Joey Kramer sets the tone here with a beat that puts a funk-rock spin on vintage Motown grooves as Tyler, a self-described "bad lonely schoolboy," pins his dreams of sexual conquest on the hourglass body of a woman who "would if she could and she'd be good if she would."
The third single from "Get Your Wings," it failed to chart (much like the first two singles from that classic album). This one didn't do as much to make those dreams come true, but it certainly sounds like a perfectly feasible mission statement by the time it hits that dual-guitar lead. It also ushered in the album with power chords, galloping drums and Tyler welcoming listeners to the show on his way to a riff-rocking chorus that, like "Dream On," is all about dreaming until your dreams come true. This promo-only single was among the harder-rocking highlights of their first full-length release.
AEROSMITH GREATEST HITS DREAM ON CRACK
The most Beatlesque ballad of their comeback years finds Tyler wondering what it takes to let you go after setting the scene with "There goes my old girlfriend, there's another diamond ring / And, uh, all those late night promises I guess they don't mean a thing." The third single from seven-times-platinum "Pump" to crack the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, this one peaked at No. There's also some excellent lead guitar work by the great Joe Perry.
It was written by Tyler and Desmond Child, who co-wrote several of their biggest comeback singles, including the previously mentioned "Crazy." This one has more power, though, with slashing power chords and keyboard orchestration that sounds like it was shooting for Phil Spector topped by Tyler's soaring, emotional vocals. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 while pointing the way to a lucrative future for the veteran rockers. The first big power ballad of their comeback years, this "Permanent Vacation" highlight peaked at No. The final single released from the seven-times-platinum "Get a Grip," this soulful ballad was cut from remarkably similar cloth as an earlier hit from the same album, "Cryin'." But this one starts with a monologue from Steven Tyler, who follows through with a brilliantly phrased performance on the verses, which suggest that he may have prepared for the session by dusting off his favorite Memphis soul recordings.
They went on to stage an unexpected, multi-platinum comeback in the '90s after bottoming out and then getting a slicker version of their mojo back on 1987's "Permanent Vacation." But their reputation ultimately hinges on the early songs that dominate this look back at Aerosmith's best singles, topped, of course, by "Dream On" - a song that is to Aerosmith what "Bohemian Rhapsody" is to Queen.
It's been 40 long years since the members of Aerosmith rolled out of Boston with the psychedelic funk of "Sweet Emotion," the single that would go on to become their first Top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, prompting the reissue of an earlier recording titled "Dream On."Īnd with that, the path was effectively cleared for Aerosmith to rule the ariwaves and arenas of their generation with classics as timeless as "Back in the Saddle," "Walk This Way" and "Last Child."