Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll

Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll is the sixth album by American punk rock band Social Distortion. It is their first studio album in eight years, since the release of White Light, White Heat, White Trash in 1996, the longest gap between Social Distortion's studio albums to date. The album was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2000, but was not yet completed, and it was officially released on September 28, 2004. A great deal of the album is a musical eulogy to former guitarist Dennis Danell, who died in 2000. The album's opening track, "Reach For The Sky", became one of Social Distortion's biggest hits in the fall of 2004.

One of the reasons why Social Distortion could not release a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash was their various other activities, most obviously those of frontman Mike Ness. He released two solo albums in 1999, one with original material and one with song covers. Due to his touring schedule with the band, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll was set aside for a number of years before finally being completed in 2004.

Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll traces its beginnings to the White Light, White Heat, White Trash tour in 1997, where Ness began writing new material for the sixth Social Distortion album. One of the new songs, "I Won't Run No More", was first performed at a concert in Germany of that year. In 1998, while Social Distortion was on hiatus, Ness launched a solo career and decided to record some of the songs for his first album, Cheating at Solitaire.

In November 1999, Ness added more details to the possibility of a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash and mentioned he would "like to get one out" in the fall of 2000. In May 2001, a question asked Ness how the album was coming along. He replied "slow." His wife elaborated that he was in "home mode", working on restoring a house in Floral Park, New York. The band was rumored to resume recording in June or July.

In July 2001, five songs that were going to appear on the album were announced. The songs were "Road Zombie," "Winners and Losers", "I Wasn't Born to Follow", "Don't Take Me for Granted" and "Footprints on My Ceiling". "Don't Take Me for Granted" was the only known unreleased song that the band played at the When the Angels Sing benefit concert in 2000. Also during July 2001, in a Los Angeles Times article, Ness discussed the possibility of releasing the album in spring 2002 and made mention of an invitation from Johnny Cash to record together.

In January 2002, an inside source reported that Social Distortion was planning to begin recording the album in March and began recording demos for the album in October of that year, with an intended release date of spring 2003. In October 2003, the band announced on their official website that they were planning to enter a studio in Los Angeles, California in November to finish work on the album. During a January 11, 2004 concert in Orlando, Florida, Ness revealed that the album was "3/4 of the way completed" and mixing began in June.

A January 2003 issue of a German magazine "Visions" conducted an interview with Ness. About the album, he says: "Definitely more glam and seventies influences and less country since I'm able to realize this part of me better by the Mike Ness Band. And certainly more hope and light than on White Light, White Heat, White Trash. You can't forever tell yourself and others that life's all bad. Apart from other things, punk rock also is about fun and loud guitars. Before doing the last album I went through a really hard time, and even if not all is great in my life, I'm much better now than at that time."

On August 5, 2004, Social Distortion announced on their official website that the album would be called Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll and would officially be released on September 28. On that same day, it was announced that bassist John Maurer, who recorded the album, left the band to "in order to stay home and devote time to his wife and two children". On tour, Rancid's Matt Freeman joined as his replacement, then was replaced a few months later by Ness' touring bassist for his solo project, Brent Harding.