At over nine minutes long, "Estranged", also known for its music video, is the longest song on Use Your Illusion II and Guns N' Roses' second longest song overall (after "Coma" from Use Your Illusion I).
According to Slash, the song was written while the band was rehearsing for an extended period of time in Chicago.
Axl revealed that he wrote the song during a more "bummed out" time in his life when his marriage with Erin Everly was annulled.
During the first Slash solo guitar (6:14 to 6:44), he can be seen playing the guitar and moving across a street full of people but not walking. Although isn't visible to camera, Slash is over a little railtracks platform to get the "traveling without moving" effect. At 6:17 she can be seen a brunette woman in dark red suit walking by the street behind Slash, who clearly changes her walking to avoid the railtracks.