Smokin' in the Boys Room


"Smokin' in the Boys Room" is a song originally recorded by Brownsville Station in 1973 on their album Yeah!. It reached number 3 in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was later certified by the RIAA.
The song is about students hoping to avoid being caught violating their school's smoking ban by smoking cigarettes in the boys' restroom.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Peak
position
Australia9
Canada RPM Top Singles3
France7
UK27
US Billboard Hot 1003
US Cash Box Top 1002

Year-end charts Rank
Australia KMR74
Canada54
US Billboard Hot 10044
US Cash Box47

Cover versions

Mötley Crüe version

The song was covered in 1985 by Mötley Crüe. Released as a single, "Smokin' in the Boys Room" reached #16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and became Mötley Crüe's first Top 40 hit.
Their version of the song appears in the 1986 film The Wraith directed by Chieffallo. A LeAnn Rimes version of the song appeared on the album Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe.

Music video

Crüe's version was accompanied by a conceptual music video featuring Michael Berryman as the school principal. The video focuses on a high school student named Jimmy who is mistreated and misunderstood in school. After he is punished for claiming that a dog ran off with his homework, a frustrated Jimmy goes to the boys' bathroom where he sees Motley Crüe in the mirrors. The band pulls him through the mirror to join them, and Jimmy and Motley Crüe watch a dystopian vision of the school through a barred window. At the end of the music video, the principal apologizes to Jimmy and offers an A for his missing homework; instead, Jimmy doesn't accept and rips up the homework. After Jimmy walks away, Nikki Sixx reaches out of the mirror and snatches the dumbfounded principal's toupée.
Weekly charts Peak
position
Australia 61
Canadian RPM19
US Billboard Hot 10016

Personnel

In 1981, the song was translated to Hebrew and covered by T-Slam under the name "" on their debut album. The English version of the album, "Loud Radio" featured the original version of the song.