The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the UK Singles Chart. It was also ranked #21 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time, #3 in "Total Guitar" magazine's list of the 100 greatest solos of all time, and has won various similar awards over the years. It ranked #453 on Rolling Stones's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
It is most known for its lyrics, "Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty." This was the first song that the original Guns N' Roses lineup of Slash, Steven Adler, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin wrote together - all five members are credited as writers.
