Mötley Crüe

Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Bob "Mick Mars" Deal, Vince Neil formed Mötley Crüe in 1981 and the umlauts over the “o” and “u” were supposedly inspired by Löwenbräu, which was a favorite beer of all the band members back then. The band toured for a couple years and had some success with their first release, Too Fast For Love, the 1981 LP produced and distributed via their own record label, Leathür Records, but it was not until it signed with Elektra and was given a marketing budget did they really begin to get noticed.

Their mixture of heavy metal and glam rock styles resulted in best-selling albums throughout the eighties, beginning with 1983’s Shout at the Devil. The Crüe’s second album produced three hit singles (“Shout at the Devil,” “Looks That Kill,” and “Too Young to Fall in Love”) and Theatre of Pain spawned two more hits (“Smokin' in the Boys Room” and “Home Sweet Home”) in 1985. The band’s makeup and outrageous clothes and hairstyles were perfect for music videos, which helped both albums go four times platinum.

The 1987 release of Girls, Girls, Girls saw the band producing a more polished, blues-influenced sound and the themes of the LP revolved around drug abuse, motorcycles, strip clubs, and the groupie-filled sexual escapades. The record’s singles, “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Wild Side” and “You’re All I Need” were as memorable as the band’s legendary offstage antics.  The partying came to a head when Nikki Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose. He was actually declared legally dead en route to the way to the hospital, but the paramedic, a Crüe fan, revived Sixx by giving him two shots of adrenaline to the heart. His two minutes of death inspired a hit single ("Kickstart My Heart") from the band’s next and last record of the 1980’s.

1989 was a great year for Mötley Crüe: they were finally sober, their fifth LP, Dr. Feelgood, was their highest seller, hitting number one, and then staying on the charts for over two years after its release, and they were nominated for Grammys in the Best Hard Rock Category for the singles, “Dr. Feelgood” and "Kickstart My Heart". The album garnered two more hit singles, “Without You” and “Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),” but they were both released in 1990.

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.- Romans 12:9