This Evocative 1988 Rock No. 1, Built From A Nearly-Scrapped Slash Riff, Topped The Charts 38 Years Ago Today

The U.S. loved some pop music back in 1988, with artists such as George Michael, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson infiltrating the airwaves and sitting pretty in the charts' top spots. But the tides changed in September when a tough-yet-tender rock ballad called "Sweet Child o' Mine" by an up-and-coming rock group called Guns N' Roses took the top spot and launched the group to superstardom.

"Sweet Child o' Mine," one of the top five '80s rock songs we'll be blasting on repeat until we die, was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 14, 1988, more than a year after Guns N' Roses' landmark debut album "Appetite for Destruction" hit the scene. The song beautifully blends grit and vulnerability as Axl Rose sings about pure admiration intertwined with innocence. It demands attention the second Slash enters with that iconic guitar riff, and Rose's dynamic vocals help paint a deeply personal picture of love and trust that still resonates with audiences.

"Sweet Child o' Mine" was the group's first — and only — No. 1 song in the U.S. and helped transform the band from a Sunset Strip subculture staple (try saying that three times fast) to a headlining star attraction that reinvigorated the late-'80s rock scene. Their breakout song is beloved by many today, but back in its infancy, one band member wasn't convinced the most notable part would amount to much.

One might assume a classic tune like "Sweet Child o' Mine" was intentionally written with precise technicality and focused, organized composition from the start, but it came about rather haphazardly. It all started with Slash strumming a riff he'd played countless times before — and didn't really care about. "The riff started out as a stupid exercise that I noodled around with nearly every time I picked up a guitar," the legendary guitarist told Guitar World in 2009. "I don't really know how to practice properly, so I like to make up things that are difficult to play, so that I can become better at what I do."

One day, while Slash played this "stupid exercise," his bandmate Izzy Stradlin came up with a few chords to accompany it, and the song's foundation was set. When Axl Rose heard the music, he knew what he wanted the lyrics to capture: the love he felt at the time. That's right — the woman who inspired Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine" was his then-girlfriend, Erin Everly.

And the rest is rock 'n' roll history. Guns N' Roses went on to have other singles sit in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 over the course of their career, but none quite reached the height "Sweet Child o' Mine" did. And to think its most recognizable element — that riveting guitar riff — started as an insignificant lick. Funny how things work out, huh?