Scott Borchetta’s 80’s Glam Metal Band “Burning Hearts”
Yes, we all have embarrassing moments in our past. It just happens to be that for some of us, our embarrassing moments are much more embarrassing than the embarrassing moments of others.
We recently learned though the announcement of glam rock band Mötley Crüe’s farewell tour that the band had signed a deal to release a Mötley Crüe country music tribute album with Scott Borchetta, the big cheese at Big Machine Records—home of Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line and other such ilk—and affectionately known around these parts as the Country Music Anti-Christ. In the announcement, Scott Borchetta revealed that he was a “not-so-secret” fan of Mötley Crüe, saying, “Our album will highlight just how great the Mötley Crüe song catalog is.”
For folks who know some of the history of Scott Borchetta, this profession of love for The Crüe may have come as no shock. Scott Borchetta grew up in the Los Angeles area where Mötley Crüe is from, and was around the LA area playing in his own hair metal bands about the time Mötley Crüe was getting big. Borchetta’s father was in the music business too, and in the early 80’s a young Borchetta dropped out of school and moved to Nashville to be closer to his father.
While in Nashville, Borchetta helped form a band called Burning Hearts. Complete with rototoms, screaming eagle guitar solos, and spandex and leather pants, the Burning Hearts epitomized everything 80’s bad bubblegum glam metal hairspray rock. “Sherry’s Eyes” was their big “hit” that could be found on a local radio station compilation at the time, as the band slummed around Nashville playing to half-empty venues and milking Scott’s father for studio time. Of course Borchetta’s Burning Hearts never really took off and he eventually gave up his headbanging gigs for the family business.
A young Scott Borchetta clad in canary yellow pants, Colombian cocaine white blazer ala Miami Vice’s Don Johnson, and hugged by a super bitchin’ handcuff belt, can be seen below hogging all the face time for the Burning Hearts even though he’s just the bass player, in a cable access TV program.
Watching the guy who would eventually become the most powerful man in country music shill for his 80’s glam metal project, it’s not hard to see why so much of country music today is saddled with bad rock guitar solos, worst taste, phony glitz, and rock star attitude.
Mötley Crüe, eat your heart out.
Thanks to SCM commenter “MH” for the tip on this video.
January 31, 2014 @ 1:20 pm
Not much to add, you pretty much nailed it!
I had no idea this guy was a silver spooner, dislike him even more now.
Hand cuff belt is bitchin… How long before we see Brantley Gilbert or one of those Dirt balls wearing one I wonder. Sadly, I just saw a BG video for first time yesterday, ” Bottoms up” or something… I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing … Just brutal.
January 31, 2014 @ 1:37 pm
I ordered borchetta at an Italian restaurant once, all I got was toast.
January 31, 2014 @ 1:50 pm
I grew up with country music, and loved it. But for a while there in high school and for a few years after I was heavy into punk music, always at shows. Eventually I grew out of that and went back ‘home’ to country music.
This in a way reminded me of how Corb Lund was in a Punk band before he started playing country (or so I’ve read).
I don’t think that if someone gets into a completely different kind of music for a while that it means they aren’t truly country at heart. (Though I know that is NOT what your article is implying!) I don’t like Scott Borchetta, but I do love Corb Lund.
I guess the difference to me then is that Corb Lund seems like more of a pure country guy, whereas Scott Borchetta seems to be about the glam of it all.
January 31, 2014 @ 1:56 pm
There are many underlying similarities between punk and country music. It is music for the people, by the people, while glam rock like Motley Crue and the Burning Hearts is all about putting performers on a pedestal. “Hey, look at us, we’re awesome!” Punk and country deal with many of the same themes about being poor, downtrodden, depressed, and disenfranchised, while pop rock is about “Sherry’s Eyes”.
January 31, 2014 @ 4:41 pm
Musically, though, glam metal is probably closer to country than punk is. Glam metal is more melodic, while punk focuses on the hard drum beats.
January 31, 2014 @ 6:03 pm
I don’t think so, at the same time Glam Metal and Motley Crue were at their zeniths, cowpunk was taking off in southern California.
What’s that old saying, old punks don’t die, they just grow up and play country.
January 31, 2014 @ 9:59 pm
as a pop music fan i never cared much about genre. my roots is in great melodies and lyrics i can relate. sure there are more bad lyrics in Motley Crue but there are songs like Without You and Home Sweet Home that touched my heart.
I do like all kinds of music, even 80s hair metal. I just don’t like the fact that in country music, hair metal inspired and hiphop inspired country dominate the airwaves. There should be balanced between this kind of country, traditional country, alternative country, bluegrass, and other subgenre in a mainstream country media so that listeners can choose what to and what not to like.
yes punk and country have roots in making music for the people and by the people but just because the music is glam or power pop doesn’t mean it isn’t sincere. it just depends on the bands i guess. there’s a lot of punk rock and country that aren’t sincere even.
February 1, 2014 @ 4:09 pm
Classic rock (The Who, Zeppelin, Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, CCR, CSN&Y, etc.) is closest to country. Glam was that rock going pop and killing it just like pop is killing country now. Like Tom Petty said, it reminds him of when rock became incredibly generic in the mid-80s and relied on videos. Replacing real instruments with synthesizes and synth pop beats is the biggest mistake and needs to be stopped immediately if anyone’s going to save mainstream country.
February 1, 2014 @ 10:53 pm
I agree that classic rock was closest to country, both musically and lyrically.
I strongly disagree, though, that synth in the 80s hurt rock in any way. In my opinion, synth took rock to a new level in the 80s. Here’s an example of first-class synth-based music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_6x3EW3FC0
February 2, 2014 @ 11:34 am
Eric, Take My Breath Away isn’t a classic rock song though. If you look at its Wikipedia entry, it says “Genre: New wave, synthpop,” which is correct. It’s a pop song made for a popular movie soundtrack. This goes back to what Tom Petty said about weak music relying on videos and in this case movies as well. Also Berlin isn’t great, didn’t have much longevity and the Top Gun song is their only hit, so without the movie cut they would have no hits.
Far better examples for your point would be Rush’s Subdivisions and Europe’s The Final Countdown, however if synth in rock or country is so great why did classic rockers Rush abandon it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_%28band%29#Synthesizer_period_.281982.E2.80.9389.29
They haven’t abandoned any other instruments (guitar or drums) and their synth songs are some of the better rock synth songs. But their synth albums are just OK and their best are those without foreground synth and electronic drums (another fad).
Synth was just a fad and the music wasn’t as good. It can be fun but nothing beats real music played by real musicians. Synth is a pop “instrument” that is great only in pop, EDM and rap. When some country artists I like added it I didn’t like it. None of the best country songs or albums of 2013 or of all time use it. Synth isn’t country and it’s not even country/pop, it’s just pop. Read the iTunes reviews of some country acts adding synth like Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party and Chase Rice’s Ready Set Roll EP, and you’ll find many 1 star reviews with complaints from their own fans about them going pop. And it’s not even good pop, it’s some of the worst songs ever like Zac Brown said.
At least rock and glam has musicians playing synth keyboards instead of computer generated noise. Subdivisions and The Final Countdown are far better than That’s My Kind Of Night and Ready Set Roll. Take My Breath Away is also better than this fake country mess. Going back 30 years in time to a time of weaker music, trying to copy it and making it worse is not evolving country. Great new classic style rock sort of disappeared after the synth period so I can’t help but think synth (pop) contributed to rock’s downfall, and now I see the same thing to a worse degree happening to country. If you want to do something original, radical and evolutionary, figure out a way to do it with real country instruments without making them pop like artists on the best country albums lists are doing.
February 4, 2014 @ 12:03 am
I also disagree that synth is not a “real instrument”. That would be like saying that electric guitar is not a real instrument. Synth simply involves tuning a piano to produce a non-traditional sound. After that, it must actually be played by hand to produce the desired melody, just like a regular piano.
February 4, 2014 @ 5:02 pm
“I also disagree that synth is not a “real instrument”. That would be like saying that electric guitar is not a real instrument. Synth simply involves tuning a piano to produce a non-traditional sound. After that, it must actually be played by hand to produce the desired melody, just like a regular piano.”
I’m mostly talking about and against the computer generated pop synth beats in songs like That’s My Kind Of Night, the Ready Set Roll EP and the pop beats in many other new “country” songs. No way that pop junk is a real instrument since it can’t be played by musicians on stage, so they have to play backing tracks of it just like pop and rap stars do. When have you ever heard guitar turned into crap like that? Synth that can be played by keyboard players on stage is better than computer generated synth beats but neither is country unless it’s just electric piano or synth that sounds like a piano. Piano is country and here’s a list of country instruments for those who need a refresher:
http://countrymusichalloffame.org/instruments-in-country-music/
Everyone should stick with those and keep it country. Chase’s music was a lot better when he did that. His new stuff is mostly computer generated pop junk.
January 31, 2014 @ 5:50 pm
Punk= 90% message, 10% music.
Country= 3 chords and the truth.
Very similar I’d say
January 31, 2014 @ 11:01 pm
Unfortunately, in punk, that 10% music is so loud, fast, and dissonant that it drowns out the 90% message.
February 1, 2014 @ 6:51 am
Given the message, that’s not always a bad thing.
February 2, 2014 @ 4:09 pm
I get your take on Motley Crue. I get the feeling they are not your bag. To each their own. Them signing this deal with Borchetta is a money grad no doubt. As a kid of the 80s and a metal fan, no question Glam ran its course. The Crue kind of were at start of the craze. They have made songs that are still played today. Most Glam bands cant say that. They made party music and lived the part. In terms of Rock and Roll they have a legit place and did it well. Now them being linked to country is bogus as hell and is done for marketing. However, Tommy Lee is a good drummer, Nikki is good. I love metal period, for their lane they were a hell of a band. I think they actually have transcended glam metal because they were good players. Big and Rich was big for a time now where are they. Motley Crue will be on radio forever. Not your thing I respect that. Are they Led Zep or sabbath? No way, but they are no bums. Granted Big Machine tribute doesnt get me going.
January 31, 2014 @ 3:12 pm
This is actually true, the band he was in was called The Smalls and were active from 1990-1999, although I think they were closer to metal then punk. There are also rumours that Lund is reforming the band and that a new album/tour may be happening sometime this year.
I think the major difference between him and Borchetta is that Lund is actually a rancher and has a true and deep appreciation for country music, and that his music reflects that appreciation. Instead of using country as a smokescreen to try and make a bunch of money like Borchetta does, Lund seems to just be doing his own thing and making the best music he can.
January 31, 2014 @ 1:59 pm
Yeesh. I guess that does explain a lot… o_O
January 31, 2014 @ 2:08 pm
There’s pictures of me from the 80’s that I would never want seen in public but nothing anywhere near as bad as tight yellow pants or a “super bitchin”™ handcuff belt”.
Here’s a nice picture of him with Motley Crue. He’s either saluting the devil or a UT Longhorn fan:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfHV4TkCQAAyMNO.jpg:large
I loved that picture so much I had put some text on it:
http://imageshack.com/a/img853/6200/rpjx.png
January 31, 2014 @ 4:46 pm
Ah Borchetta, turn those horns the other way around!
I know when Bush was President (or probably still now) there were sites devoted to saying he was a Satanist because of pictures of him making the UT Horns sign while he was the Governor of Texas.
January 31, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
I meant to mention his bad rendition of Horns up… That outs a guy right there.
And that guy on far left, he even included his Thumb lol
January 31, 2014 @ 2:37 pm
” Hey, look at us, were awesome”.
Don’t agree that’s always the case with All rock music. Plus, I would never compare Rock to traditional country,, two very different animals. As much as I like Rock music, I always think about the whole ” it’s only rock & roll” term anyway… I don’t take it overly serious, that’s a mistake as far as I’m concerned.
But, there is good rock and bad … Lets not forget that.
I don’t mind some Crüe tunes, as a young teen I was pretty taken with the Shout at the Devil album… But hey, rebellious teenager… Says a lot.
But there were a Lot of Burning Hearts out there in the 80’s… All bad.
Now traditional country, well that for me is something to be taken serious. This is why I can’t stand pop country. Traditional country had a formula somewhat based on 1,4,5 chord progression early on ( just like blues) and although it didn’t always stay in that pattern, it was still true to the roots.
Rock however, no structure or formula … Much more wide open to explore and such. And that’s great too… Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, etc… So many did it well.
So is rock standing up on a pedestal at times?? Perhaps, but it’s a ” show” a ” performance” quite dif from country, and I’m okay with that cuz the two are quite different and I listen to each for different things 🙂
January 31, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
“Bad rock guitar solos, worst taste, phony glitz, and rock star attitude”
You nailed it!!,
What the Country music industry needs is somebody to do what Dwight did in the 80’s, stripped down hardcore honky tonk, ram it down the industies necks and seperate the posers from the true fans.
January 31, 2014 @ 3:20 pm
I think Scott Borschetta should make a country music remake of this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0BwkPuvSg
January 31, 2014 @ 3:32 pm
Don’t be so judgey, people. There’s nothing wrong being in a girl band. That woman in the yellow pants is HOT.
January 31, 2014 @ 4:49 pm
So evil Carla 😉
January 31, 2014 @ 6:26 pm
I actually found those yellow pants quite arousing. Don’t tell me I’m the only one?
January 31, 2014 @ 6:41 pm
Quite possibly yes lol
January 31, 2014 @ 9:36 pm
Maybe if Shania Twain was in them.
February 1, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
Encore on the ACMs!
February 1, 2014 @ 5:09 pm
Glam Metal Sucks!
Metallica
Deep Purple
Black Sabbath
AC/DC
Led Zeppelin
Those are bands that are great to listen to & not wanna be trannys.
February 1, 2014 @ 7:39 pm
You realize more people read the message on the sweatshirt I was wearing today than read this blog, right?
February 1, 2014 @ 8:25 pm
That’s a popular sweatshirt.
Some monthly totals for you:
February 1, 2014 @ 9:04 pm
You’re right. All of these posts, comments, & bitching will change the world. This is time well spent. Congratulations!!
February 1, 2014 @ 9:31 pm
Then why are you commenting here?
February 2, 2014 @ 10:24 am
From visiting here, I’ve learned about artists that I might not have heard about otherwise and bought a couple of CD’s I never would have bought otherwise. Helping (in even a small way) to bring exposure to some of those independent artists that do it right is changing the world. The bitching and making fun of people like Captain Yellow Pants is just plain fun (and really enlightening as to the motivations behind the scenes of main stream country). That isn’t time wasted either.
You’re comments are as moronic and shallow as I assume you’re music tastes to be.
February 1, 2014 @ 9:07 pm
What’s the message on your shirt? I heart pop and bro country? Die country music? Or one of these https://savingcountrymusic.com/t-shirts-you-will-never-see-in-country-music
February 2, 2014 @ 10:28 am
Man that is still funny as hell.
It’s been a year, I vote for a new 2014 version of that article.
February 2, 2014 @ 11:16 am
I reposted that article on Facebook the other day randomly, and when reading through them, laughed at how they really hadn’t lost their relevancy here a year later. But perhaps an updated version is warranted 😉
February 2, 2014 @ 10:38 am
Wait, Trigger could do “Country Music Bumper Stickers You’ll Never See”.
Or even just “Country Music 2014 Bumber Stickers” (like):
“30 year old men use to sing about hard work, life lessons and pain, now we just sing about beer parties, trucks and bikini girl chasin’ YEE HAW “
February 2, 2014 @ 11:55 am
I BRAKE FOR BROS
HEY GIRL, SLIDE ON UP!
I GOT THAT REAL GOOD STUFF 😉
HONK IF YOU’RE HORNY AFTER THAT LUKE BRYAN SHOW!
MY TRUCK
I DRIVE DOWN ONE DIRT ROAD
http://www.sub5zero.com/sites/default/files/uploads/2011/07/bumper_stickers_47.jpg