Nice Boys

by **Soulmonster** Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:57 pm

NICE BOYS

Album:
Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, 1986, track no. 2.

GN'R Lies, 1988, track no. 2.

Info:
This Rose Tattoo cover came from Hollywood Rose and it was actually on a Hollywood Rose demo tape together with 'Reckless Life' and 'Shadow of Your Love' that was handed to Steven by Izzy before GN'R was founded ["My Appetite for Destruction", 2010].

Written by:
Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Geordie Leach, Dallas "Digger" Royall, Peter Wells (Rose Tattoo).

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

Live performances:
Nice Boys was mainly played in the band's early days but has been played now and then after that. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {NICEBOYSSONGS} times.

Lyrics:

She hit town like a rose in bloom
Smellin' sweet, sweet perfume
The color faded the petals died
Down in the city no one cried
In the streets garbage lies
Protected by a million flies
The roaches so big you know that they got bones
Moved in and made a tenement home I said

Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
I'm not a nice boy!

Sweet sixteen she was fresh and clean
Wanted so bad to be part of the scene
She met the man and she did the smack
She paid the price layin' flat on her back
Wanted so bad just to please the boys
Then ended up just being a toy
Played so hard burned her life away
Lies were told no promises made

You know
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
I'm not a nice boy!
And I never was

Young and fresh when she hit town
Hot for kicks just to get around
But now she lays in a filthy room
She kills the pain with a fuck and a spoon
In the streets garbage lies
Protected by a million flies
You know the roaches so big
You know that they got bones
Moved in and made a tenement home

Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Na Na Na Na Na Na, baby
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
I'll bet your mamma said
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys don't play rock and roll
Nice boys

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

According to Steven, it was Axl's love for Tattoo Rose that resulted in the band playing this cover:

Axl told me that the first concert he saw live was Aerosmith. The band Rose Tattoo opened up the show, turning Axl on to them and inspiring him later to have our band perform the Rose Tattoo classic 'Nice Boys'

"My Appetite for Destruction", 2010

Steven would also say that when recording this song in 1986 for their debut EP, Axl overdubbed his own vocals. This would if so be the first time Axl did this, something he would do frequently later in his career.

The only stuff they overdubbed [for Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide] was the backing vocals. If you listen closely to "Nice Boys", you can hear Axl singing backup to his own vocals.

"My Appetite for Destruction", 2010

Axl, talking about the song at live shows in 1985:

This is our theme song, 'Nice Boys Don't Play Rock N' Roll'

The Troubadour, June 6, 1985

I wanna dedicate this song to the band Poison. This is called 'Nice Boys Don't Play Rock N' Roll'.

The Troubadour, September 20, 1985

This is dedicated to everybody that thinks this band has a bad attitude. This is called 'Nice Boys Don't Play Rock N' Roll'.

The Troubadour, November 22, 1985

Talking about their tour of Australia in late 1988:

Our next stop was Australia; we did a short tour that hit Sydney and Melbourne, and since our record was just barely cracking their consciousness, we resuscitated a few covers, like 'Marseilles' by the Angels and 'Nice Boys Don't Play Rock 'N' Roll,' which is by one of Australia's greatest rock bands, Rose Tattoo. We made a point of getting in touch with them and arranging to meet, and I must say that the leader of their band, Angry Anderson, was everything I though he'd be. Angry had more tattoos than anyone I'd ever seen, and he was every bit as real and honest as I'd hoped for.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. p. 259

by **Soulmonster** Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:18 pm

I had the add the San Sebastián performance. Any other favorite performances of this song?

Nice Boys

Nice Boys

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