"I Saw Red" is a power ballad by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

band Warrant. It was released in December 1990 as the second single from Warrant's second album ''

Cherry Pie Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, cherry pie is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherry may ...

''. The song was one of Warrant's most successful singles, reaching number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1991, number 14 on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...

chart and number 36 on the Australian charts and spawning two

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

Background

The song was inspired by a true story of betrayal. It was written after Warrant lead vocalist

Jani Lane Jani Lane (born John Kennedy Oswald; February 1, 1964 – August 11, 2011) was an American singer and the lead vocalist, frontman, lyricist and main songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant. From Hollywood, California, the band experienced su ...

had walked in on his girlfriend in bed with his best friend, resulting in Lane's

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

and the delayed release of the band's first record ''

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich ''Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Warrant, released in 1989. The album was highly successful, spawning the hit singles "Heaven" (No. 2, 1989), "Down Boys" (No. 27, 1989) and " S ...

''.

Acoustic

The Acoustic version of "I Saw Red" was released as the B-side from the single and features a

with Jani Lane performing on his own. The acoustic version was released as a single in its own right and featured on the band's first compilation album

The Best of Warrant ''The Best of Warrant'' is the first greatest hits compilation album by the American rock band Warrant, released in 1996. It features the band's greatest tracks (singles) from their first three studio albums, "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich ...

Tracklisting

Chart positions

References

1990 songs 1990s ballads 1991 singles Columbia Records singles Glam metal ballads Songs written by Jani Lane Warrant (American band) songs {{metal-song-stub 1990 singles