Following one of the most turbulent years within the band, Mötley Crüe recorded and released one of their highest-charting albums, Theatre of Pain.
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In 1984, bassist Nikki Sixx‘s addiction to heroin had spiraled out of control, the band was close to firing founding guitarist Mick Mars, and on December 8 of that year singer Vince Neil was arrested for drunk driving following the fatal crash that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicolas “Razzle” Dingley.
Out of all the turmoil within the band came Theatre of Pain and the band’s first big power ballad “Home Sweet Home.”
The Meaning
Theatre of Pain boasted a more melodic, dare-say-pop sound for the band, from the band’s Brownsville Station cover of “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” which shot to the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 16 and No. 7 on the Mainstream Rock chart, while still delivering some Shout at the Devil-worthy metal with “Louder Than Hell.”
Though, the standout track on the band’s third album was their more syrupy ballad “Home Sweet Home.”
Written by Sixx, Neil, and drummer Tommy Lee, and released on the band’s third album, Theatre of Pain, in 1985, “Home Sweet Home” centered around life on the road and wanting to be back home after the band’s first big tour following 1983 album Shout At The Devil.
“It was a response to us from being gone so long during ‘Shout At The Devil,'” said Sixx in the band’s 2016 concert documentary Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles. “It was our first time. A tour bus picked us up at our little tiny apartments, and we took off to go play some shows, and 18 months later we got dropped back in our little apartments.”
Sixx added, “We didn’t know what to do, so we started writing songs for ‘Theater of Pain,’ and ‘Home Sweet Home’ started to come out. The lyrics came out of that feeling of being gone so long and wanting to come back, which is ironic, because all you ever want is to get in a band and go on the road, but then you’re on the road and you want to come home.”
You know I’m a dreamer
But my heart’s of gold
I had to run away high
So I wouldn’t come home low
Just when things went right
It doesn’t mean they were always wrong
Just take this song
And you’ll never feel left all alone
Take me to your heart
Feel me in your bones
Just one more night
And I’m coming off this long and winding road
I’m on my way
I’m on my way
Home sweet home
[RELATED: 8 Songs You Didn’t Know Nikki Sixx Wrote for Other Artists]
Carrie Underwood
The album charted at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and though “Home Sweet Home” didn’t chart the highest upon its release (No. 89), it remains one of Crüe’s signature songs.
“Home Sweet Home” has been covered by a number of artists, including Linkin Park and country singer Justin Moore, who took to the country charts for the first time.
In 2009, Carrie Underwood also covered “Home Sweet Home” and brought it to No. 21 on the chart. A longtime fan of metal, Underwood, who has also performed with Guns N’ Roses several times, released “Home Sweet Home” on the deluxe release of her third album Play On.
Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage
