You're All I Need by Mötley Crüe

Album: Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)

Charted: 23 83

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Songfacts®:

"You're All I Need" takes us into the mind of a guy who kills his girlfriend because he doesn't want her to leave him. Mötley Crüe bass player Nikki Sixx wrote the lyric; he originally said he took the story from a newspaper headline, but he later admitted the real inspiration: getting revenge on a girlfriend he thought was cheating on him.

As he explained in his memoir The Heroin Diaries, he was dating an actress named Kimberly Foster, who he thought was cheating on him with Jack Wagner, an actor who also did some singing and had a hit called "All I Need." So Sixx came up with this revenge fantasy song and called it "You're All I Need" as a reference to Wagner's hit. He broke up with her by playing the song.
MTV banned the video, which depicts the murderous boyfriend in the song. The band responded by putting a disclaimer at the front of it reading, "The following video is based on a true story. The lyrical and visual imagery you are about to experience has been judged to be too strong by certain TV networks, both in the US and abroad, and has been banned. But then, who ever said the 6 o'clock news was pretty?"
Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is a writer on this song along with Nikki Sixx. He came up with the piano part, which he played on the recording.
"You're All I Need" was the third single from the 1987 Mötley Crüe album Girls, Girls, Girls, best known for the title track, which is an ode to strip clubs.

Comments: 19

Timothy from N.h.the song is a very powerful song were it realy hit's you stright in the heart ! were it's based on a true story ! i'll think if did a wonderful job being on the album girl's girl's girl's !
Heather from LaThis song may be my favorite from crue, but the lyrics scares me
Steven from BellaireBut the reason its called your all i need is cause of jack wagner. Thats why nicki wrote the song he thought his woman was cheating on him with jack wagner
Brian Dennison from Peoria Illinois Sorry gang... not to split hairs but the Jack Wagner tune is just called “all I need”. I mean you wouldn’t tell Nikki that your favorite song is “take a ride on the wild side” Would ya!?? lol. Sorry, that’s just a pet peeve of mine. TRÜE FAN!!!
Carrie from Roanoke, VaDid Mariah Carey sample this song? I'm pretty sure that I heard one of her newer songs with a driving piano solo that sounded a lot like this song.
Kimmee from Las Vegas, NvThe tittle from this song comes from a song written by Jack Wagner called You're All I Need.It's about a guy who kills his girlfriend.Nikki wrote this song for his ex-girlfriend *Nicole*.After Nicole went cold turkey on Herion,they both realised that they had nothing in common.From that point Nikki thought that she was cheating on him while he was on the Theatre Of Pain tour.Which that dirty whore probably was.He got the song on a cassete and played it for Nicole at her house.She thought the beggining was beautiful,untill the lyrics came through.She told Nikki that he was a bastard and a motherf--ker and a bunch of other names;so he told her that her boyfriend better watch were he is walking.Nikki called and hired some bikers to break Jack's knees.That night Nicole called Nikki crying and screaming that he broke her boyfriends knees.Well it turns out that Jack had broken his own knees from falling off the sound stage set *retard*....Later after the Girls,Girls,Girls album came out.Jon Bon Jovi told Nikki's producer *Doc magee* that Motley had written a great pop song.Well Doc told Nikki,and asked what the song was really about.Nikki told Doc,and Doc thought he was a really sick man.

GO MOTLEY!!!!*NIKKI SIXX IS SO SEXY*
Zach from Detroit, MiUh, not to be mean to the person above, but i read the Heroin diaries not to long ago and he paid people to break that guys knees, but the guy fell off a stage and broke his knees.
Jessica from Perth, AustraliaIt's about a girlfriend named Nicole, who he believed was cheating on him. It's also a spin-off of the song that Jack Wagner wrote, with the same title You're All I need. This is the guy who he believed Nicole was cheating on him with.

He ended up recording it on tape & delivering it to Nicole as a joke. She got it :). And he threatened to break Jack's knee caps.

"I guess it's a take on Taxi Driver in the sense that if you really love somebody, you would kill them so nobody else can have them, right?"

...it's in Nikki Sixx's book Heroin Diaries. pp99-101
he didn't actually break Jack's knees. In his book it says he "phoned some local bikers and hired them". But then it says, "Nicole just phoned me screaming and crying and telling me that I was a sonofabitch for getting Jack's legs broken....Shortly after Nicole phoned, my contact called and apologised, saying that they hadn't been able to get jack...It came on the news that, by pure coincidence, Wagner had fallen over during filming that day and broken his knee on the soundstage."
pp 102

:)
Elaine from Jacksonville, FlI love the song.......I am still trying to grasp the concept of ANYONE wanting to cheat on Nikki Sixx...............He is the HOTTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ashley from Austin, Txnikki wrote this song when his girlfriend cheated on him while he was touring Theatre of Pain. and according to his book, The Heroin Diaries, he broke both of that guys knees. the book says the girl was named Nicole and the guy she cheated with was Jack Wagner tha actor from General Hospital. but sometimes they change the names in books. but u should read that book its the best book ever written.
Eric from Tiffin, OhJack Wagner from "General Hospital" had a chart hit with 'You're all that I need'. Nixxi thought a girl named Nicole cheated on him with Jack, while Motley was touring.Basically it was written for some revenge on Nicole
Jen from Portland Or, Wathis actress he was dating was on a soap opera and was cheating on him with a fellow actor, who had a song out called "you're all i need". so Nikki thought it would be funny if he messed with he head and wrote this song. she must have been deluded - who would cheat on Nikki? he's a perfect, gorgeous man who only seems to never age!
Marc from Tyrone, IrelandNikki Sixx actually wrote the song about his ex girlfriend. He intended to scare her into thinking he would kill her but he only meant it as a joke.
Efrat from Raanana, IsraelNikki Sixx in the best songwriter ever. his songs were alway the best
Gia from Nyc, NyRandi is right.

Nikki found out the girl he was going out with at the time was cheating on him *stupid woman whoever she is* with a guy who had a song called 'You're All I Need' and Nikki wrote this song as a response. He eventually turned it in to her. And of course it became a song.

Here's a little fact: Jon Bon Jovi said that Motley Crue must have written 'the greatest pop song ever' in reference to 'You're All I Need' and Doc Magee (their producer) told him to go back and read the verses.
Stacy from Mckinney, TxThis song is actually about Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Although some of the lyrics don't necessarily ring true, the rest of the song is about their relationship. Sid Rules!
Danny from Sydney, Australiaone of my fvourite crue songs
Adriana from Monterrey, MexicoThe lyrics is about a guy killing his girlfriend absolutley.. at first I thought tommy wrote this. Anyway this ballad is just amazing.. i love it..!Tommy Lee is damn HOT
Randi from Erlanger, KyThe lyrics to the song are about a guy killing his girlfriend, true. But Nikki didnt get the lyrics from a headline. Nikki's girlfriend cheated on him with a guy who had a song out there called "you're all i need" and Nikki simply switched the purpose turning it from a love song to a threat. He wrote the song with no intention of recording it, but when the rest of the band praised the song on how awsome it was they recorded it after all. And one last thing... Whoever it was that was cheating on Nikki at the time deserves a kick in the shin becsasue Nikki Sixx is SEXY!! Was and always will be.

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