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The 1991 Guns N’ Roses song that Axl Rose regrets making: “I was set up”
Axl Rose has looked back with regret at "My World", the strange, largely electronic closing track he wrote and recorded alone for Guns N' Roses' 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. The song marked a sharp departure from the band's hard rock sound, and its inclusion has long puzzled fans and critics, cementing its reputation as one of the era's more baffling musical detours. Its resurfacing in discussion matters because it offers a rare glimpse of Rose reflecting candidly on a creative decision he now views as a misstep.
Rose has said he felt "set up" over how the track came together and was released, suggesting he was manoeuvred into a situation that left him exposed to ridicule rather than genuinely supported by those around him. "My World" was recorded without input from the rest of the band, using drum machines and synthesisers, and tacked onto the end of an otherwise guitar-driven double album. It has since become one of the most divisive moments in Guns N' Roses' catalogue, frequently cited as an example of Rose's more experimental, and less well-received, instincts during the band's early-1990s peak.
In short
- Axl Rose regrets "My World", a 1991 Use Your Illusion II closing track.
- The largely electronic solo track baffled fans and critics.
- Rose says he felt "set up" over its creation and release.
Explained simply
Guns N’ Roses were an American hard rock band whose best-known early music was built around loud guitars and Axl Rose’s distinctive vocals. In 1991, they released two companion albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which showed a broader range of styles than their earlier work.
“My World” closes Use Your Illusion II and stands apart from the album’s guitar-led songs. Rose wrote and recorded it on his own, using electronic sounds including drum machines and synthesisers, rather than making it with the full band.
The track became a divisive part of the band’s catalogue because of that contrast. Rose’s later regret draws attention to how creative decisions were made within the group, and how an unexpected experiment can shape an artist’s reputation.