Use Your Illusion II cover art

  Studio Album · No. 4

Use Your Illusion II Songwriting Credits by Guns N' Roses

1991 Geffen Records 14 tracks 76 min

Produced by Mike Clink, Guns N' Roses  ·  Engineered by Mike Clink, Bill Price, Jim Mitchell, Allen Abrahamson

Geffen Records Hard rockArt rockGlam metal
93%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 13 of 14 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 13 / 14 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 14 tracks with documented writers, by whether Guns N' Roses carries a lyricist or composer credit.

93%
13 trackswritten by Guns N' Roses 1 trackoutside writers
Guns N' Roses's roles on this album

Share of the 14 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist93%
Composer93%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

14
Tracks
8
Lyricists
2
Producers
5.59 million
US Copies Sold
1991
Released
Data Insight

Use Your Illusion II was written by the band, with songwriting credited across Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, and Duff McKagan. It includes the hit "You Could Be Mine" and the politically charged "Civil War," plus a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Apart from that cover, the album is self-written, leaning toward the band's heavier and more sprawling material.

Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by Guns N' Roses, released on September 17, 1991 through Geffen Records alongside its companion Use Your Illusion I. Produced by Mike Clink with the band, it leans into harder, more politically charged material, opening with the anti-war epic "Civil War" and closing the run with the sweeping ballad "Estranged." Its singles include "You Could Be Mine," featured in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, outselling its twin on release week, and was certified multi-platinum. It captured the Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed lineup at its commercial peak.

Track Listing & Credits 14 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Civil War
Axl RoseSlashDuff McKagan W. Axl RoseSaul HudsonDuff McKagan Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
2
14 Years
Axl RoseIzzy Stradlin W. Axl RoseJeffrey Dean Isbell Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
3
Yesterdays
Axl RoseWest ArkeenDel JamesBilly McCloud W. Axl RoseWest ArkeenDel JamesBilly McCloud Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
4
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
5
Get in the Ring
Axl RoseSlashDuff McKagan W. Axl RoseSaul HudsonDuff McKagan Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
6
Shotgun Blues
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
7
Breakdown
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
8
Pretty Tied Up
Izzy Stradlin Jeffrey Dean Isbell Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
9
Locomotive (Complicity)
Axl RoseSlash W. Axl RoseSaul Hudson Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
10
So Fine
Duff McKagan Duff McKagan Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
11
Estranged
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
12
You Could Be Mine #29
Axl RoseIzzy Stradlin W. Axl RoseJeffrey Dean Isbell Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
13
Don't Cry
Axl RoseIzzy Stradlin W. Axl RoseJeffrey Dean Isbell Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed
14
My World
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose Mike ClinkGuns N' Roses Axl RoseSlashIzzy StradlinDuff McKaganMatt SorumDizzy Reed

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 15 contributors

AR
Axl Rose
Writer
On this album11 written
WA
W. Axl Rose
Writer
On this album11 written
IS
Izzy Stradlin
Writer
On this album4 written
JD
Jeffrey Dean Isbell
Writer
On this album4 written
DM
Duff McKagan
Writer
On this album3 written
SH
Saul Hudson
Writer
On this album3 written
S
Slash
Writer
On this album3 written
BM
Billy McCloud
Writer
On this album1 written
BD
Bob Dylan
Writer
On this album1 written
DJ
Del James
Writer
On this album1 written
WA
West Arkeen
Writer
On this album1 written
GN
Guns N' Roses
Producer
On this album14 produced

More from Guns N' Roses

1987 100%
Appetite for Destruction
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1988 75%
G N' R Lies
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1991 94%
Use Your Illusion I
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1993 0%
"The Spaghetti Incident?"
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2008 100%
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Frequently Asked Questions Use Your Illusion II

Did Guns N' Roses write Use Your Illusion II themselves?
Yes, almost entirely. Use Your Illusion II was written by the band, with credits shared among the members. The lone cover is Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
Who wrote "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses?
"You Could Be Mine" is credited to the band and was featured in the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Is "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses a cover?
Yes. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a cover of the Bob Dylan song. The Guns N' Roses version became a concert staple and a hit single internationally.
Who wrote "Civil War" by Guns N' Roses?
"Civil War" is credited to the band and features anti-war lyrics by Axl Rose. It was one of the band's most politically pointed songs.
How well did Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses sell?
Use Your Illusion II debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with about 770,000 first-week copies and was certified 7x Platinum in the United States. It slightly outsold its companion album.
What genre is Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses?
Use Your Illusion II is a hard rock album with art rock scope and glam metal roots. It tends toward the band's heavier and more politically charged material.

Sources

Wikipedia: Use Your Illusion II Wikipedia: You Could Be Mine MusicBrainz: Use Your Illusion II release group Cover Art Archive: Use Your Illusion II front cover Cover Art Archive: Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses