"Shadow of Your Love" was written by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin from Hollywood Rose with help from Rose's friend Paul Tobias. Rose mentioned being inspired by Thin Lizzy in writing the lyrics, and wrote the song in "about 7 minutes". The song was first recorded by Hollywood Rose, with a recording later being released on The Roots of Guns N' Roses album, which was recorded with original Guns N' Roses lead guitaristTracii Guns. Steven Adler explained the background of the song: "The first song we played in rehearsal was 'Shadow of Your Love,' and Axl showed up late. We were playing the song, and right in the middle of the song Axl showed up and he grabbed the microphone and was running up and down the walls screaming. I thought, 'This is the greatest thing ever.' We knew right then what we had." In 1998, former Hollywood Rose guitarist Chris Weber sued Rose over songwriting credits, claiming he co-wrote "Shadow of Your Love".
Release and promotion
The first Guns N' Roses version appeared as a B-side on the It's So Easy/Mr. Brownstone single in 1987, as a "faux-live" version of the song, with overdubbed crowd noise on the studio version. The same version was also released in 1988 on the Live From The Jungle EP. The track was an outtake from the band's debut EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide. A different recording of the song was released as a B-side on the Live and Let Die single in 1991, which is identical to the Sound City Session version later included on the Appetite for Destruction Deluxe Edition. A previously unreleased recording of the song was officially released as a single in 2018 to promote the Appetite for Destruction boxed set. The artwork for the single release was made by artist Arian Buhler. Buhler worked with the band previously on designing lithographs for the Not In This Lifetime... Tour. Two lyric videos were released in promotion of the single. The song is also included as 7" single in the Appetite for Destruction Locked N' Loaded Box Set, backed with the 1988 acoustic version of "Move to the City". On June 6, 2018, the band played the song live for the first time since the Appetite for Destruction Tour.
