You Could Be Mine

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"You Could Be Mine"
You Could Be Mine (Guns N' Roses single).jpg
U.S. commercial CD single
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion II
B-side"Civil War" (LP version)
ReleasedJune 21, 1991 (1991-06-21)
RecordedJanuary 1991
Studio
GenreHard rock[1]
Length5:44
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Nightrain"
(1989) 		"You Could Be Mine"
(1991) 		"Don't Cry"
(1991)
Music video
"You Could Be Mine" on YouTube

"You Could Be Mine" is a song on the fourth studio album Use Your Illusion II by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released as their seventh single on June 21, 1991, as the first from the Use Your Illusion albums. The song was originally released as the theme song for director James Cameron's 1991 film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Backed with "Civil War" from Use Your Illusion II, the single reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Finland and Spain. It became a top-five hit in more than ten additional countries.

History[]

"You Could Be Mine" was selected to be included in the James Cameron film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger had the band members over for dinner at his own home to negotiate the deal.[2]

The lyric "With your bitch slap rappin' and your cocaine tongue you get nothin' done" from the chorus appeared on the inner sleeve of Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction, released in 1987 (the song had already been written by then). This "tradition" was followed by the line "Ain't It Fun" on the Use Your Illusion albums released in 1991 - two years later GN'R cover of the song "Ain't It Fun" appeared on "The Spaghetti Incident?" album. The end of first verse, "we've seen that movie too", is a reference to Elton John' song "I've Seen That Movie Too", from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Slash states that the song's writing began at the first preproduction session for Appetite for Destruction.[3]

The song has a one-minute drum and guitar intro. The song was played during the ending credits of Terminator 2 and was heard in the film itself in early scenes with John Connor. It also appeared in another part of the Terminator series, Terminator Salvation.

Song meaning and lyrics[]

The song talks about band member Izzy Stradlin's failed relationship with his girlfriend.[4]

Music video[]

The music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan, Stan Winston and Jeffrey Abelson.[5] A T-800 Terminator is assembled, given the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and dispatched to assassinate the band at one of their concerts. The video consists of clips from the movie, including its teaser trailer, intercut with footage of the band performing the song as the T-800 makes his way to the front of the crowd. After the song ends, he confronts the band as they leave the venue through a back door and analyzes each member individually; Izzy Stradlin is absent at this point, replaced by keyboardist Dizzy Reed. The T-800 scans W. Axl Rose last and concludes that killing the band would be a "Waste of Ammo". Lowering his shotgun, he gives Rose a brief smirk and walks away.

As the video features clips from the movie, it could not be put on the DVD Welcome to the Videos due to licensing issues. The video was also not included on any of the DVD releases of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, although it was included with a special double tape edition of the film, released on VHS in 1993.

Live performances[]

Early live versions of "You Could Be Mine" featured Slash using a B.C. Rich Mockingbird (as in the video) instead of his usual Gibson Les Paul, due to his use of a tremolo during the solo. It was first played live at Rock in Rio II on January 20, 1991, and has been a staple ever since. The live version features amended lyrics to the line "an I leave you lyin' on the bed' with your ass in the air".

Track listings[]

7-inch single (GEFS7-19039)[6]

  1. "You Could Be Mine" (LP version) – 5:48
  2. "Civil War" (LP version) – 7:38

European CD single (GED 19039)[7]

  1. "You Could Be Mine" (LP version) – 5:48
  2. "Civil War" (LP version) – 7:58

Personnel[]

Charts and certifications[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States June 21, 1991 (1991-06-21) Cassette
[45]
United Kingdom July 1, 1991 (1991-07-01)
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [46]

References[]

  1. ^ Law, Sam (June 24, 2021). "The 50 best albums from 1991". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography (1947-)". filmreference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  3. ^ Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. page 166
  4. ^ "The secret behind the song!". Kerrang!. January 27, 2016. Inspired by Izzy Stradlin's break-up with actress/model Angela Nicoletti, its inclusion as the theme for the biggest movie of its year, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, said everything about GN'R--the biggest band in the world--at this moment in history.
  5. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Guns 'n' Roses - "You could be mine"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  6. ^ You Could Be Mine (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records, Uzi Suicide Records. 1991. GEFS7-19039.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ You Could Be Mine (European CD single liner notes). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records, Uzi Suicide Records. 1991. GED 19039.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1600." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ^ "HITS OF THE WORLD". Billboard. October 12, 1991. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  13. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 36. September 7, 1991. p. 23. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 35. August 31, 1991. p. 25. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
  16. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  17. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  18. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 40. October 5, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  20. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 37. September 14, 1991. p. 42. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  21. ^ "ガンズ・アンド・ローゼズ". Oricon. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 32, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  24. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  25. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". VG-lista. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  26. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 32. August 10, 1991. p. 19. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. Vol. 103 no. 41. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 12, 1991. p. 73. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  28. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  29. ^ "Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  30. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  31. ^ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  32. ^ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  33. ^ a b "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1991". ARIA. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  36. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1991". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  38. ^ "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  39. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991" (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  40. ^ "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. January 11, 1992. p. 20.
  41. ^ "Japanese single certifications – Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 27, 2021. Select 1991年9月 on the drop-down menu
  42. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  43. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  44. ^ "American single certifications – Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  45. ^ "You Could Be Mine". Amazon. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  46. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 29, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
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