Guns N' Roses does not want to relive the controversy surrounding its 1988 song "One in a Million" when it releases its Locked N' Loaded boxset, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Appetite for Destruction, this summer.
The song in question, "One in a Million," was initially released on GNR's 1988 EP G N' R Lies. All the other songs from that EP are included in the box set, but the Axl Rose-penned tune that included racial and sexual epithets was nixed.
Rose defended "One in a Million" from criticism during many interviews over the years, saying it was inspired by his experience moving from small-town Indiana to Los Angeles as a teenager. Rose added that many of the lyrics came from true experiences he had and the anger he felt in those trying moments.
In a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone, Rose defended homophobic language in the song by saying that he was writing about an attempted rape he survived as a teenager.
“If you haven't been there, you can't say s**t to me about what goes on and about my point of view,” he told Rolling Stone. Years later, Rose disclosed in a radio interview that he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse.
In defense of his use of the N-word in the song, Rose said he was "pissed off about some black people that were tried to rob me. I wanted to insult those particular black people. I didn't want to support racism."
The remastered and expanded Appetite for Destruction reissue will be available in different versions including the $999 Locked N’ Loaded edition, which features a handmade 3D cross and comes in a giant box. Both the Locked N’ Loaded edition and the Super Deluxe edition will come with the trove of unreleased songs from the band. Many of the unreleased demos come from a 1986 recording session at Sound City.
Also included in the Locked N' Loaded edition is a Blu-ray containing bonus tracks and music videos, seven 12-inch LPs, seven seven-inch singles, and a hardbound book. There are also numerous collectibles including five skull face rings for each member of the band, a stage banner, posters, replicas of old fliers, ticket stubs, and tattoos all contained in a wooden case.
The other versions contain the Blu-ray, hardbound book, LPs and the album. The set is available June 29 via UMG. You can pre-order here.
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