Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Ferranna, Jr. 11 December 1958 in S… Read Full Bio ↴Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Ferranna, Jr. 11 December 1958 in San Jose, California) is the bassist for glam metal pioneers Mötley Crüe. He has also played bass for the glam rock band London, rapcore band 58, punk metal band Brides of Destruction (with Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns fame on guitar), and most recently in Sixx:A.M..

Sixx was born Frank Carlton Ferrano on December 11, 1958 in San Jose, California. He was raised by his single mother, Deana Haight, and her abusive boyfriend, after his father abandoned the family. When he was six, he and his mother moved to Mexico for a short time, after which they moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, with his grandparents. The family moved several more times, to El Paso, Texas, then to Anthony, New Mexico, back to El Paso and then returned to Twin Falls.

While living in Idaho, Sixx became a teenage vandal, breaking into neighbors' homes, shoplifting and being expelled from school for selling drugs. His grandparents sent him to live with his mother, who had moved to Seattle. He lived there for a short time, and learned how to play the bass guitar after buying his first instrument with money made from selling a guitar he stole from a music store. At the age of 17, he moved to Los Angeles on his own; he got jobs at a liquor store and manufacturing plant and played in a band with Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P.

By 1981, Sixx had developed a plan to create the ultimate "theatrical" band for the new decade. He found guitarist Mick Mars, drummer Tommy Lee, and singer Vince Neil to share in this vision. The band Mötley Crüe rose quickly in the musical environment of L.A.'s Sunset Strip, although at first no label would sign them for their erratic stage performances. So on their own label they recorded "Too Fast For Love" their debut record. Released in November 1981 on the band's Leathür Records label After but after signing with Elektra they re-released the "Too Fast For Love" and then went on to record and release Shout At The Devil, the band quickly reached national fame.

Like his bandmates, Sixx took advantage of the excess that rock n' roll allowed, surpassing the attempts of his bandmates by binging on alcohol, cocaine, and most notably, heroin. Sixx has often stated that he would use his body as a human chemistry set, mixing excessive amounts of drugs on a regular basis to search for a new "high". On at least one occasion on the night of December 23, 1987 Sixx was declared dead after an overdose, only to be revived by the paramedics with two adrenaline shots to the heart. This incident was the inspiration for the song Kickstart my Heart. On an earlier trip to London, Sixx overdosed at a dealer's house and, while he wasn't declared dead, he was put into a trash bin by the dealer after being beaten with a baseball bat. This was the inspiration behind the line "Valentine's in London, found me in the trash" from Dancing on Glass.

Soon after his overdose, he and his bandmates sought sobriety through rehab. It was then that the band would produce their most successful record, Dr. Feelgood, in 1989 with producer Bob Rock. The album would stay on the charts for 109 weeks after its release. When Motley Crue reformed at the end of 2004, Sixx declared himself sober. He is known for being one of the most excessive rockstars to have survived, and as such enjoys a legendary status amongst rock critics. Whilst Motley Crue have received a large amount of criticism from the press due to their excesses, Sixx is often referenced in the same sentence as other legendary "live fast" rockers, such as Lemmy Kilmister and Ozzy Osbourne.

Being the central creative influence of the band for much of the 1980s, Nikki subsequently wrote most, if not all of the Crue's material. This is particularly true for the earlier period of the band's career, as Tommy Lee and Mick Mars were still developing as song writers. Nikki has penned such classic tracks as 'Livewire', 'Home Sweet Home', 'Girls, Girls, Girls','Kickstart My Heart', and 'Dr. Feelgood'. His songs are known for their distinct heavy and hard sound largely resulting from Nikki and Mick's instruments being tuned 'down' and their fast (almost punk) tempo. The first album with John Corabi marked a move away from their classic 80s sound to a more alternative and experimental style reminiscent of Alice In Chains and 'alt rock' movement of the early 90s. With a change in decade came a change in the songwriting duties for the band, with all four members contributing to the material on the albums, many believe this to be the reason for the change in band's sound.

Alone Again
Nikki Sixx Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

At a church where people saying
"My god, that's tough,""she stood him up""no point in us remaining""
We may as well go home "as I did on my own

Alone again, naturally

To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to who wouldn't do the role I was about to play?
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much
As a mere touch cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about god in his mercy who if he really does exist
Why did he desert me?
In my hour of need I truly am indeed

Alone again, naturally

It seems to me that there are more hearts broken in the world that can't be mended
Left unattended what do we do?
What do we do?

Alone again, naturally

Looking back over the years and whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, god rest her soul
Couldn't understand why the only man she had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start
With a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day

Alone again, naturally

Alone again, naturally

Overall Meaning

The song "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Nikki Sixx is a cover of a classic song by the Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. The lyrics of the song describe the feeling of loneliness and heartbreak that comes with being left all alone. The singer starts by talking about throwing himself off the tower to make it clear to whoever that it's tough being shattered and left standing in the lurch. The singer then goes on to talk about how just the other day, he was happy and looking forward to what was supposed to be an exciting role, but now he's cut into little pieces.

The lyrics of the song continue to explore the theme of loneliness and heartbreak. The singer talks about how there are more hearts broken in the world that can't be mended, and wonders what we can do about it. Then, the singer reflects on their past and how they cried when their father died and how their mother couldn't understand why she was left alone after her loved one passed away. The singer's reflections lead them to the conclusion that they are alone once again - alone again, naturally.

Line by Line Meaning

In a Little while from now If I'm not feeling any less sour I promise myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower And climbing to the top Will throw myself off In an effort to Make it clear to who ever what it's like when you're shattered
In a little while, if I still feel as terrible as I do now, I will go to a tower and climb to the top. I will jump off in order to show whoever or whatever what it feels like to be broken.

Left standing in the lurch At a church where people saying "My god, that's tough,""she stood him up" "no point in us remaining" We may as well go home "as I did on my own
I am alone again, and I feel abandoned after being stood up at a church. People tell me that it's tough and that there's no point in staying, so like them, I go home alone.

To think that only yesterday I was cheerful, bright and gay Looking forward to who wouldn't do the role I was about to play? But as if to knock me down Reality came around And without so much As a mere touch cut me into little pieces Leaving me to doubt Talk about god in his mercy who if he really does exist Why did he desert me? In my hour of need I truly am indeed
I was happy and excited about the future, wondering who wouldn't want to play the role I had prepared for. But reality came and knocked me down, leaving me shattered without warning. It makes me question God's mercy: if he exists, why did he forsake me when I needed him the most?

It seems to me that there are more hearts broken in the world that can't be mended Left unattended what do we do? What do we do?
It appears that there are countless broken hearts in the world that cannot be mended. When left alone, what can we do? What is there left for us?

Looking back over the years and whatever else that appears I remember I cried when my father died never wishing to hide the tears And at sixty-five years old My mother, god rest her soul Couldn't understand why the only man she had ever loved had been taken Leaving her to start With a heart so badly broken Despite encouragement from me No words were ever spoken And when she passed away I cried and cried all day
As I look back over my life and all that it contained, I recall the tears I shed when my father passed away. At sixty-five years old, my mother couldn't understand why the only man she ever truly loved was taken from her. She was forced to start over with a shattered heart. Despite my attempts at encouragement, she never spoke of her pain. When she died, I cried and cried all day, once again alone.

Alone again, naturally
I find myself alone once more, with no one to understand or ease my pain.

Contributed by Isabelle J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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