November Rain - Song

Song

The song is composed in the key of C major aside from the coda, which is in C minor, but since the guitars, basses and piano are tuned a half step down, the song sounds as if it's in B major and B minor.

At 8:57, it is the second-longest song on the album, the longest being the 10:16 "Coma".

Its distinct symphonic overtone owes to a sweeping string arrangement, orchestrated by Rose. Most live performances during the Use Your Illusion tour lacked the orchestral backing of the song (the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards being the best-known exception).

It is the longest song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at #3 on the chart, becoming the band's sixth and last Top 10 hit, and eighth Top 40 hit. On the radio, "November Rain" is sometimes played in a shortened version of approximately six minutes, but many classic rock stations continue to play the full version. At around seven minutes in, the song fades and then builds into a two-minute coda featuring lead guitar by lead guitarist Slash, accompanied by vocal chants. This song is listed at number six in the The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos list by Guitar World. This song is also rated #9 in the Richter Scale best songs of all time. "November Rain" was voted #1 on the Rock 1000 2006, an annual countdown of the top 1,000 rock songs by New Zealand radio listeners. It was voted #2 on the Rock 1000 2007, being beaten out by "Back in Black" by AC/DC. The song was placed at #140 on Pitchfork Media's Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.