"Nightrain" (pronounced "Night Train") is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. The song is a tribute to an infamous brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was extremely popular with the band during their early days because of its low price and high alcohol content.^[3] The title is spelled differently, omitting a T and removing the space, making a portmanteau of the two words.

"Nightrain" is the third song on the band's debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), and was released as the album's fifth and final single, reaching number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was ranked eighth on Guitar World's list of the "Top 10 Drinking Songs".^[4] The track was not included on Guns N' Roses' 2004 Greatest Hits album.

Composition[edit]

Slash describes "Nightrain" as "an anthem that we came up with on the spot".^[5] The original idea for the song came when Slash and Izzy Stradlin wrote the main riff while they were sitting on the floor of the band's practice room. The next day, Slash was ill so Stradlin finished writing the music with Duff McKagan. However they did not write any lyrics. The song remained incomplete until one night when the band was walking down Palm Avenue sharing a bottle of Night Train. Someone yelled 'I'm on the night train!' and the whole band joined in, with Axl Rose improvising the lines in between: "Bottoms up!" "Fill my cup!" etc. After this initial inspiration, the band finished the song within a day.^[6]

The first half of the first guitar solo and the lead intro is played by Izzy Stradlin, while all other lead guitar parts are played by Slash.

Reception[edit]

"Nightrain" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2017, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 15 greatest Guns N' Roses songs,^[7] and in 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number five on their list of the 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs.^[8]

Live[edit]

"Nightrain" is a staple at Guns N' Roses concerts. In earlier shows, it was usually played early in the set. During the Chinese Democracy Tour, it is usually played as the last song before the encore, or during the encore. In some shows in late 2006, Izzy Stradlin, former rhythm guitarist and co-founder of Guns N' Roses, joined the band for "Nightrain" and other songs.

Slash describes in his autobiography how "Nightrain" is his favorite song to perform live: "That song has a rhythm to it in the verses that from the start always made me go crazy. The first time we played it, even, I started jumping up and down - I couldn't help it. When we had our huge stage later on, I'd run the length of it, jump off the amplifiers, and lose it just about every single time we played it. I'm not sure why, but no other song we've ever played live made me move like that."^[6]

Track listings[edit]

All tracks are written by Guns N' Roses except where noted

UK 7-inch vinyl (GEF 60)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Nightrain" (LP version)
2.	"Reckless Life" (LP version)	Guns N' Roses, Chris Weber

UK 12-inch vinyl and 3-inch CD (GEF 60T; GEF 60CD)
No.	Title	Writer(s)
1.	"Nightrain" (LP version)
2.	"Knocking on Heaven's Door" (live Bob Dylan cover)	Bob Dylan
3.	"Reckless Life" (LP version)	Guns N’ Roses, Weber

Personnel[edit]

W. Axl Rose – lead vocals
Slash – lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, lead guitar (first guitar solo only), backing vocals
Duff "Rose" McKagan – bass, backing vocals
Steven Adler – drums, cowbell

Charts[edit]

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[9]	61
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[10]	39
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[11]	43
Ireland (IRMA)^[12]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[13]	21
UK Singles (OCC)^[14]	17
USBillboard Hot 100^[15]	93
USMainstream Rock (Billboard)^[16]	26

Release history[edit]

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	July 25, 1989	7-inch vinyl cassette	Geffen	^{[citation needed]}
United Kingdom	August 21, 1989	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Geffen	^[17]

References[edit]

^ Tucker, Dan (February 28, 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

^ McPadden, Mike (July 23, 2015). "Slash Turns 50: Rock With His 10 Greatest Guitar Moments". VH1. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2021.

^ "Song Info". gnrsource.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2009.

^ "The Top 10 Drinking Songs of All Time". Guitar World. February 24, 2016.

^ Bozza, Anthony; Slash (2007). Slash. New York: Harper Entertainment. p. 119.

^ ^a ^b Bozza, Anthony; Slash (2007). Slash. New York: Harper Entertainment. pp. 118–119.

^ Rolli, Bryan (September 27, 2017). "The 15 Best Guns N' Roses Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2022.

^ Law, Sam (October 8, 2020). "The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 27, 2022.

^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 112.

^ "Guns N' Roses – Nightrain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 37. September 16, 1989. p. IV.

^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

^ "Guns N' Roses – Nightrain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

^ "Guns N' Roses: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2022.

^ "Guns N Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

^ "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

^ "New Singles". Music Week. August 19, 1989. p. 39.

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