When Motley Met Dolly, How the New 'Home Sweet Home' Duet Happened

07-14-2025

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx revealed in a new interview how the band came to team up with country music legend Dolly Parton for a new duet version of their classic hit "Home Sweet Home", and it was Dolly's reaction to being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame that originally set them on the path to the collaboration.

Nikki sat for a new interview with Steve Baltin of Forbes and discussed how the new duet came about. Sixx explained, "I loved that moment when I saw online where she said if she's going to be in the Rock Hall she's got to make a rock record. And I remember I read that at like midnight or something online, and my very first phone call the second I could get a hold of my manager, was like, 'I want to play bass on that record.' So, I was one of the first people that had reached out. They'd started reaching out, this whole concept, so they had a song ready to go, they sent it out, and I cut the song.

"I thought, 'Wow, how exciting that I get to be part of Dolly making a rock record. Me and probably 25, 30 other people that really respect her.' Then I got a phone call from 615 area code and I'm like, 'I'm not answering if you're not in my contacts, I'm not going to answer the phone until I could listen to the voice message.' Cause we all get inundated with too many telemarketers and all this stuff.

"So, after the message was done, I pushed play and it was like, 'Nikki, this is Dolly.' She went on to say how much she loved the bass on the record. So, I missed a phone call from Dolly Parton, I just pushed re-send and she picked up the phone. We had this sweet conversation about everything from songwriting to where she's at as far as touring. At the time she had no plans on doing any kind of live touring. That started this relationship, and my wife has a flower company called Bouquet Box.

"So, we sent Dolly these flowers from Bouquet Box and her and her friends and I believe her sister all got together and they did this whole DIY flower thing that my wife's been building.

"Then we started getting more thank yous and we had a great time, so by the time we got around to wanting to do something special with 'Home Sweet Home,' and Dolly's name came up, I was like, 'If all those other things had not happened, it could have been a shot in the dark. It's like calling Paul McCartney. It's like, hey, what are you doing, Paul? You feel like singing 'Home Sweet Home?' But if you have a relationship with her.' So, this relationship started to build in a friendly way. And they reached out and she was a hard yes. That was just a career high."

He also explained Dolly's reaction to the song, "Dolly looked at me and said, 'I really love these lyrics.' This was one of her husband's Carl's favorite songs. 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."