The 30 Best Mötley Crüe Songs, from Live Wire to Kickstart My Heart

What is Mötley Crüe's most famous song?

"Kickstart My Heart" is Mötley Crüe's best-known song today, a 1989 adrenaline rush inspired by Nikki Sixx's near-fatal overdose. "Dr. Feelgood" was their biggest chart hit, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and the power ballad "Home Sweet Home" and the strip-club anthem "Girls, Girls, Girls" are just as famous.

Mötley Crüe's biggest hits

1. "Kickstart My Heart", 1989: the high-speed anthem from Dr. Feelgood.
2. "Dr. Feelgood", 1989: their highest-charting single, number six on the Hot 100.
3. "Home Sweet Home", 1985: the piano-led power ballad that became an MTV staple.
4. "Girls, Girls, Girls", 1987: a revving, motorcycle-fueled number 12 hit.
5. "Without You", 1990: a tender ballad that reached number eight.
6. "Shout at the Devil", 1983: the title track that defined their darker early image.
7. "Looks That Kill", 1984: their first Hot 100 single, with a post-apocalyptic video.
8. "Smokin' in the Boys Room", 1985: their cover of the Brownsville Station hit, number 16.
9. "Wild Side", 1987: a heavy, grinding song about life on the streets of Los Angeles.
10. "Live Wire", 1982: the explosive opener of their debut album.

Songs from Too Fast for Love (1981) and Shout at the Devil (1983)

11. "Take Me to the Top", 1981: a fast, hungry early rocker.
12. "Piece of Your Action", 1981: a swaggering fan favorite from the debut.
13. "Too Fast for Love", 1981: the title track of the album they first released themselves.
14. "Merry-Go-Round", 1981: a promotional single from the debut.
15. "Too Young to Fall in Love", 1984: a hard-hitting single from Shout at the Devil.
16. "Helter Skelter", 1983: a heavy cover of the Beatles song.
17. "Red Hot", 1983: one of their fastest songs, a live favorite.

Songs from Theatre of Pain (1985) and Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)

18. "Louder Than Hell", 1985: a riff-heavy track from Theatre of Pain.
19. "You're All I Need", 1987: a dark ballad from Girls, Girls, Girls.
20. "Dancing on Glass", 1987: a gritty deep cut from the same album.

Songs from Dr. Feelgood (1989) and the 90s

21. "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)", 1990: a number 19 hit from Dr. Feelgood.
22. "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)", 1990: another single from Dr. Feelgood.
23. "Primal Scream", 1991: a new song recorded for the Decade of Decadence compilation.
24. "Home Sweet Home '91", 1991: a remix of their ballad that charted again.
25. "Hooligan's Holiday", 1994: the lead single with singer John Corabi.
26. "Afraid", 1997: the lead single from Generation Swine, with Vince Neil back.

Later Mötley Crüe songs

27. "If I Die Tomorrow", 2005: a number four rock radio hit from Red, White and Crüe.
28. "Saints of Los Angeles", 2008: the title track of their first album with the classic lineup in years.
29. "The Dirt (Est. 1981)", 2019: the theme of their Netflix biopic, with Machine Gun Kelly.
30. "Dogs of War", 2024: a top five rock radio single.

Who are Mötley Crüe?

Mötley Crüe formed in Los Angeles in 1981 when bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee recruited guitarist Mick Mars and singer Vince Neil. They released their debut, Too Fast for Love, on their own label before Elektra signed them, and the umlauts in their name were pure decoration. With Shout at the Devil in 1983 they became the biggest band on the Sunset Strip, and by the end of the decade they were filling arenas around the world.

Mötley Crüe albums in order

• Too Fast for Love (1981): the raw, glammy debut with "Live Wire" and "Piece of Your Action".
• Shout at the Devil (1983): heavier and darker, the album that broke them nationally.
• Theatre of Pain (1985): the glam peak, home of "Home Sweet Home" and "Smokin' in the Boys Room".
• Girls, Girls, Girls (1987): a bluesy, biker-flavored record with "Wild Side".
• Dr. Feelgood (1989): their sober, polished masterpiece and only number one album.
• Mötley Crüe (1994): a heavier album with John Corabi on vocals.
• Generation Swine (1997): the experimental reunion with Vince Neil.
• New Tattoo (2000): a back-to-basics record made without Tommy Lee.
• Saints of Los Angeles (2008): the classic four back together, telling their own story.

If you are new to the band, start with Dr. Feelgood, then go back to Shout at the Devil and Theatre of Pain.

The story behind Kickstart My Heart

In December 1987, Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin and was declared clinically dead before paramedics revived him with two shots of adrenaline to the heart. He turned the experience into "Kickstart My Heart", a full-throttle song about chasing thrills, and it became the high point of Dr. Feelgood. That album, produced by Bob Rock, was recorded after the band got sober and became their only number one album on the Billboard 200.

The story behind Home Sweet Home

"Home Sweet Home", from 1985's Theatre of Pain, starts with Tommy Lee on piano and builds into one of the defining power ballads of the decade. Its video, made of tour and concert footage, played constantly on MTV, and the band revisited the song with a remix in 1991. It is still the song fans hold up their lighters for, and a fitting closer for any road trip home; see our songs about home for more.

The Dirt, the farewell tour and the comeback

In 2001 the band published The Dirt, a famously wild group memoir written with Neil Strauss, which Netflix turned into a film in 2019. Mötley Crüe signed a cessation-of-touring agreement and played their final show on December 31, 2015, in Los Angeles, then came back anyway: in 2022 they co-headlined The Stadium Tour with Def Leppard. That year Mick Mars retired from touring and guitarist John 5 took his place. For more from their tour partners, see our Def Leppard songs.

Mötley Crüe songs for a party, a workout or a road trip

For a party, play "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Dr. Feelgood" and "Smokin' in the Boys Room". For a workout, "Kickstart My Heart", "Live Wire" and "Red Hot" are pure energy. For a long drive, mix "Wild Side", "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" and "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)", and save "Home Sweet Home" for the last mile. For more classic rock, see our 80s songs and road trip songs.

Mötley Crüe songs for a wedding

"Without You" is the band's most romantic song and a fun first dance for a rock-loving couple, and "Home Sweet Home" works for a slideshow or a last dance. For a grand entrance, nothing beats the opening revs of "Girls, Girls, Girls" or the opening rush of "Kickstart My Heart". For more, see our rock wedding songs.

A rock song about their wild side

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