Tattooed Millionaire

Album: Tattooed Millionaire (1990)
Charted: 18
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In his book The Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe says he's the "tattooed millionaire" Dickinson is singing about in this song. According to Sixx, it was written about him having sex with Dickinson's wife.

    Dickinson gave his take in a 2024 Songfacts interview. "Everybody likes to think it was all about Nikki Sixx," he said. "And whilst he was kind of the frame, it was actually an amalgamation of a whole generation of stuff. Of course now, tattooed millionaires are absolutely the mainstream. Nothing to do with music."
  • "Tattooed Millionaire" is the lead single and title track to Bruce Dickinson's debut solo album, released in 1990. He was still with Iron Maiden at the time; he left in 1993 and joined back up in 1999.
  • Storm Thorgerson, famous for his album art, particularly for Pink Floyd, directed the music video, which pokes fun at some very Mötley Crüe-like rockers. In 1996, Thorgerson did the artwork for Dickinson's album Skunkworks.

Comments: 3

  • Aliceinhell666 from Hell Town, CoCan we please actually comment something about the artist of the song here, not his ex-wife's sex partners.
  • Jovan from Mount Pleasant, MiI believe Tattooed Millionaire is actually about the LA scene in the 80's. The person in the video who depicts Nikki Sixx (allegedly), could be many people from the 80's Sunset Strip scene. Bruce has said multiple times that he and Iron Maiden play music for the creativity, not for the partying aspect of the industry.
  • Rachel from North Jersey, Njwhat a fun guilty pleasure of a song...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.