Band · The Most Dangerous Band in the World
Most frequent collaborator: Mike Clink · 58 tracks
Holds writing credit on 60 of 77 tracks
Mostly yes. Guns N' Roses are credited on about 78% of their catalogue, with the classic lineup writing originals like 'Welcome to the Jungle,' 'Sweet Child o' Mine,' and 'Paradise City.' The number is pulled down mainly by 'The Spaghetti Incident?' (1993), an album made entirely of punk and rock covers, plus a few older songs like 'Live and Let Die' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door.'
Across all 77 tracks: how many Guns N' Roses wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Share of all 77 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Percentage of all 77 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.
| Member | Period | Lyrics | Music | Production | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axl Rose | 1985-present | 69% |
69% |
18% |
100% |
| Slash | 1985-1996, 2016-present | 32% |
32% |
0% |
82% |
| Izzy Stradlin | 1985-1991 | 39% |
39% |
0% |
65% |
| Duff McKagan | 1985-1997, 2016-present | 27% |
27% |
0% |
82% |
| Steven Adler | 1985-1990 | 21% |
21% |
0% |
26% |
| Dizzy Reed | 1990-present | 4% |
4% |
0% |
74% |
| Matt Sorum | 1990-1997 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
56% |
| Gilby Clarke | 1991-1994 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
17% |
| Paul Tobias | 1994-2002 | 6% |
6% |
0% |
18% |
| Robin Finck | 1997-1999, 2000-2008 | 1% |
1% |
0% |
18% |
| Tommy Stinson | 1998-2016 | 3% |
0% |
0% |
18% |
| Chris Pitman | 1998-2016 | 3% |
3% |
0% |
18% |
| Richard Fortus | 2002-present | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
| Bryan Mantia | 2000-2006 | 3% |
3% |
0% |
18% |
| Buckethead | 2000-2004 | 4% |
4% |
0% |
18% |
| Ron Thal | 2006-2014 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
| Frank Ferrer | 2006-present | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
Guns N' Roses's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
Where Guns N' Roses sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Black Frog / Geffen Records
No albums from this decade.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. MC Mike Clink · CC Caram Costanzo · WA West Arkeen · CW Chris Weber · DJ Del James · JT Johnny Thunders
Data Insight
Early Guns N' Roses songs were credited collectively to the five-man classic lineup, giving Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler shared writing credit. As the lineup fractured, songwriting concentrated around Axl Rose, who is the only constant writer across every album and the dominant author on Chinese Democracy.
Quick Facts
Creative Fingerprint
A self-writing band that narrowed to one voice: the classic lineup shared credit on the early hits, then songwriting concentrated around Axl Rose, with the only real gap being the all-covers album 'The Spaghetti Incident?'
The Story
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985, built around vocalist Axl Rose and a sound that fused punk attitude, blues rock and heavy metal. The classic lineup of Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler broke through with the 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction, still one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. The twin 1991 albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II expanded the band toward sprawling ballads and orchestral rock, producing hits such as "November Rain" and "Don't Cry." After a long and turbulent hiatus, Axl Rose carried the name alone through the heavily delayed Chinese Democracy in 2008 before Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined for a reunion in 2016. The band's catalog is a study in shifting authorship, from the democratic five-way credits of the early records to the near-solo control of the Chinese Democracy era.