"The Garden" is a song by the rock band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

that was released in 1991. It appears on the album '' Use Your Illusion I'' and features alternating

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

between

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...

and

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

Background

"The Garden" was written before Guns N' Roses released '' Appetite for Destruction'' in 1987 but was not included on that album. It was composed by

Del James Adalberto James Miranda (born February 5, 1964), known professionally as Del James, is an American musician, writer, journalist and artist best known for writing the short story that reportedly inspired the " November Rain" video by hard rock b ...

, and

West Arkeen Aaron West Arkeen (June 18, 1960 – May 30, 1997) was an American musician best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs. Early life Aaron West Arkeen was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He was the son of Morris Arkeen, a retired U. ...

. The song marks the second collaboration between Alice Cooper and Guns N' Roses. The group had previously recorded a cover of Cooper's song " Under My Wheels" (on which Cooper and Rose shared vocal duties) for the soundtrack of the 1988 film '' The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years''. According to Slash, Rose's delivery while recording resembled Alice Cooper's, so the band decided to invite him as a guest. Cooper, who was also in Los Angeles at the time, got an invitation to the studio and was accepted as a guest after hearing the track, recording his part three times. Rose's friend Shannon Hoon, the lead singer of

Blind Melon Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, drummer Glen Graham, vocalist Travis Warren and bassist Nathan Towne. They are best known ...

, is also featured.

Music video

The song was never officially released as a single or sent to radio stations as a

promo PROMO (Promoting Missouri) is a Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territ ...

. However, the band filmed and released a promo video to music video networks in 1993. It appeared as the B-side to the single Estranged in December 1993. The clip depicts various band members in sections of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, specifically

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

and Washington Square Park. It was released to promote the Use Your Illusion Tour. Due to various scenes in strip clubs, the video was not shown very much on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. It appears on the band's '' Welcome to the Videos''.

Personnel

;Guns N' Roses * W. Axl Rose – co-lead vocals, backing vocals * Slash – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964) is an American musician. He was the bassist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses for twelve years, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McKagan rejoined the b ...

– bass * Matt Sorum – drums, percussion ;Additional musicians *

– co-lead vocals * Shannon Hoon – backing vocals *

– acoustic guitar

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garden Guns N' Roses songs Alice Cooper songs 1991 songs 1992 singles Songs written by Axl Rose Songs written by Del James Songs written by West Arkeen Art rock songs American blues rock songs Geffen Records singles