"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).
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. 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"Greatest Video Hits, DVD, 2003 ("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").Headbangers Ball, MTV, early 1990 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 cello 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, and #39 on the UK Singles Chart.
Weekly charts Chart (1990)PositionU.S. Billboard Hot 1008U.S. Mainstream Rock11
Year-end charts Chart (1990)PositionUS Top Pop Singles (Billboard)96
References