Without You (Mötley Crüe song)

"Without You" is a song by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. A power ballad, it was released in February 1990 as the third single from their fifth studio album, Dr. Feelgood (1989).^[4][5]

"Without You"
Single by Mötley Crüe
from the album Dr. Feelgood
B-side	"Slice Of Your Pie"
Released	February 1990[1]
Recorded	1988–89
Genre	Glam metal[2] soft rock[3]
Length	4:29
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars
Producer(s)	Bob Rock
Mötley Crüe singles chronology
"Kickstart My Heart" (1989) "Without You" (1990) "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" (1990)

Background

The song features Mick Mars playing a steel guitar during the intro and the solo, a clean electric guitar arpeggio on the verses and bridge, and various licks on a distorted electric guitar throughout. In the Dr. Feelgood album's liner notes, the composition is said to be about Tommy Lee's relationship with Heather Locklear.

Music video

The music video was shot at the Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas on January 15, 1990, following Mötley Crüe's Houston concert.^[6] Produced by Sharon Oreck through O Pictures and photographed by Bill Pope, "Without You" is the first of two Crüe videos to be directed by Mary Lambert under the alias "Blanche White"^[7] ("blanche" meaning "white" in French). Lambert's original idea for the video was "to do a motorcycle movie" but Mötley Crüe objected, as they had done that before (in the music video for "Girls, Girls, Girls").^[8] The final clip, which was described by Nikki Sixx as having a very "surreal" touch to it, includes various abstract images, a live jaguar (Czar from the Exotic Cat Refuge and Wildlife Orphanage in Kirbyville), a violin ensemble playing during the slide solo, and the band playing in an Ancient Egypt-fashioned scenario. Traces of Persian cultural tradition are present in the last few seconds of the studio release.

Personnel

Mötley Crüe

• Vince Neil – lead vocals
• Mick Mars – guitar
• Nikki Sixx – bass
• Tommy Lee – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Mark LaFrance – backing vocals

Chart positions

Released as the album's third single in 1990, "Without You" reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the United States, #11 on the Mainstream Rock Chart,^[9] and #39 on the UK Singles Chart.

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Position UK Singles (OCC)[10] 39 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 8 U.S. Mainstream Rock[9] 11 Australia (ARIA)[12] 46

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[13] 96