How Did MÖTLEY CRÜE End Up Covering MADONNA's 'Like A Virgin'? NIKKI SIXX Explains

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke to Billboard about the band’s decision to cover Madonna‘s “Like A Virgin” for “The Dirt Soundtrack” that accompanies the upcoming Netflix film “The Dirt”, based on The New York Times best-selling 2001 autobiography by CRÜE and Neil Strauss.

Nikki said the idea to record “Like A Virgin” came to him while he was taking a stroll with his dogs, which he does at the end of each day as part of his meditative practice. “When my mind’s open like that, these ideas pop in,” he said. “And [it] popped in my head, and I sort of like looked up, as if to laugh at God, and went, ‘You’re pretty funny.'” Although Sixx initially felt it was “actually a really horrible idea” to cover the song, he told producer Bob Rock about it, and Rock replied: “Yeah, I don’t know. Good luck!” But Sixx impressed him and drummer Tommy Lee with a rough demo he had cut, and the band completely reworked the track but left the lyrics intact. (“It was weird to hear Vince [Neil] singing, ‘I’m like a virgin,'” he admitted.) There’s a part of the song that “does this little gahnk-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-gahnk that Mick [Mars, guitar] does, a bit of a nod to METALLICA because [when] METALLICA heard the ‘Dr. Feelgood’ album, [they] used Bob Rock to make the Black Album,” Sixx said. “It’s kind of a nod back to those guys because we were workin’ with Bob again.”

Asked if Madonna knows about MÖTLEY recording the cover, Sixx said: “I don’t know. She will soon, I imagine. Maybe we can get her in the video.”

Due on March 22, the 18-song soundtrack mastered by Grammy winner Dave Donnelly features a collection of MÖTLEY CRÜE classics that meaningfully underscore significant moments that shape the film. The album includes 14 fan favorites and chart topping tracks such as “Dr. Feelgood” that charted at No. 6 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and the anthemic “Girls, Girls, Girls” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200, among others. Additional hits featured are “Kickstart My Heart”, “Same ‘Ol Situation (S.O.S.)”, “Shout At The Devil” and the iconic ballad “Home Sweet Home” that landed the band mainstream recognition.

Exclusive to the film’s soundtrack, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs featuring the single, “The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)” with effortless rap verses surrounding signature guitar riffs. The three remaining songs conclude the album with the catchy “Ride With The Devil”, “Crash And Burn” and the aforementioned “Like A Virgin”.

“The Dirt” movie, which was helmed by “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.