Nikki Sixx said he was amazed by Dolly Parton’s interpretation of the lyrics to Motley Crue‘s “Home Sweet Home.”
The band collaborated with the country star on a new version of the 1985 song after Sixx had taken part in her 2023 album Rockstar. She’d decided to make the record after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Sixx said he’d been one of the first to offer Parton his services. His appearance on “Bygones” alongside Rob Halford and John 5 meant he was able to make the “Home Sweet Home” collaboration happen.
READ MORE: The Long and Weird History of ‘Home Sweet Home’ Covers and Remakes
“We were in Nashville with Dolly… you’ve seen the video where I’m in the studio with her,” SIxx said. “I’m like sitting there pinching myself, like this kid that came from Idaho on a Greyhound bus with a dream.
“[T]he director goes, ‘Hey, would you just ask her to sing it one more time?’ I’m looking at the talkback button and I’m looking at Dolly… I go, ‘Are you fucking crazy? You want me to ask Dolly to do it one more time?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, just please ask her…’
“I’m like, ‘Well, there’s only one way around this.’ So I go, ‘Hey, Dolly, could you sing that eight more times for me?’ And she goes, ‘Well, absolutely!’ … [H]er manager, Danny, looks at me and goes, ‘She will outwork everybody in this building. She’ll be the last person here and she won’t leave until it’s perfect.’
“Then we did all these takes together. … She makes it so easy; that’s why I think so many people adore her. You know, she makes you feel like the biggest star in the room.”
Nikki Sixx Says Working With Dolly Parton Was Career High
Sixx recalled that when the idea came up to do “something special” with “Home Sweet Home,” Parton responded with a “hard yes,” and revealed it had been one of her late husband’s favorite songs.
He added: “Dolly looked at me and said, ‘I really love these lyrics.’ … And she goes, in her very sweet southern accent, ‘When you’re young, you want to get as far away from home as possible. You want to chase those dreams. You want to chase whatever you want to do. And then once you get there, it’s the journey getting back to your roots.’
“I was like, ‘No one’s ever explained my lyrics to me that clear.’ That just touched me on so many levels.” He reflected: “You write a song and it means something to you… [then] once the song is released… it becomes other people’s.
“Everywhere around the world, we play this song and it’s an intimate moment… Then Dolly comes on and re-ignites the song in a way that doesn’t lose what it’s originally all about – yet also kind of updates it. [W]orking with her is just a career high.”
Watch Motley Crue and Dolly Parton’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ Video
44 Famous Records You Probably Didn’t Realize Were Covers
Bet you didn’t know somebody else recorded these songs before they got popular.
Gallery Credit: Dave Lifton
