"Bad Obsession" is a blues-soaked, Stones-influenced rocker from Use Your Illusion I, written by Izzy Stradlin and West Arkeen. The track stands out on the album for its prominent harmonica work courtesy of guest musician Michael Monroe, the frontman of Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, a group that had been a significant influence on Guns N' Roses' early sound. Set in the key of G-flat at 125 BPM, the song rides a gritty, mid-tempo shuffle groove that evokes the rawness of the band's Appetite for Destruction era. Slash delivers an extended electric guitar solo beginning around the 3:23 mark, stretching over thirty seconds with greasy, blues-inflected bends and a loose, improvisational feel that suits the song's barroom atmosphere. Following Slash's guitar work, Michael Monroe takes the spotlight with a harmonica solo starting near the 3:56 mark, adding a distinctive tonal color rarely heard in the Guns N' Roses catalog. Monroe's harmonica wails and bends complement Slash's guitar lines, creating a call-and-response texture between the two soloists. The song's lyrics deal with addiction, a recurring theme for the band during this period. "Bad Obsession" captures the band at their most authentically bluesy, with Stradlin's songwriting channeling the Keith Richards-style rhythm guitar approach that defined much of his contribution to the group.
