The Story Of Erin Everly: The Woman Who Revealed The Romantic Side Of Axl Rose And The Inspiration Of Sweet Child O’ Mine

Guns N’ Roses‘ frontman Axl Rose isn’t a musician who is known for writing romantic songs, his passionate love affairs, or anything related to romance, his image rather leans on the classic rock and roll lifestyle according to most fans, however, there’s always one person who can change that and even made Axl Rose write a romantic poem later to be turned into the monumental song, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine,‘ that is Erin Everly. 

The daughter of Everly Brothers singer Don Everly, Erin Everly was a model who dated several celebrities, including actor Donovan Leitch and actor David Arquette, however, her most memorable relationship was with the legendary lead singer Axl Rose.

It all started when the two first met at a party in L.A. in 1986, and both Everly and Rose formed an instant connection, later to have a passionate relationship concluding with a marriage on April 28, 1990, in Las Vegas. While the love birds seemed like a perfect match at first, Rose first filed for divorce less than a month later.

Both Axl Rose and Erinc Everyly later changed their minds, during which Everly became pregnant. Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage in October 1990, which affected Rose emotionally since she wanted to start a family. Everly broke up with Rose the following November after an argument, thus, they divorced in January 1991.

Axl Rose Wrote ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ To Erin Everly

While this legendary love affair didn’t last very long, it changed Guns N’ Roses frontman into a romantic lover. That’s when one of the most iconic songs of the band, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was created, initially as a poem that was penned by Axl Rose. In addition to the huge success of the track, it represents the ultimate romantic side of Rose thanks to his love for Erin Everly.

As you know, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ appeared on the band’s debut album ‘Appetite for Destruction,‘  and released in June 1988 as the album’s third single, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart right away, becoming the band’s only number 1 US single.

The track is without a doubt one of the greatest songs of all time, finding itself a place in countless lists such as Guitar World’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Guitar Solos,’ Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, VH1’s ‘100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s’, and on the RIAA Songs of the Century list.

The ultimate rock love song, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ music video also includes all of the members’ girlfriends at the time including Eric Everly herself. The black & white video was extremely successful on MTV which helped launch the song to success on mainstream radio.

You can listen to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ below.