Smokin' in the Boys Room
"Smokin' in the Boys Room" | ||||
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Single by Brownsville Station | ||||
from the album Yeah! | ||||
B-side | "Barefootin'" | |||
Released | October 1973 | |||
Format | 7" single | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:58 | |||
Label | Big Tree | |||
Songwriter(s) | Cub Koda, Michael Lutz | |||
Producer(s) | Doug Morris, Brilliant Sun | |||
Brownsville Station singles chronology | ||||
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"Smokin' in the Boys Room" | ||||
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Single by Mötley Crüe | ||||
from the album Theatre of Pain | ||||
B-side | "Use it or Lose it" | |||
Released | 24 June 1985 | |||
Format | 7" single | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | Glam metal | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | Cub Koda, Michael Lutz | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Werman | |||
Mötley Crüe singles chronology | ||||
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"Smokin' in the Boys Room" is a song originally recorded by Brownsville Station in 1973 on their album Yeah! It reached number 3 in Canada[1] and on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was later certified by the RIAA.
The song is about students hoping to avoid being caught violating their school's smoking ban by smoking cigarettes in the boys' restroom.
Chart performance
Cover versions
Mötley Crüe version
The song was covered in 1985 by Mötley Crüe. Released as a single, "Smokin' in the Boys Room" reached #16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and became Mötley Crüe's first Top 40 hit.[9] Their version of the song appears in the 1986 film The Wraith directed by Chieffallo. A Leann Rimes version of the song appeared on the album Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe.
Music video
Crüe's version was accompanied by a conceptual music video featuring Michael Berryman as the school principal. The video focuses on a high school student named Jimmy who is mistreated and misunderstood in school. After he is punished for (truthfully) claiming that a dog ran off with his homework, a frustrated Jimmy goes to the boys' bathroom where he sees Motley Crüe in the mirrors. The band pulls him through the mirror to join them, and Jimmy and Motley Crüe watch a dystopian vision of the school through a barred window.
Weekly charts (1985) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 61 |
Canadian RPM[11] | 19 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
Personnel
- Vince Neil - Vocals
- Mick Mars - Guitar
- Nikki Sixx - Bass
- Tommy Lee - Drums
- Mickey Raphael - Harmonica
Other versions
In 1981, the song was translated to Hebrew and covered by T-Slam under the name "Me'ashnim Beyahad" (Smoking Together) on their debut album. The English version of the album, "Loud Radio" featured another cover of the song, this time in English.
In popular culture
The original version of the song was featured in the 1979 movie, Rock 'n' Roll High School.
References
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- 1 2 3 "Songs from the Year 1974". Tsort.info. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 26, 1974". Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
- ↑ Australian-charts.com
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 69th ed, Billboard Publications, Inc. 1996. ISBN 0-8230-7632-6
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 209. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-07-27.