The famous hard rock band, Mötley Crüe has released many incredible songs throughout their career. This includes the well-known song “Dr. Feelgood” which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. A lot of the band’s songs cover topics such as drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll. The band’s wild personalities and stage presence drew crowds by the thousands each time they went on tour. Even with the band retiring in 2015, they’ve just recently gone on tour with Def Leppard called “The Stadium Tour” (Summer 2022). With the band’s recent comeback, let’s go back in time and look at Mötley Crüe’s top 10 songs. 

#10- Live Wire (1981) 

“Live Wire” was the band’s debut single to their album Too Fast for Love which came out in 1981. The glam metal-inspired song is full of heavy guitar and astounding vocals by Vince Neil which gives the song an upbeat and energetic feel. Despite its energy, the song’s meaning is quite dark. They reference domestic violence due to one of the band members experiencing it firsthand during his childhood. Even with how catchy the song is, it didn’t make the Top 40 pop chart, only peaking at No.42. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop most from enjoying the song. 

#9- Looks That Kill (1983) 

“Looks That Kill” made it onto the Top 100 Billboard landing in the 54th spot. The meaning behind the song is assumed by most to be about bass player Nikki Sixx’s mother. The heavy riff song mixed with the hardcore vocals gives the song a more aggressive feel and shows how diverse the band is when it comes to the genre of Metal. It shows off how talented each member is throughout the song, especially showcasing Mick Mars’s incredible guitar skills with a solo in the song. It’s the song they play most on tours because it is such a fan favourite. 

#8- Same Ol’ Situation (1989) 

Part of their ‘Dr. Feelgood’ album, this song has a more upbeat feeling to it and is definitely one of their tame songs. The meaning behind the song is about a boy meeting a girl and how they are meant for each other. So pairing that with the less intense musical elements returns the band back to its original Glam Rock roots where it peaked at No.78 on the Billboard charts and No.34 on the Mainstream Rock charts. 

#7- Shout at the Devil (1983) 

Definitely one of Mötley’s most controversial songs to this day due to people mishearing the lyrics. The band was accused of promoting Devil worship and later on the band went on TV to try to clear the air about the song’s actual meaning. “Shout at the Devil” is also what made Mötley Crüe famous since the album is considered the band’s breakthrough. This song can be described as classic rock showing rough vocals from Vince Neil; the distorted riffs and solos put in makes the song all that more enjoyable due to its tempo. Even with these heavier components in the song, nowhere does it mention Devil worship. The song peaked at No.17 on the Billboard album charts. 

#6- Don’t Go Away Mad (1989) 

Having a slower tempo, the song shows a defiant change the band is going towards. Instead of sticking with their usual guitars, they switched to a standard acoustic guitar which gave the song a more gentle vibe but still felt groovy enough that it didn’t lose your interest. The meaning behind the song is about two young lovers who agree to go their separate ways and reminisce about the good times they had together. “Don’t Go Away Mad” shows how progressive Mötley is with their music and their willingness to dabble in different styles of rock. The song ended up peaking at No.19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.13 on Mainstream Rock charts. 

#5- Wild Side (1987) 

Having more of a heavy rock feel throughout the song, it is quite complex due to their lyrics. Fans have pointed out a lot of interesting symbolism such as religious imagery. While the meaning changes depending on the listener, there’s no denying that it does have Catholic undertones. The lyrics, while confusing at times, are quite catchy and have you moving to the rhythm. The song landed at No.14 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

#4- Dr. Feelgood (1989) 

By far one of Mötley’s most popular songs, with its upbeat music and classic rock aspects you can’t help but headbang. The meaning behind the song is about a drug dealer aka Dr. Feelgood. While we’ve seen how the band is willing to go in any direction when it comes to their music, “Dr. Feelgood” was the musical change that most fans weren’t expecting from the band. The guitar throughout the song stays quite heavy which just amplifies the already funk style the band was going towards with the song. “Dr. Feelgood” is one of the songs that Mötley Crüe got onto the Top 10 hit and has remained their highest-charting song. 

#3- Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) 

Even if you’re not a fan of Mötley Crüe, you have to at least know the band’s most well-known song “Girls, Girls, Girls.” This song is extremely catchy and its musical aspect is enough to get most people up and moving. It’s not hard to see why this song made it to No. 2 on the Billboard charts. It wasn’t shocking to fans when they released this song, in which the lyrics clearly display their love for strip clubs. Their music video for “Girls, Girls, Girls” was filmed in one of their favourite clubs to visit, The Seventh Veil. 

#2- Kickstart My Heart (1989) 

Most know that during the 80s Mötley Crüe dealt with a lot of substance abuse problems. This song was written after Nikki Sixx overdosed in 1987 and was brought back to life by EMTs. According to fans, the song is not about the overdose itself but about thrill-seeking which is an interesting take. The song is packed full of heavy riffs, and the compelling lyrics tell Sixx’s story which lead to the song making it to No. 27 on the Top 100 Billboard charts. 

#1- Home Sweet Home (1985) 

Going in a completely different direction than all of their other songs, Mötley went for a softer direction where Tommy Lee, their drummer, played the piano instead of the band’s usual hard-hitting guitar riffs and vocals. The meaning behind the song is feeling like you’ve been gone for a while and wanting to come back, which is something the band struggled with while on tour. This song was originally rejected by their label company because they described it as “too ballad.” This caused the band to threaten to leave the record label and go on their own if they weren’t allowed to release the song. When it was originally released it made No.89 on the Top 100 Billboard but later on in 1992 was No.37 on the Top 40. 

Selling over 100 million albums worldwide during their career and hitting the top Billboard charts multiple times, Mötley Crüe is one of the best-selling bands of all time. The 80s shined a light on some of the most popular bands to date, but Mötley Crüe will always be remembered for their chaotic personalities and antics, as well as their talent and passion for music.