If you watched the Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys game on ESPN Saturday night, you saw a spot featuring past and present NFL players, fans, coaches and more members of the sports community ringing in the return of football season by singing along to and air-guitaring MÖTLEY CRÜE's classic ballad "Home Sweet Home". The ad, which was first released Thursday via the NFL's YouTube channel, was uploaded with the message: "It's finally time to come home to football." Among those appearing in the spot are Von Miller (Denver Broncos), Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers), Michael Strahan (formerly of the New York Giants), Charles Woodson (formerly of the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers) and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. During a 2012 episode of "Sixx Sense", the national radio program hosted by MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, Nikki revealed the "secret origin" behind "Home Sweet Home". Said Nikki: "Our record company back in the day, Elektra Records, we turned in [the 1983 CRÜE album] 'Shout At The Devil' and they rejected the album. They said they didn't like it, it didn't sound like [1981's] 'Too Fast For Love', we changed the logo, we changed our look. And so we said, 'Fine. Then we'll go to another record company.' So [Elektra] put it out [after all], and it sold four million copies. Elektra was about to go bankrupt at the time, and that saved their ass. And then when our next record [1985's 'Theatre Of Pain'] got turned in, with 'Home Sweet Home' on it, they rejected that album. They said, 'This is horrible, and you have to take that song off the record. You guys aren't a ballad band.' So we did the same thing. "We were always at war with that record company; they never really believed in us. "And so we came out with 'Smokin' In The Boys Room' [as the first single from 'Theatre'], and that album blew up. And then we wanted to release 'Home Sweet Home' [as the next single and video], and [the record company] said, 'No way. No way.' So we funded it, we shot the video ourselves, went on MTV and the rest is history. "But that song ['Home Sweet Home'] was never a hit single. They never worked it at radio, they never promoted the song, and if it wasn't for MTV back when they used to play videos, that song wouldn't be the song it is today. But that song's kind of like our 'Dream On' [AEROSMITH] or our 'Stairway To Heaven' [LED ZEPPELIN], right?! … 'Dream On' was not a hit single [either]. "It's interesting how a song resonates with an audience, but that definitely doesn't always resonate with business people. They look at things like AEROSMITH, and they go, 'Oh, this is your first record. You don't wanna have a ballad on it.' But that was the song — that was the jewel of that first AEROSMITH record. 'Home Sweet Home' is such a jewel in our career, just as 'Stairway To Heaven' is [for LED ZEPPELIN]. And a lot of bands have that kind of song that really connects with people, other than what they usually do, which is, maybe in our case, we're a rock band and that something was a little bit left of center." "Home Sweet Home" charted at No. 89 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song ranked No. 12 on VH1's chart of the greatest power ballads of all time. "I remember like it was yesterday," said MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil about writing the song, "sitting in the recording studio when Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY's drummer] came up with the piano chords and I almost immediately started humming." "American Idol" star Carrie Underwood performed her version of "Home Sweet Home" on the 2009 season of the popular television talent show.
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