Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood' A Love Letter to Drug Dealers

Motley Crue posing for a photo at a press event Used (among others) in an article discussing Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood'

The Crue played their very first show at the Starwood in West Hollywood, Calif. on April 24, 1981. In an interview with ‘L.A. Weekly,’ Nikki Sixx said of the gig, “I remember walking down the stairs onto the stage and hardly knowing Tommy and Vince and Mick, but at the same time feeling like I’d known them my whole life.”

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Mick Mars came up with main guitar part and melody line for the chorus before Nikki Sixx wrote the words... a love letter to his drug dealer. This is the story behind Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood.'

Was Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood' a #1 Hit?

Believe it or not, the band never had a number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood' was their highest charting song. It made it to #6. Crazy, but Mötley Crüe's second highest charting song was the ballad "Without You," a song that really doesn't get any airplay these days. It peaked at #8.

The lyrics grab you for the go painting a picture that seems awfully real:

Rat tailed Jimmy is a second hand hood
He deals out in Hollywood
Got a '65 Chevy primered flames
Traded for some powdered goods
Jigsaw Jimmy he's runnin' a gang
But I hear he's doin' okay
Got a cozy little job sells the Mexican mob
Packages of candy cane

Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood'fame b&w photo.

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The roots of Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna, Jr.’s stage name stem from wanting to cut any ties he had from a father who had abandoned him at an early age. Wanting to reinvent himself, Nikki Sixx was born and would later become the Mötley Crüe bassist’s legal name.

The Alternate Lyrics of 'Dr. Feelgood'

Nikki Sixx spoke with Rolling Stone about Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood' saying, "I remember it had a whole other set of lyrics. I had sort of forgotten that and I found them in a box recently. I was like, 'oh, wow.' It had a whole different theme to it. It was called 'Dr. Feelgood,' but a whole different thing lyrically." Nikki continued, "In the end it was inspired by drug dealers. Is there ever just one? A good drug addict always has more than one dealer."

Why People Still Request Mötley Crüe 'Dr. Feelgood'

Vince Neil spoke with Rolling Stone about this topic saying, "I knew it was a classic from the time I heard that very first ‘bomp bomp bomp bomp’ — that intro just kind of grabs you,” Vince also said, "I was watching VH1 and they had the Greatest Hard Rock Songs and ‘Feelgood’ was 15 or something. I was like, ‘Wow, of all time.’ Then you have Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and AC/DC and ‘Feelgood.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ It’s our signature song in some ways.”