10 Best Rock Ballads Of The 90's
7. November Rain - Guns N Roses
When Guns N Roses rose to prominence in the late 80's, their punk rock attitude made them one of the fiercest acts on the LA club circuit. All across the band's debut, the songs this group were mining were sudden jolts of energy that had teeth sharp enough to go through steel.
As the band were in the middle of their tour cycle, it's curious as to why Axl Rose came up with a piano ballad alongside these heavy metal ragers. Once the band returned to the studio, Rose was determined to turn this delicate composition he had been tinkering into one of the greatest recordings ever produced. Taking cues from 70's balladeers like Elton John, "November Rain" went from being a slowburn ballad into a musical juggernaut, with many different movements occurring over 9 minutes.
Though the song definitely hits hard, Rose's lyrics about the dissolution of a relationship are extremely powerful, as if his voice is that proverbial candle in the song's lyrics. As the emotion builds to a peak, Slash's guitar solo brings a headbanging element to this already classic ballad. While no song is absolutely perfect, "November Rain" is probably the most cinematic experience you can have while listening to rock music.