: Slash
Acoustic Guitar: Izzy
Vocals, Piano: Axl

Live performances:
'Breakdown' was debuted on December 6, 1991 and also played on December 13, 1991. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {BREAKDOWNSONGS} times.

Lyrics:

We all come in from the cold
We come down from the wire
An everybody warms themselves
to a different fire
When sometimes we get burned
You'd think sometime we'd learn
The one you love is the one
That should take you higher
You ain't got no one
You better go back out and find her

Just like children hidin' in a closet
Can't tell what's goin' on outside
Sometimes we're so far off the beaten track
We'll get taken for a ride
By a parlor trick or some words of wit
A hidden hand up a sleeve
To think the one you love
could hurt you now
Is a little hard to believe
But everybody darlin' sometimes
Bites the hand that feeds

When I look around
Everybody always brings me down
Well is it them or me
Well I just can't see
But there ain't no peace to found
But if someone really cared
Well they'd take the time to spare
A moment to try and understand
Another one's despair
Remember in this game we call life
That no one said it's fair

Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Yeah
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Get down with yo' bad self
Alright

I've come to know the cold
I think of it as home
When there ain't enough of me to go around
I'd rather be left alone
But if I call you out of habit I'm out of love and
I gotta have it
Would you give it to me if I fit you needs
Like when we both knew we had it
But now the damage's done
And we're back out on the run
Funny how everything was roses
When we held on to the guns
Just because you're winnin'
Don't mean you're the lucky ones

Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Yeah
Breakdown
Let me hear it now

"There goes the challenger being chased
By the blue blue meanies on wheels
The vicious traffic squad cars are after
our lone driver
The last American hero
The-the electric sintar
The demi-god,
The super driver of the golden west!
Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind
The beautiful lone driver
The police cars are getting closer-closer...
Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile
Yeah baby!
They about to strike, They gonna get him,
Smash! Rape!
The last beautiful free soul on this planet
But...it is written if the Evil Spirit arms the Tiger with claws
Brahman provided wings for the Dove
Thus spake the Super Guru"

"Did you hear that"

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

'Breakdown' definitely has a bit of southern rock feel.

Interview with Axl Rose, 1990-1991?

It is really satisfying to hear that the solo has some emotion. It was done pretty quick.

Guitar Player, December 1991

[...]There is nothing on the record that didn't come out the way we wanted, except maybe the vocal speech at the end of "Breakdown." The mix on the speakers that we did the mastering on was loud enough, but on other sets of speakers it's not. It depends on what stereo you're hearing it on, and we didn't know that.

Metallix 1992

[Talking about the banjo:] I just had this idea that it should sound like that, so I tuned it like a guitar [laughs]. I don't know how to play banjo, are you kidding? I was in bed, sitting there trying to figure it out.

Interview CD, 1992

There were a few songs that were very involved guitar-wise on those albums. 'Estranged' was a big, long song. I used a Les Paul Gold Top on it; I recorded all of the melodies on the rhythm pickup with the tone turned all the way down. 'November Rain' was tough, too, as was another Axl song called 'Breakdown.' Those were all piano driven and they needed accompaniment; the guitar and bass parts had to be thought out and done precisely. Those songs were all pretty fucking cool, I have to say, but they took some work. (...) 'Breakdown' was very complicated as far as getting all of the drum and guitar parts just right back at A & M, as well as the intricate piano changes. It's a complex song, and as much as it sounds like we partied our way through recording, we were very focused when it came to work. That song was hard on Matt especially - he lost it a few times trying to get the drums perfect.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, pp 316-317