Motorhead Song: How Lemmy Named the Band After a Riff
The Motorhead song is the reason the band exists at all.
Lemmy Kilmister wrote it in 1974 while still a member of Hawkwind, then named his own band after it once they fired him.
Motorhead re-recorded the track for their 1977 debut album, and it has carried the band’s name ever since.
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- Lemmy Kilmister wrote this song in 1974 on the balcony of the Hyatt Hotel in West Hollywood, known to musicians as the Riot House.
- Hawkwind first recorded it as a B-side in 1975, the last song Lemmy wrote before that band fired him in May 1975.
- Motorhead re-recorded the definitive version in 1977 for their debut album, released as a single that June.
- The original 1977 studio single failed to chart, but a live version from 1981 reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
- Lemmy named his new band directly after this song once Hawkwind let him go.
What Is the Motorhead Song About?
The song is about amphetamine fueled excess and the rush of living too fast.
Lemmy wrote the lyrics as a snapshot of the speed culture around him on tour.
The title itself was period slang for someone who talked or moved too fast, fitting the song’s breathless pace.
That same restless energy became the blueprint for the band’s entire sound.
Who Wrote the Motorhead Song?
Lemmy Kilmister wrote the song alone in 1974, during his final year in Hawkwind.
Lemmy Kilmister composed it on a borrowed acoustic guitar during an all night session on tour in Los Angeles.
Producer Speedy Keen later helmed the definitive 1977 Motorhead studio version with Eddie Clarke and Phil Taylor.
Keen reportedly built nineteen different mixes of the track before Lemmy picked the one that got released.
How Did the Hawkwind Version Differ?
Hawkwind recorded the song first, releasing it as the B-side to their single Kings of Speed in March 1975.
That version featured a jazz influenced violin solo from keyboardist Simon House.
The guitars and bass were tuned down a half step, a detail the 1981 live Motorhead version later matched.
The Hawkwind cut ran slightly longer than the Motorhead studio remake that followed two years later.
Why Did Lemmy Get Fired From Hawkwind?
Lemmy was fired from Hawkwind in May 1975, only weeks after finishing this song.
Border officials arrested him at the Canadian border on a drug charge, later reduced once tests confirmed the substance was amphetamines rather than cocaine.
Hawkwind cut him loose anyway, leaving him jobless back in London.
The firing pushed Lemmy to build his own band around the song Hawkwind never fully embraced.
Lemmy wrote this song during his final year fronting bass and vocals for Hawkwind.
Image Credit: Photo by Michael Reason-Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Where Was the Motorhead Song Recorded?
Motorhead recorded the song for their debut album at Escape Studios in Kent in the spring of 1977.
Speedy Keen produced the sessions, with John Burns engineering.
Chiswick Records released the studio version as a single on 17 June 1977, backed with the track City Kids.
The full debut album followed that August, also on Chiswick Records.
Did the Song Ever Chart?
The original 1977 studio single did not chart on its first release.
A live version recorded in March 1981 fared far better, reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart that July.
That live recording used the same lower tuning as the original Hawkwind version.
The band’s debut album eventually reached number 43 on the UK Albums Chart and went Silver.
Why Is the Word Parallelogram in the Lyrics?
The word parallelogram appears in the lyrics almost by accident, a strange bit of geometry in a song about speed and excess.
Lemmy said in interviews that he was proud of working the word into a rock song, according to Loudersound.
Few if any other rock songs have ever used the same word in their lyrics.
That detail became one of the more unusual trivia points fans still bring up decades later.
Read the complete lineup history of the members of Motorhead who carried this song’s name for the next four decades.
People Also Ask
What is the Motorhead song about?
The Motorhead song is about amphetamine fueled excess and living life too fast, using the era’s slang for a speed freak as its title and central image.
Who wrote the Motorhead song?
Lemmy Kilmister wrote the song alone in 1974 while still a member of Hawkwind, composing it on a borrowed acoustic guitar during an all night session in Los Angeles.
Did Hawkwind record the song first?
Hawkwind recorded the song first, releasing it as the B-side to their single Kings of Speed in March 1975, months before Lemmy was fired from the band and formed his own group around it.
Did the Motorhead song chart?
The original 1977 studio single did not chart, but a live version recorded in 1981 reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart that July.
Why did Motorhead name the band after this song?
Motorhead took its name directly from this song after Hawkwind fired Lemmy Kilmister in 1975, since the title already captured the speed fueled sound he wanted his new band to have.
Watch the Official Motorhead Song Video
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Motorhead (1977)
40th Anniversary, 20 Track Edition
The debut album that gave the band its name and sound.
Reached number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.
On Parole
Remastered With Extra Tracks
The shelved 1975 sessions from right after Lemmy’s firing.
A rare look at the band before their sound fully formed.
Overkill
1979, 2 CD Edition
Where the sound born on this song found its full speed.
Gave the band their first Top 40 single.
Ace of Spades
1980, 50th Anniversary 2 CD Edition
The album that turned this beginning into legend status.
Motorhead’s most famous record.
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The song outlived the circumstances that created it, turning a firing into the name of a legendary band.
As of 2026, that same title still fronts every record, tour, and t shirt the band’s legacy touches, a legacy carried on today by the Overkill and Ace of Spades generation of songs that followed it.
The Motorhead song remains the true origin story, the moment a B-side became a way of life.
Last updated: July 12, 2026