"Kickstart My Heart" is a song by American heavy metal band

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

, 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. In a 2015 interview, Mötley Crüe bassist

Nikki Sixx Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and radio personality, best known as the co-founder, bassist, primary songwriter, and only constant member of the hea ...

related the origins of "Kickstart My Heart", which he wrote while the band was already working on ''Dr. Feelgood''. Sixx was playing acoustic guitar in his house while scribbling words on a piece of paper. When the group’s former manager read the words, he encouraged Sixx to share it with the rest of the band. Sixx was reluctant, but eventually did show the band and the track came together quickly. The phrase "kickstart my heart" supposedly refers to Sixx's overdose incident where a paramedic injected his heart with adrenaline;

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

drummer

Steven Adler Steven Adler (born Michael Coletti; January 22, 1965) is an American musician. He was the drummer and co-songwriter of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s. Adler was fired from Guns N' R ...

disputes the accuracy of the story, saying he revived Sixx before the paramedics arrived. The video clip was shot at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

on October 5, 1989, during Mötley Crüe's warm-up show before embarking on the ''Dr. Feelgood'' world tour.

Sam Kinison Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distin ...

is featured at the start of the video chauffeuring the band to the Whisky in a 1946 Buick ambulance.

Personnel

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...

– vocals *

Mick Mars Robert Alan Deal (born May 4, 1951), known professionally as Mick Mars, is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist and co-founder of the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, being the oldest of the four origin ...

– guitars,

talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the so ...

– bass *

Tommy Lee Thomas Lee (born Thomas Lee Bass; October 3, 1962) is an American musician who co-founded and plays drums for the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He also founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical projects. Early ...

– drums, backing vocals

Charts

Certifications

Use in media

* An orchestral remix of the song by 2WEI has appeared in the '' Battlefield 2042'' announcement trailer. * An edited version of the song scores the climatic football match of the finale of the third season of documentary series '' Welcome to Wrexham.'' * The song was used by controversial baseball relief pitcher John Rocker as his entrance song when entering games. * The song is featured as in-game music for the North American release of the video game '' Gran Turismo 3: A-spec''. * The song is played in the trailers of '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run''. * The song appears in the 2011 film ''

Zookeeper A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...

''. * In 2025,

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

adopted the song as the theme music for its coverage of the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

. While originally intended as a placeholder by Fox's art director, it was positively received by colleagues and made permanent.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles Elektra Records singles Mötley Crüe songs Songs based on actual events Songs written by Nikki Sixx Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Song recordings produced by Bob Rock