"Smokin' in the Boys Room" (also spelled "Smokin' in the Boy's Room") is a song by the American rock band Brownsville Station, released in October 1973 as the second and final single from their third studio album, Yeah!. It peaked at number 3 both in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was later certified gold 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. It begins with a spoken recitation, and the verses and a part of the chorus are mostly spoken, rather than sung.
Charts Weekly charts
(1973–1974)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)9Canada RPM Top Singles3France7UK27US Billboard Hot 1003 US Cash Box Top 1002
Year-end charts (1974)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)74Canada54US Billboard Hot 10044US Cash Box47
Certifications
Mötley Crüe version
"Smokin' in the Boys Room" was covered by the American glam metal band Mötley Crüe. It was released on June 24, 1985 as the lead single from their third studio album, Theatre of Pain. The song peaked at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mötley Crüe's first Top 40 hit.Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 69th ed, Billboard Publications, Inc. 1996. Their version of the song appears in the 1986 film The Wraith directed by Chieffallo. Another cover by LeAnn Rimes appears on the album Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe.
Music video Mötley Crüe's version was accompanied by a music video featuring Michael Berryman as the school principal. It focuses on a high school student named Jimmy who is mistreated and misunderstood in school. After he is paddled by the principal 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. At the end of the music video, the principal apologizes to Jimmy and offers an A for his missing homework; Jimmy doesn't accept and rips up the homework. After Jimmy walks away, the band's bassist, Nikki Sixx, reaches out of the mirror and snatches the dumbfounded principal's toupée.
Charts Chart (1985) Peak positionAustralia (Kent Music Report)61Canada Top Singles (RPM)19
Personnel Vince Neil - Vocals Mick Mars - Guitar Nikki Sixx - Bass Tommy Lee - Drums Mickey Raphael - Harmonica
Other versions The song is referenced in the television program King of the Hill in season 10, episode 10. Brownsville Station is the favorite band of the character Lucky (played by Tom Petty). The song "inspired him to smoke" and plays over the ending credits.
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