Rocket Queen

by **Soulmonster** Wed 4 Aug 2010 - 21:57

ROCKET QUEEN

Album:
Appetite for Destruction, 1987, track no. 12.

Written by:
Lyrics: Axl Rose.
Music: Duff McKagan and Slash.

Musicians:
Vocals: Axl Rose; lead guitar: Slash; rhythm guitar: Izzy Stradlin; bass: Duff McKagan; drums: Steven Adler.

Live performances:
The song was played live for the first time on September 20, 1986, at The Troubadour, USA. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {ROCKETSONGS} times.

Lyrics:

If I say I don't need anyone
I can say these things to you
'Cause I can turn on any one
Just like I turned on you
I've got a tongue like a razor
A sweet switchblade knife
And I can do you favors
But then you'll do whatever I like

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young
But honey I ain't naive

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen oh yeah
I might be too much
But honey you're a bit obscene

I've seen everything imaginable
Pass before these eyes
I've had everything that's tangible
Honey you'd be surprised
I'm a sexual innuendo
In this burned out paradise
If you turn me on to anything
You better turn me on tonight

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young
But honey I ain't naive

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen oh yeah
I might be too much
But honey you're a bit obscene

I see you standing
Standing on your own
It's such a lonely place for you
For you to be

If you need a shoulder
Or if you need a friend
I'll bee here standing
Until the bitter end

No one needs the sorrow
No one needs the pain
I hate to see you
Walking out there
Out in the rain
So don't chastise me
Or think I, I mean you harm
Of those that take you
Leave you strung out
Much too far
Baby-yeah

Don't ever leave me
Say you'll always be there
All I ever wanted
Was for you
To know that I care

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

Writing the song:

[...] as we developed songs, we put a lot of emphasis on anything that veered away from the main melody - we all felt that diverging from a good tune was only justifiable if the other part was just as good. That meant we rejected cookie-cutter songwriting that demanded bridges for bridges' sake and strictly delineated between verses and choruses. Instead we only went places we really felt strongly about. There's a reason the codas in songs like 'Rocket Queen,' 'Paradise City,' or 'Patience' sound so distinctive - we didn't feel compelled to add them; we were just so excited about certain ideas that, working together, day after day, we found ways to incorporate them.

Duff's autobiography, "It's So Easy", 2011, p. 96-97

I wrote this song for this girl who was gonna have a band and she was gonna call it Rocket Queen. She kinda kept me alive for a while. The last part of the song is my message to this person, or anybody else who can get something out of it. It's like there's hope and a friendship note at the end of the song. For that song there was also something I tried to work out with various people - a recorded sex act. It was somewhat spontaneous but premeditated; something I wanted to put on the record.

Hit Parader, March 1988

'Rocket Queen' was inspired by a riff I came up with when I first met Duff. It was one of the more complicated arrangements on what became our album, mostly because we had to integrate the riff with Axl's more melodic chorus. The song is based on our mutual friend Barbie, who even at eighteen had a notorious reputation.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York

That was a riff I had when Duff and I first hooked up. We had a band together with Steven way before Guns started. We had that riff, and at some point I brought it back into the band. The chorus was something that Axl had been working on that had nothing to do with the rest of the song, but we somehow managed to incorporate it.

It was a pretty interesting operation because the chorus was in a completely different key. I remember when we played it live I would have my roadie bring me my slide, but by the time that song came up in the set, he'd be drunk. And by the time he got it on my finger, the solo section would be over [laughs]. It was very Spinal Tap.

Guitar Edge Magazine, March 2007

Oh, but there's a song on the album, a really cool riff-based song called Rocket Queen, and the origins of that came from Road Crew—that was Duff, Steven and me.

Leslie West interviews Slash, August 2017

Introducing the song:

We got a brand new for you. This isn't much, but it's the best I can do. This song is for Barbie. This is 'Rocket Queen'.

The Troubadour, September 20, 1985

I wanna dedicate this song, like I always do, to a person who helps me make it through every time it takes to get to another fucking show. Helps keep me alive. This song is for Barbie, it's called 'Rocket Queen'.

The Troubadour, February 28, 1986

This is basic instruction on how to be a bitch and get away with it in style. This is called ' Rocket Queen'.

Gazzarri's, May 31, 1986

Talking about the song:

I normally don't think about [the creative process]. I go in and sort of adapt. When I'm practising at home, I like to play a lot of chromatic stuff. I stop in between different notes and come up with different ideas and stuff. I'll play however many notes in succession, and all of a sudden I'll catch four and realise there's something there...and I'll start fucking with that. Rocket Queen is indicative of that approach - basically just sitting around and playing, maybe zoning out, watching TV and playing guitar at the same time. All of a sudden, the ear catches something. Welcome To The Jungle has a lot of that, too. It's more or less the same kind of way I've always written; if I'm just tying notes together, not really paying attention, when you catch onto something you start there and begin working on an actual tune.

Total Guitar, January 1997

A true Spinal Tap moment was when we performed at Wembley in London (UK) back in July 2006. We’re doing the intro to 'Rocket Queen' and we suddenly see the crew bringing out these low long platforms on either end of the stage and we’re looking at each other like “What the hell are they doing?”. We head into the main part of the song and the crew comes back out and takes them away. We were a bit baffled by that. Then we noticed there were about two dozen ‘little people’ dressed up in red and blue outfits hangin’ out along the wall back stage. Turns out that management wanted us to play an extended intro to 'Rocket Queen' and have all the li’l folks get on the mini-stages behind us and dance throughout. Just nobody told us. A little breakdown in communication, so yeah that’s a Spinal Tap moment, haha.

Alternative Matter, April 2011

by **Soulmonster** Tue 31 Jul 2012 - 23:03

The Spinal Tap song.

by **Soulmonster** Sun 2 Jan 2022 - 9:24

It was actually written before [one of Slash’s early bands] Road Crew, which was way before Guns started.

Revolver Magazine, November 17, 2011

by **Soulmonster** Fri 17 Feb 2023 - 20:08

Barbie Von Greif saying she helped Axl write the lyrics:

It's been published before that Rocket Queen was co-written by me. The original song was written for my band to do. And it is the only song I ever helped him with that I wanted [?]. [?] Axl trying to write. Axl would be sitting on my couch saying, "What do you think of this?" I'd say, "That sucks, let's do this." It was a couple of friends, you know, both of us [?] writing. Any song assistance I gave him was because I loved him. And I wanted him to succeed.

Uproxx, April 2015

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