Today doing research for my projects, At-Risk Youth and 10 Simple Lessons of Self-Defense for Youth, I came across Guns & Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" and was moved emotionally.If I could (with the $ and connections) I would love to use this song to
bring awareness to our at-risk youth.
Play video below, close your eyes and think of our at risk youth.
Here is the video from youtube and some info from it's youtube notes...
The "Sweet Child O' Mine" video depicts the band rehearsing in an abandoned theater, surrounded by crew members. Several of the band members' girlfriends were shown in the clip. Izzy Stradlin's dog was also featured. The video was extremely successful on MTV, and helped launch the song to success on mainstream radio.
In an effort to make "Sweet Child O' Mine" more marketable to MTV and radio stations, the song was cut from 5:56 minutes to 4:12, with much of Slash's guitar solo removed. This move drew the ire of the band members, including Axl Rose, who commented on it in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone: "I hate the edit of 'Sweet Child o' Mine.' Radio stations said, "Well, your vocals aren't cut." "My favorite part of the song is Slash's slow solo; it's the heaviest part for me. There's no reason for it to be missing except to create more space for commercials, so the radio-station owners can get more advertising dollars. When you get the chopped version of 'Paradise City' or half of 'Sweet Child' and 'Patience' cut, you're getting screwed."[7]
On an interview on Eddie Trunk's New York radio show in May 2006, Axl Rose stated that his original concept for the video focused on the theme of drug trafficking. According to Rose, the video was to depict an Asian woman carrying a baby into a foreign land, only to discover at the end that the child was dead and filled with heroin. This concept was rejected by Geffen Records.
There is also an alternative video for "Sweet Child O' Mine" with different captures and the footage entirely in black and white.
The Lyrics
She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry
(Woahhhh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
And if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine
Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
(Confusing parts with Duff and Axl singing)
Sweet child o' mine
Peter Liciaga is a member of Tom Callos' The Ultimate Black Belt Test (http://www.ultimateblackbelttest.com/), an undertaking of The 100 (http://www.the100.us/), and a part of Dinoto Karate Center's master instructor staff (http://www.mountlaurelmartialarts.com/)
To find out more about Peter Liciaga, visit www.PeterLiciaga.org
When I close my eyes, and listen to this song this is what I experience:.....I wipe the tears from my eyes as I type this in response to your latest blog, still listening to this song. As I hear the high guitar riffs, and vocals, it seems to resonate with the heart pleas and prayers of all the mothers/fathers who cherish and love their children. I think of all the faces, of all the children/youth I know personally, and work with professionally, and all those faceless children I know exist somewhere, and my heart expands for love to all of them. It is with this heart throbbing, unconditional swelling of love, that will carry us forward, to reach deep into the hole, and keep discovering how we are really meant to live on this planet.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ms. Georgi for sharing your heart. Too many mothers and fathers, as daughters and sons themselves, know too well the pain that many of our children and youth are experiencing. I am thankful that there are many people in this world that are working tirelessly to remedy that "pain". Again, thank you for sharing.
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