Nothin' To Lose

Album: Custom Built (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This single from the former Poison frontman features Miley Cyrus. The hook-up with the tween music queen came as a result of her covering Poison's 1988 hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Michaels told Billboard magazine: "When we were in the studio, I said, 'Do you want to hear some of my new tracks?' She said 'I'd love to,' and I played her Nothing to Lose and she fell in love with it and said she'd love to sing on the song. I was like, 'That'd be killer!'"
  • Michaels admitted to Billboard that he was impressed with Cyrus' Stevie Nicks-esque vocals: "One of her heroes is Stevie Nicks," he said. "I produced and recorded Stevie before, so I said, 'OK, let's take that approach. (Nicks) is kind of freestyle; you've just gotta go at it and sing what you want.' She did, and she ended up having a great time doing it."
  • The song caused some controversy with Cyrus singing, "slowly get undressed," which sounds bad when you consider that Cyrus was 17 and Michaels 46 when they recorded it. The rocker defended the lyric in an interview with US Magazine: "The part where it says she slowly gets undressed, Miley says, 'Yeah she does.' It has no reference to her and I. It's not even a duet... As God is my witness, there is nothing I have to be defensive about," he said. "I'm a good Dad. I just thought it was a beautiful song. " (Michaels originally recorded the song on his own).
  • Cyrus brushed off criticism of the song's racy content to MTV News: "I've always been super into his music," she said. "He was the first concert that I ever went to, and it's great when you can find people you can jive with and get along with."
  • Michaels discussed the recording of Custom Built with Billboard magazine: "I did a lot of recording while traveling. The title represents what the music is about; I'm covering a wide range of music, from rock to country."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.