Rocket Queen
Encyclopedia
"Rocket Queen" is the closing song of Appetite for Destruction
, the debut album of the rock
band Guns N' Roses
.
A credit in the booklet for Appetite for Destruction reads "Barbi (Rocket Queen) Von Greif", implying that she was "this girl" Rose mentions in the quote. Slash
stated in his autobiography
that he and Duff McKagan
wrote the main riff to "Rocket Queen" when they first got together in the short-lived band Road Crew
with Steven Adler
, prior to Slash and Adler joining Hollywood Rose
. Slash states that, while Von Grief was only eighteen at the time, she had a notorious reputation and was "a queen of the underground scene back then. She'd eventually become a madam, but Axl was infatuated with her at the time." She was also mentioned in the acknowledgments section of L.A. Guns
' self-titled debut album
.
McKagan has stated the song was influenced by the "grooves" of funk
group Cameo
.
with her so that the sounds that Smith made could be recorded and put over the bridge of the song. Steve Thompson, an engineer of the album, said:
Another engineer, Michael Barbiero, did not want to record the sex session, so he set up the microphones and left the task to his assistant, Vic Deyglio. Deyglio said the studio was "like a Ron Jeremy
set", and he even had to enter the booth to adjust a microphone on which Rose and Smith had crashed into. The Appetite for Destruction liner notes jokingly acknowledge Deyglio's contribution by crediting him as "Victor 'the fucking engineer' Deglio".
It was later stated in the music magazine Classic Rock
, as well as Rolling Stone
, that the person who had been recorded performing sex noises on the song was indeed Adriana Smith, an on-off girlfriend of drummer Steven Adler
, who also allegedly had an intimate relationship with frontman Rose. Smith revealed in an interview that Adler "freaked out" when he discovered about the recorded sex session, and she spent some years using alcohol and drugs "because I had this extreme shame and guilt and stuff."
, Axl Rose would sometimes rap a small part of their unreleased song called "It Tastes Good, Don't It?" in the middle of the song. This can be seen on the Use Your Illusion II
DVD.
Notably, it was during this song that Axl stage-dived after a fan with a camera, touching off the Riverport Riot
in St. Louis
in 1991.
It is also played by Slash
during his solo tour.
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
, the debut album of the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
.
Background
According to frontman W. Axl Rose:A credit in the booklet for Appetite for Destruction reads "Barbi (Rocket Queen) Von Greif", implying that she was "this girl" Rose mentions in the quote. Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
stated in his autobiography
Slash (autobiography)
Slash is an autobiography written by rock guitarist Slash with Anthony Bozza.Most of the book focuses on Slash's years with Guns N' Roses, including many rock star cliches: trashed hotel rooms, groupies, drug abuse, etc. Slash talks about Axl Rose, front man of Guns N' Roses, and the breakup of the...
that he and Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
wrote the main riff to "Rocket Queen" when they first got together in the short-lived band Road Crew
Road Crew
Road Crew were an American garage band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1984. The band was composed of future Guns N' Roses members Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers while writing material...
with Steven Adler
Steven Adler
Steven Adler is an American musician. He is best known as the former drummer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s...
, prior to Slash and Adler joining Hollywood Rose
Hollywood Rose
Hollywood Rose was an American hard rock group formed in 1983 and is best known as the precursor group for what would eventually become Guns N' Roses. The group was founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber while they were aided during live shows by Rick Mars, Johnny Kreis, Steve Darrow...
. Slash states that, while Von Grief was only eighteen at the time, she had a notorious reputation and was "a queen of the underground scene back then. She'd eventually become a madam, but Axl was infatuated with her at the time." She was also mentioned in the acknowledgments section of L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
' self-titled debut album
L.A. Guns (album)
L.A. Guns is the first official full length album of the band L.A. Guns. This album was released in 1988. Following the success of the second album, Cocked & Loaded, this album reached gold status in the US....
.
McKagan has stated the song was influenced by the "grooves" of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
group Cameo
Cameo (band)
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
.
Sexual recording
Rose brought a woman named Adriana Smith, who was drummer Adler's girlfriend at the time, to the studio and had sexSexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with her so that the sounds that Smith made could be recorded and put over the bridge of the song. Steve Thompson, an engineer of the album, said:
Another engineer, Michael Barbiero, did not want to record the sex session, so he set up the microphones and left the task to his assistant, Vic Deyglio. Deyglio said the studio was "like a Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
set", and he even had to enter the booth to adjust a microphone on which Rose and Smith had crashed into. The Appetite for Destruction liner notes jokingly acknowledge Deyglio's contribution by crediting him as "Victor 'the fucking engineer' Deglio".
It was later stated in the music magazine Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
, as well as Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, that the person who had been recorded performing sex noises on the song was indeed Adriana Smith, an on-off girlfriend of drummer Steven Adler
Steven Adler
Steven Adler is an American musician. He is best known as the former drummer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s...
, who also allegedly had an intimate relationship with frontman Rose. Smith revealed in an interview that Adler "freaked out" when he discovered about the recorded sex session, and she spent some years using alcohol and drugs "because I had this extreme shame and guilt and stuff."
Live
"Rocket Queen" is often played at Guns N' Roses concerts, despite never being released as a single. At a handful of shows during the Use Your Illusion TourUse Your Illusion Tour
The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by the rock band Guns N' Roses which ran from January 20, 1991 to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band's longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 194 shows in 27 countries...
, Axl Rose would sometimes rap a small part of their unreleased song called "It Tastes Good, Don't It?" in the middle of the song. This can be seen on the Use Your Illusion II
Use Your Illusion II (video)
Use Your Illusion II is a live VHS/DVD by Guns N' Roses. Filmed live at the Tokyo Dome, Japan on February 22, 1992 during the Japanese leg of the Use Your Illusion tour, this recording features the second half of the concert, the first half appearing on sister volume Use Your Illusion I...
DVD.
Notably, it was during this song that Axl stage-dived after a fan with a camera, touching off the Riverport Riot
Riverport Riot
The Riverport Riot was a riot at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri at a Guns N' Roses concert on July 2, 1991...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1991.
It is also played by Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
during his solo tour.