After the release of “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” nothing was ever the same for Guns N’ Roses. Their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, hit the shelves in July 1987 and initially struggled to make an impact. The album debuted at No 182 on the Billboard 200 and its first two singles, “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome To The Jungle” didn’t do much better. Pressure from the band’s record label, Geffen, encouraged MTV to give the “Welcome To The Jungle” video some late night plays, though, and the song eventually became the most requested video on the network. By April 1988, Appetite For Destruction had gone platinum in the US.

The stage was set for a breakthrough single, and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” couldn’t have been more perfect. From guitarist Slash’s luminous opening riff to its skyscraping chorus, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was a big-hearted rock anthem with depth and an air of melancholy, demonstrating the beating heart beneath GNR’s sleaze-rock exterior. It was released as a single in June and topped the US Billboard chart. All of a sudden, Guns N’ Roses had become the biggest rock band of their generation.

On its single release, the impact of “Sweet Child Of Mine” was immense. When the song hit No. 1 in the US, GNR were touring as Aerosmith’s opening act. Before long, they were a far bigger draw than the veteran rock act. A re-release of “Welcome To The Jungle” followed, this time it hit No. 7 in the US, and the raucous party anthem “Paradise City” was next, hitting No 5. A year on from “Sweet Child” hitting the top spot, Appetite For Destruction had sold 8 million copies in the US alone.

“Where do we go now?” asked Axl Rose in “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” He couldn’t have ever guessed the places the song would take him.