"Oh My God" is a song by
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
released in 1999 on the soundtrack to the film ''
End of Days''. The song was sent out to radio stations in November 1999 as a
promo
Promo or promos may refer to:
Promotions and advertising
*Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs
*Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...
for the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
and the band. Despite being the band's first recorded release in almost five years, it was never issued as a stand-alone
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
for public retail.
Background
In a press release, Axl Rose gave details about the song:
"The chorus deals with the societal repression of deep and often agonizing emotions -- some of which may be willingly accepted for one reason or another -- the appropriate expression of which (one that promotes a healing, release and a positive resolve) is often discouraged and many times denied. Emotionally the song contemplates several abstract perspectives drawing from personal expression as well as from the film
The Film is a 2005 Indian thriller film directed by Junaid Memon also produced along with Amitabh Bhattacharya. The film stars Mahima Chaudhry, Khalid Siddiqui, Ananya Khare, Chahat Khanna, Ravi Gossain, Vaibhav Jhalani and Vivek Madan in lea ...
and its metaphors. The appropriate expression and vehicle for such emotions and concepts is not something taken for granted.
The fight of good vs. evil, positive vs. negative, man against a seemingly undefeatable, undeterrable, unrevealed destiny, along with the personal and universal struggle to attain, maintain and responsibly manage freewill can be and often is frustrating to say the least. In America our country's constitutional right to freedom of expression gives us a better chance to fight for that expression than many in other countries enjoy. It can be a big gig, like kickin' the crap outta the devil!"
The song was primarily written by
Paul Tobias
Paul H. Tobias (also known as Paul Edward Huge (pronounced hugh-gee); born in August 1963, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American guitarist best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has collaborated since 199 ...
around 1997.
Dizzy Reed
Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), better known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the keyboardist for the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recor ...
wrote the hook of the chorus.
Rose claimed that former members
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
and
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...
'failed to see the potential' of the song and had no interest in recording or playing the piece.
Sean Riggs, Reed's roommate and occasional fill-in GNR studio drummer, assisted in writing the song.
Paul Tobias
Paul H. Tobias (also known as Paul Edward Huge (pronounced hugh-gee); born in August 1963, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American guitarist best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has collaborated since 199 ...
, Gary Sunshine and
Dave Navarro all play on the song.
Robin Finck's part was written by Tobias and 'extensively manipulated' by producer Sean Beaven.
Rose claimed that Finck was not involved in the writing of the final recording, although he participated in the arrangement.
Finck denies he was involved with the song, despite Rose's claim.
Rose wrote the lyrics to the song, and
additional programing was performed by engineer Stuart White.
The song debuted in a commercial for the film during the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards, and was featured in trailers for the film leading up to its release. According to sources, Rose,
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
and several studio technicians stayed up all night adjusting the final mix before it was due. Producer
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guita ...
stated that Iovine personally picked the song for the soundtrack after hearing several works in progress.
In 2008, Rose claimed the song was an unfinished demo which was rushed to be released for inclusion with the ''End of Days'' film soundtrack.
Rose stated "there’s a remix with lots of new vocals and a wilder guitar intro, but it’s not taken all that seriously".
A small clip with new guitars added by then-Guns N' Roses guitarist,
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Ronald Jay Blumenthal (born September 25, 1969), better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal or just simply as Bumblefoot, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He adopted his nickname from the bacterial infection of the s ...
leaked online in late 2013.
Reception
"Oh My God" did not fare as well on rock radio, it had a limited chart run of 5 weeks peaking at #26 on the US Mainstream Rock Charts. Nevertheless, it won a 1999
Metal Edge
''Metal Edge'' was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. The magazine was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of glam metal's success. Zenbu Media acquired ''Metal Edge'' in February 2007.
Both ''Metal Edg ...
Readers' Choice Award for Soundtrack Song of the Year.
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
described the song by saying "It's a bit thicker, and somehow heavier, than yesteryowl, but there's no mistaking Axl Rose, whose riveting roar remains in a class by itself.
In a review of the film, NYFilm had a negative opinion of the song, saying "Oh My God. God Awful is more like it. Believe me, it's not worth waiting for. If you've heard it, you know what I mean. If you haven't, trust me on this one."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
described the song as "a less than satisfying comeback"
In a ranking of all 87 Guns N' Roses songs,
WMMR
WMMR (93.3 FM, "93-3 WMMR") is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC, and broadcasts an active rock radio format. ...
ranked "Oh My God" 83rd, describing it as "Axl trying to channel his best
Marilyn Manson but coming up short." ''Medium'' described the song as "A decent tune, even if it sounds like it was bolted together from the spare parts of five other songs." ''Spin'', while also noting the Marilyn Manson similarities, described it by saying "It’s just an unusually tuneless GN’R cut".
Former Guns N' Roses member
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
stated that upon hearing the song he "(didn't) have any real opinion about it" and that it "convinced me that my departure had been a wise decision and that Axl and I were definitely no longer on the same wavelength musically."
Live
"Oh My God" was played live four times in early and late 2001 on the first leg of the
Chinese Democracy Tour
The Chinese Democracy Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses to promote the group's album ''Chinese Democracy''. It began in 2001, with three U.S. dates and a Brazilian one, while their 2002 tour included Asian, No ...
. It has remained absent since then, but the band has played it during
sound checks as recently as 2011. In an interview with Guitarworks in April 2003, rhythm guitarist
Richard Fortus
Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is an American guitarist. He has been a member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has recorded one studio album, since 2001. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with The Psychedelic Fur ...
mentioned he was planning on using his
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
Baritom guitar on a future tour while performing the song. Although not played since 2001, the song showed up as an alternate on the setlist for a 2018 show in the
Not In This Lifetime... Tour.
Personnel
Guns N' Roses
*
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
– lead vocals
*
Paul Tobias
Paul H. Tobias (also known as Paul Edward Huge (pronounced hugh-gee); born in August 1963, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American guitarist best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has collaborated since 199 ...
– rhythm guitar
*
Tommy Stinson
Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...
– bass
*
Dizzy Reed
Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), better known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the keyboardist for the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recor ...
– keyboards, synthesizers
*
Chris Pitman
Chris Pitman (born November 16, 1961) is an American musician best known for his involvement with the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. A multi-instrumentalist, Pitman is known to play keyboards, guitar and drums, in addition to his role as a lead o ...
– keyboards, synthesizers
*
Josh Freese – drums, percussion
*
Robin Finck
Robert John "Robin" Finck (born November 7, 1971) is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contribu ...
– lead guitar
Additional musicians
*
Dave Navarro – additional guitar
* Gary Sunshine - additional guitar
* Stuart White –
additional programming
Production
*
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guita ...
– production
*
Andy Wallace – mixing
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oh My God (Guns N' Roses Song)
Guns N' Roses songs
1999 singles
1999 songs
Industrial rock songs
Industrial metal songs
Songs written by Axl Rose
Songs written by Dizzy Reed
Songs written by Paul Tobias
Songs written by Josh Freese
Songs written by Tommy Stinson
Nu metal songs