A new version of the classic Guns N’ Roses song “November Rain” will be included on the recently announced Use Your Illusion box set.
The new rendition features a 50-piece orchestra, arranged and conducted by Christopher Lennertz. The composer has a long resume across film, television and video games. He’s a two-time Emmy nominee thanks to his work on the series Supernatural and The Boys.
The new version of “November Rain” was mixed by Steven Wilson, frontman of English rock group Porcupine Tree, who has also remixed albums by a long list of classic rock artists, including: King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Yes, Rush, Roxy Music, Black Sabbath and Kiss.
“The new 2022 version is the same performance as the original, and mixed faithfully to the established version, but with newly recorded orchestration replacing the sampled sounds used at the time,” Wilson reported via social media. The fully orchestral rendition will replace the classic version in the upcoming box set.
“November Rain” was one of the standout tracks from 1991’s Use Your Illusion I. The song was released as a single in March 1992, eventually peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Meanwhile, its music video became a mainstay on MTV, and has since surpassed 1.9 billion views on YouTube.
Watch the Music Video for ‘November Rain’
Though “November Rain” would become one of Guns N’ Roses’ biggest hits, not every band member was on board with the soaring rock ballad. “I didn’t really sign up for this,” drummer Matt Sorum recalled in Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N’ Roses. “I was hoping to join a badass rock ‘n’ roll band. I was like, ‘What’s with the piano?'”
Similarly, guitarist Slash was unsure about “the grandiose production thing,” though he eventually came to respect “November Rain.” “What [Rose] ended up with at the end of the day was fucking brilliant,” the guitarist admitted. “I don’t know if it represented Guns in my head, but it sounded amazing regardless.”
The new Use Your Illusion box set will be released on Nov. 11 and is available for preorder now.
The 30 Wildest Moments From Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion Tour
From Rock in Rio to the Riverport riot, here are the 30 wildest moments from Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion Tour.