"Anything Goes" is a hard rock song written by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, with early contributions from guitarist Chris Weber during their time together in Hollywood Rose, a precursor band to Guns N' Roses. The composition originated in the early 1980s under the working title "My Way, Your Way" and drew initial inspiration from the chromatic riff style of Aerosmith's Rock in a Hard Place era. The song underwent significant revision before appearing on Appetite for Destruction in 1987, with the verses slowed in tempo, the chorus rewritten, and new lyrics composed by Rose the night of recording to reflect a provocative, hedonistic theme. The arrangement features interlocking guitar parts from Slash and Stradlin playing distinct lines, creating a layered texture over a groovy, pocket-feel rhythm section. Its structure follows a straightforward verse-chorus format suited to energetic live performance, anchored by an anthemic chorus and aggressive riff-driven guitars. The track was already a fixture in the band's live sets by their early 1985 shows at venues like the Troubadour in West Hollywood, making it one of the oldest compositions on the debut album. Though it remains a deep cut rather than one of the album's signature hits, "Anything Goes" documents the bridge between the band's scrappy underground origins in the Los Angeles club scene and their eventual mainstream breakthrough.
