Chinese Democracy

"Chinese Democracy" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, and the title track from their sixth studio album. It was released as a radio single on October 22, 2008 and was released on the iTunes Store on November 9, 2008. It was primarily written by Axl Rose and Josh Freese. It was the band's first single of original material since "Estranged" was released in 1994 as the final single off the 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. Commercially, "Chinese Democracy" charted well in most territories. It was particularly successful in Scandinavian countries, topping the Norwegian Singles Chart and reaching number three in Sweden and Finland. The song reached the top 20 in Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland, as well as number 27 on the UK Singles Chart and in Flemish Belgium and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached number 10 in Canada and number 34 in the United States. The song reached number five on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Origins Prior to the song being released as a single, "Chinese Democracy" had been played live by Guns N' Roses on their Chinese Democracy Tour in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007. The final line of the song was originally "like if your ass were your head, you can tell", but was ultimately changed to "when their arms reach out for your help".