Top 10 Best Aerosmith Songs Of All Time
We list some of the best Aerosmith songs of all time. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists.
Bio: Who is Aerosmith?
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as “the Bad Boys from Boston” and “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston. By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the “Blue Army”. However, it was not until the band sobered up and released 1987’s Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s. Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock ‘n’ roll history.
Top 10 Best Aerosmith Songs
1. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was Aerosmith’s first number one song. It was featured in the movie Armageddon, which starred Steven Tyler’s daughter, Liv Tyler. Legendary songwriter Dianne Warren had revealed that the song was originally intended for a woman to sing. Warren, who penned the band’s seminal hit for the 1998 film Armageddon, said she had imagined a woman would sing the ballad but changed her mind when she heard Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler in the studio.
Stream “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
2. Dream On
“Dream On” is a power ballad by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album of the same name. Frontman Steven Tyler began writing the song on his father’s Estey upright organ as a teen and finished it on a piano in the basement where the band lived in the early 1970s. He claims the ‘chordage’ of the song came from laying under his father’s piano as a child and listening to him play. In 2018, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Stream “Dream On”
3. Walk This Way
“Walk This Way” is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic (1975). This song is about a promiscuous cheerleader who leads a schoolboy through his first sexual experience. It’s an extremely sexual song that played perfectly to Aerosmith’s young male fanbase while being ambiguous enough to get airplay. The 1986 version of the song is often credited as helping break hip hop music into mainstream pop music as it was the first hip hop song to hit the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Stream “Walk This Way”
4. Sweet Emotion
“Sweet Emotion” was released in April 1975 on the album Toys in the Attic. Steven Tyler was inspired to write the lyrics about his anger & jealousy when Joe Perry moved out of the apartment the band shared to live with his then-girlfriend Alyssa. The song is also a statement about doing your own thing without letting others bring you down. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for the band that would continue for the remainder of the 1970s.
Stream “Sweet Emotion”
5. Crazy
“Crazy” was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Desmond Child. It was the final single from Aerosmith’s massively successful 1993 album Get a Grip. The song is about a guy whose girlfriend packs up her stuff and leaves, and just how much he misses her. The music video was one of three with actress Alicia Silverstone, and also features Liv Tyler, the daughter of frontman Steven Tyler. “Crazy” peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three in Canada.
Stream “Crazy”
6. Cryin’
“Cryin’” was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes. It was released as a single from their album, Get a Grip. The music video features Alicia Silverstone, who plays a rebellious ex girlfriend. Out of the frustration caused by her ex, she gets a navel piercing (and goes bungee-jumping with the rope attached to it). This is now credited as the reason for the certain piercing’s sudden popularity. The single reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Stream “Cryin'”
7. Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
“Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” was released as the first of four singles from the Permanent Vacation album in 1987. According to a September 2013 Huffington Post article, it was written about a time the band walked into a bar and mistook Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil for a female. When the band presented it to Desmond Child, a songwriter who had been asked to assist the band, the piece was titled “Cruisin’ For The Ladies.” Child encouraged frontman Steven Tyler to go back to using his original lyric—“That dude looks like a lady”—and to write about “the whole scenario of a guy that walks into a strip joint and falls in love with the stripper on stage, goes backstage and finds out it’s a guy.” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 41 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Stream “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)”
8. Angel
“Angel” is a power ballad by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and professional songwriting collaborator Desmond Child. The slick ballad was not typical of Aerosmith’s work, but the song was a hit and led to several successful slow songs over the next few years, including “Amazing” and “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” It quickly climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, which at the time was their highest-charting single ever.
Stream “Angel”
9. Amazing
“Amazing” is a power ballad that was written by Tyler and longtime band friend and collaborator Richie Supa. This song is about climbing back to the top after you’ve hit rock bottom, specifically recovering from addition. It peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
Stream “Amazing”
10. Livin’ On The Edge
“Livin’ on the Edge” was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson. It was released in 1993 as the first single from the band’s commercially successful album Get a Grip. The song talks about how the world is a crazy place, but people remain stuck in their routines and refuse to change. About their desire to hide behind their own worries and unwillingness to make even the slightest effort to change the situation for the better. The single reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the Cash Box Top 100.
Stream “Livin’ On The Edge”
Honorable mentions
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