Kickstart My Heart
| "Kickstart My Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mötley Crüe | ||||
| from the album Dr. Feelgood | ||||
| B-side | "She Goes Down" | |||
| Released | November 20, 1989 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal[1][2][3][4] | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter | Nikki Sixx | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| Mötley Crüe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music videos | ||||
| "Kickstart My Heart" on YouTube | ||||
"Kickstart My Heart" is a song by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, originally released on their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood. Released as the album's second single in 1989, "Kickstart My Heart" reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in early 1990.[5]
Background
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx wrote "Kickstart My Heart" on acoustic guitar during the Dr. Feelgood sessions. When the group's former manager read the lyric, he encouraged a reluctant Sixx to share it with the band and the track came together quickly.[6]
The song's title refers an incident where a paramedic was said to have injected Sixx's heart with adrenaline to revive him after a drug overdose. Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler claimed the incident involved no injection, instead consisting of him dragging Sixx into a cold shower before paramedics arrived and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.[7]
Personnel
Personnel taken from Dr. Feelgood CD booklet.[8]
Mötley Crüe
- Vince Neil – lead and backing vocals
- Mick Mars – guitars
- Nikki Sixx – bass
- Tommy Lee – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Mark LeFrance – backing vocals
- David Steele – backing vocals
- Emi Canyn – backing vocals
- Donna McDaniel – backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 34 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] | 51 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 31 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 27 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] | 18 |
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales[14] | 15 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 6 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[16] | 17 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[17] | 9 |
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 3 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[19] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[20] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae)[21] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[22] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Greatest Hair Metal Songs". Rolling Stone. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties – Guitar World". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
"Dr. Feelgood," "Kickstart My Heart," "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" and "She Goes Down" are as good as pop metal ever got
- ^ "The Ultimate Hair Metal Party Playlist". Kerrang!. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ "Watch Ten Second Song Guy Sing Mötley Crüe's Kickstart My Heart In 17 Different Styles". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Allmusic (Motley Crue charts & awards) Billboard singles".
- ^ Robinson, Will (2015-12-22). "Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx shares the stories behind the band's biggest songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ^ Childers, Chad (15 May 2018). "Steven Adler on Motley Crue's 'Kickstart My Heart' Actual Origins". Loudwire. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Dr. Feelgood (CD booklet). Mötley Crüe. Elektra. 1989.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Mötley Crüe – Kickstart My Heart". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5105". RPM. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Mötley Crüe – Kickstart My Heart". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Motley Crue Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Motley Crue Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Mötley Crüe – Canadian Digital". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 13, 2019" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 5/4/2019 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ "Motley Crue Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 10, 2026" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Mötley Crüe – Kickstart My Heart". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart". Radioscope. Retrieved 8 December 2025. Type Kickstart My Heart in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 5, 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Kickstart My Heart Motley Crue in the "Search:" field.