"Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock 'n' Roll)" is a hard rock anthem written by Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Geordie Leach, and Peter Wells of the Australian band Rose Tattoo. The song first appeared on the band's self-titled debut album, released on Albert Productions in 1978, and became one of their signature compositions. Rooted in the blues-infused pub rock scene of late-1970s Sydney, the track embodies Rose Tattoo's gritty, no-frills approach to rock, built on driving guitar riffs, a pounding rhythm section, and Anderson's raw vocal delivery. The composition follows a straightforward verse-chorus structure with blues-based harmonies, designed for maximum impact in a live setting. Rose Tattoo emerged alongside contemporaries like AC/DC and The Angels within the Albert Productions stable, and "Nice Boys" exemplifies the tough, streetwise style the band dubbed "tattoo rock," which would prove influential on a generation of hard rock and heavy metal acts internationally. Guns N' Roses recorded a notable cover of the song, which appeared on their 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide and the 1988 compilation G N' R Lies, introducing Rose Tattoo's music to a wider global audience. The Guns N' Roses version preserves the original's raw energy while filtering it through the Los Angeles band's own aggressive style. Several other artists have also covered the track over the decades, cementing its status as a cult classic within the hard rock canon, though it remains more of a deep cut than a mainstream standard.
