"You Could Be Mine" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

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 ...

from their fourth studio album, ''

Use Your Illusion II ''Use Your Illusion II'' is the fourth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart ''Use Your Illusion I''. Both albums were released in conjunction with ...

''. The song was released on June 21, 1991, as the first single from the ''Use Your Illusion'' albums. The song was originally released as a song in director

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

's 1991 film, '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'' Backed with "

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

" from ''Use Your Illusion II'', the single reached number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and number one in Finland and Spain. It became a top-five hit in more than 10 additional countries.

History

"You Could Be Mine" was selected to be included in the

film '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

had the band members over for dinner at his own home to negotiate the deal. The lyric "With your bitch slap rappin' and your cocaine tongue you get nothin' done" from the chorus appeared on the inner sleeve of Guns N' Roses' debut album ''

Appetite for Destruction ''Appetite for Destruction'' is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following ...

'', released in 1987 (the song had already been written by then). This "tradition" was followed by the line "Ain't It Fun" on the ''Use Your Illusion'' albums released in 1991 - two years later GN'R cover of the song " Ain't It Fun" appeared on ''

"The Spaghetti Incident?" ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the fifth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is composed of covers of older punk rock, hard rock, and other songs. ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the only studio album to ...

'' album. The end of first verse, "we've seen that movie too", is a reference to

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

' song "I've Seen That Movie Too", from the album ''

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John, first released on 5 October 1973 as a double LP. The album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as John's magnum ...

''. Slash states that the song's writing began at the first preproduction session for ''Appetite for Destruction''. The song has a one-minute

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

intro Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

. The song was played during the

ending credits Closing credits or end credits are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television program, or video game. Where opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to, or at the very end of a ...

of ''Terminator 2'' and is heard in the film itself in early scenes with

John Connor John Connor is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' franchise. Created by screenwriter, writer and film director, director James Cameron, the character is first referred to in the 1984 film ''The T ...

. It also appeared in the 2009 sequel ''

Terminator Salvation ''Terminator Salvation'' is a 2009 American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the ''Terminator'' franchise and serves as a sequel to '' Termin ...

''.

Song meaning and lyrics

The song talks about band member

Izzy Stradlin Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he ...

's failed relationship with his girlfriend.

Music video

The

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was directed by

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. Vi ...

Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film Prosthetic makeup, special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' series, the first three ''Jurassic Pa ...

and Jeffrey Abelson. A

T-800 T8 or T-8 may refer to the following: Measurement * T8, a Torx screwhead size * T8, a 1 inch fluorescent lamp size * A tornado intensity rating on the TORRO scale Biology * The 8th thoracic vertebra * The T8 spinal nerve Transportation * Trikk ...

Terminator is assembled, given the appearance of

, and dispatched to assassinate the band at one of their concerts. The video consists of clips from the movie, including its teaser trailer, intercut with footage of the band performing the song as the T-800 makes his way to the front of the crowd. After the song ends, he confronts the band as they leave the venue through a back door and analyzes each member individually;

is absent at this point, replaced by keyboardist

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 ...

. The T-800 scans

W. 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 inc ...

last and concludes that killing the band would be a "Waste of Ammo". Lowering his shotgun, he gives Rose a brief smirk and walks away. As the video features clips from the movie, it could not be put on the DVD ''

Welcome to the Videos ''Welcome to the Videos'' is a video compilation originally released on VHS and VCD in 1998. It features music videos by the American rock group Guns N' Roses. All the videos featured were made between 1987 and 1994. In many ways, it is a video ...

'' due to licensing issues. The video was also not included on any of the DVD releases of ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', although it was included with a special double tape edition of the film, released on VHS in 1993. On October 6, 2022 a music video of "You Could Be Mine" song, with just a mix of scenes from the concert, live in New York at the Ritz Theatre recorded on May 16, 1991, was released to promote the ''Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe Edition)'' box set. Approximately, from the half of the video until the end, in a few scenes, video filter are applied, to look like old film: lines, dust or scratches.

Live performances

Early live versions of "You Could Be Mine" featured Slash using a

B.C. Rich Mockingbird The B.C. Rich Mockingbird is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by B.C. Rich in 1976. There have been several variations on the Mockingbird model throughout the years. As of 2016, the current models are the Mk1, Mk3, Mk5, Mk7, Mk9 and ...

(as in the video) instead of his usual Gibson Les Paul, due to his use of a

tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...

during the solo. It was first played live at

Rock in Rio ''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...

II on January 20, 1991, and has been a staple ever since. The live version features amended lyrics to the line "an I leave you lyin' on the bed' with your ass in the air".

Track listings

7-inch single # "You Could Be Mine" (LP version) – 5:48 # "

" (LP version) – 7:38 European CD single # "You Could Be Mine" (LP version) – 5:48 # "Civil War" (LP version) – 7:58

Personnel

– lead vocals *

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 ...

– lead guitar, rhythm guitar *

– rhythm guitar, backing vocals *

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 ...

– bass, backing vocals *

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. S ...

– drums

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Geffen Records singles Guns N' Roses songs Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Music videos directed by Stan Winston Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Mike Clink Songs written by Axl Rose Songs written by Izzy Stradlin Songs written for films Terminator (franchise)