LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-AUGUST 28, 2019-ON THIS DATE IN 1975 AEROSMITH RELEASED THE MEGA SINGLE ‘WALK THIS WAY.’ IT WAS THE SECOND SINGLE PULLED FROM THE EXCELLENT ALBUM ‘TOYS IN THE ATTIC’ AND IS CREDITED AS ONE OF THE SINGLES THAT BROUGHT AEROSMITH INTO THE MAINSTREAM IN THE 1970’S. IT ALSO IS CREDITED WITH RE-VITALIZING THEIR CAREER IN THE 1980’S WHEN THEY COLLABORATED WITH RUN-D.M.C. WITH A RAP-ROCK VERSION IN 1986.
JOE PERRY CAME UP WITH THE RIFF WHEN HE WAS IN HAWAII. WHEN THE BAND WAS IN NEW YORK IN THE RECORDING STUDIO, THEY NEEDED MORE MATERIAL AND THE BAND JAMMED BUT THE SONG NEEDED LYRICS. AT THE HOTEL THAT NIGHT STEVEN TYLER CAME UP WITH THE LYRICS, AND WHEN HE ENTERED THE STUDIO THE NEXT DAY TO RECORD IT, HE REALIZED HE LEFT THE LYRICS IN A CAB. HIS BANDMATES THOUGHT HE WAS STALLING OR B.S’ING THEM, AND THOUGHT HE HADN’T DONE HIS JOB. IT LED TO ANOTHER OF THE BANDS MANY FIGHTS. TYLER WALKED OUT TO THE STAIRWELL OF THE RECORD PLANT, LET OUT A PRIMAL SCREAM, AND WROTE NEW LYRICS ON THE WALL, SINCE HE FORGOT TO BRING PAPER WITH HIM. THE ORIGINAL LYRICS HE LEFT IN THE CAB WERE NEVER FOUND.
HERE’S AEROSMITH WITH A GREAT LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ‘WALK THIS WAY’