Don't You Ever Leave Me

"Don't You Ever Leave Me" is a song by Finnish glam metal band Hanoi Rocks, released as the third and final single from their 1984 album Two Steps from the Move.

"Don't You Ever Leave Me" made its first appearance as "Don't Never Leave Me" on Hanoi Rocks' first album Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks (1981), but it had more punky atmosphere and faster tempo. They remade the version, which the band loved much more. It is usually considered one of the best songs by Hanoi Rocks. The band's guitarist Andy McCoy commented on the song in Finnish Soundi magazine in 1984: "Well, yeah, we screwed up that song so bad back then, that we had to remake it now. As a song, I think it's fucking great and this version is what the original should have been."

The version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me" that's on the 12" single differs from the album and 7" single versions, as the 12" single version features the narration's (originally spoken by McCoy and Razzle) spoken by McCoy in Spanish.

The song "Oil And Gasoline" (which was the song's B-side) was a new song that originally made its appearance on the "Underwater World" single the same year in 1984.

"Malibu Nightmare" (which is on the 12" single) was originally featured on the EP for the song "Love's an Injection" in 1982. The song was originally made just as a joke, which had Nasty Suicide on bass, because Sam Yaffa was late from the recording. It was re-recorded on the band's 1983 album Back to Mystery City.

Personnel

 * Michael Monroe - Lead vocals, saxophone
 * Andy McCoy - Lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Nasty Suicide - Rhythm guitar, bass on "Malibu Nightmare"
 * Sam Yaffa - Bass
 * Razzle - Drums
 * Gyp Casino - Drums on "Malibu Beach (Calypso version)"
 * Gregg Brown - Bass on "Oil And Gasoline"

Cover versions

 * Swedish hard rock band Hardcore Superstar released a cover version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me" as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their 2000 album Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada.
 * Finnish humppa band Eläkeläiset released a Finnish-language version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me", titled "Hyljätyn humppa" on their 2000 album Humppa-akatemia.
 * Finnish rock/pop singer Olavi Uusivirta released a Finnish-language version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me", titled "Ennen kuin tää maailma loppuu", as a single in 2023.
 * American musician Chris Shiflett, the lead guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, released a cover version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me" in his 2024 EP Starry Nights & Campfire Lights.