Mötley Crüe

About Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe basically wrote the manual on 80s excess, then spent the next few decades proving they actually lived it. Formed in Los Angeles in 1981, the band brought together bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, guitarist Mick Mars, and vocalist Vince Neil. They weren't the first glam metal band, but they might have been the most committed to the bit—the makeup, the leather, the general chaos that followed them everywhere.

Their 1981 debut "Too Fast for Love" came out on their own label before Elektra Records picked them up. But it was 1983's "Shout at the Devil" that turned them into something bigger. The title track and the album's pentagram imagery got them exactly the kind of attention they wanted—parents hated it, teenagers bought it, and the band became synonymous with the moral panic crowd's worst fears about heavy metal.

"Theatre of Pain" in 1985 gave them "Home Sweet Home," a power ballad that proved they could do more than just riff on Satan and debauchery. Then came "Girls, Girls, Girls" in 1987, the title track celebrating strip clubs with zero subtlety. The album went multi-platinum because apparently that's what people wanted. By this point, the band's offstage behavior was becoming as notable as their music—arrests, overdoses, car crashes. The usual rock and roll casualties, except amplified.

"Dr. Feelgood" in 1989 was their commercial peak. Produced by Bob Rock, it was tighter and heavier than their earlier work. The title track and "Kickstart My Heart"—inspired by Nikki Sixx's near-death overdose—both hit hard on rock radio. The album went to number one and sold millions. They'd somehow made it to the top despite actively trying to destroy themselves.

The 90s were less kind. Vince Neil left in 1992, replaced briefly by John Corabi for one album that nobody really remembers. Neil came back in 1997, but grunge had moved the goalposts. The band kept touring and recording through the 2000s with diminishing returns, though their fanbase never entirely disappeared.

Their 2001 autobiography "The Dirt" became a bestseller and later a Netflix movie, introducing them to a new generation. They've done multiple farewell tours at this point—the most recent supposedly final one wrapped in 2015, complete with a "cessation of touring" agreement. Naturally, they've toured since then, including a 2022 stadium run with Def Leppard.

They're not pretending to be anything other than what they are: a band that captured a specific moment when metal was theatrical and dangerous and completely over the top. Whether that moment needed capturing is another question, but millions of albums sold suggest people thought it did.

Mötley Crüe shows are pure spectacle. Tommy Lee's drum kit spins in circles. Pyrotechnics go off constantly. The crowd is mostly people who know every word to every song, singing along to ballads with lighters out. It's less about hearing the music clearly and more about being in the room while the band proves they can still deliver the hits.

Known for Dr. Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls, Kickstart My Heart, Shout at the Devil, Home Sweet Home

See Mötley Crüe Live