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Saturday, May 23, 2020

"Girls, Girls, Girls" by Mötley Crüe

Song#:  3142
Date:  05/30/1987
Debut:  68
Peak:  12
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Glam Metal, Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  Over the course of three albums, Mötley Crüe's popularity increased significantly. Their third LP, Theater of Pain, was their biggest success to-date hitting #6 and going double-platinum (it would eventually sell over 4 million copies). It also generated their first hit single with a remake of "Smokin' in the Boys Room" (#16 Pop/#7 Rock). After a major worldwide tour came to an end, the band got back to business in the studio with producer Tom Werman to record their fourth album Girls, Girls, Girls. The title track would be issued out as the first single. It would end up being an even bigger breakthrough for the band reaching #2 at Rock and nearly cracking the Pop Top 10. This was thanks in part to the tune's associated video, which made a big splash on MTV. The album would reach #2 and by mid-July it would already be a platinum seller. The era of 80s glam/hair metal was reaching new heights and the Crüe had positioned themselves at the top of the heap. However, others were on their way up and were ready to battle for that spot.

ReduxReview:  I can't tell you how much I hated this song back in the day. The whole wild Mötley Crüe partying motif just didn't jibe with my standards. Granted, I wasn't a prude and definitely wasn't all that innocent, but that whole lifestyle they portrayed and lived was too much for me. So a song and video about strip clubs didn't get my attention. Of course I grew up and now I can look back at the band and their music differently. This song in particular was very smartly done. It really captured the essence of the band in one fell swoop. The motorcycles, the bawdy lyrics, the guitar licks, and the crunchy production were all on point as was its memorable chorus. If you took it down to the bare bones, this was really just a good pop song dressed up in leather and smelling like booze and cigarettes. It easily became a strip club and partying classic. I may not have been a Mötley Crüe fan, but when they hit the mark like this, I gotta give them credit.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:   This song is basically about the band's visits to various strip clubs and the girls that work in them and the "romances" the might have had with a few. The tune mentions several clubs by name including ones in the US, Canada, and France. The video for the song was to originally be shot in an L.A. club called The Body Shop. The club was an all-nude venue, which was fine with the band, but place was dry - they didn't serve alcohol. Of course the heavy-partying Crüe wasn't up for that so the shoot was switched over to the Sunset Strip club The Seventh Veil. Video music director Wayne Isham, who had worked with the band on two previous videos, got everything filmed, but knew a video about guys in a strip club might not sit well with MTV. So he employed an old-time strategy when it came to touchy stuff like this. His initial edit of the video included topless dancers, which he knew would not be acceptable to MTV. He sent it along anyway and sure enough, they balked. This then allowed Isham to re-edit the video to meet MTV's guidelines and suddenly what might have been a bit too much if first show seemed mild compared to the more outrageous first edit. The ol' switcheroo worked with MTV accepting the new version. It quickly became one of their top videos. (Both versions are available on YouTube these days, but you have to have a verified adult account to see the original version.)

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