Walk This Way
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Aerosmith song. For the joke from movies, see Walk this way (movie line).
| "Walk This Way" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Aerosmith | ||
| from the album 'Toys in the Attic' | ||
| Released | 1976 | |
| Format | Record | |
| Recorded | January - February 1975 at Record Plant Studios, New York | |
| Genre | Hard Rock | |
| Length | 3:39 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Writer(s) | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry | |
| Producer(s) | Jack Douglas | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Aerosmith singles chronology | ||
| "Last Child" (1976) | "Walk This Way" (1976) | "Back in the Saddle" (1977) |
"Walk This Way" is a song by American hard rock group Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It was originally released as the second single from their 1975 album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s.
In addition to being one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s, it also helped resurrect their career and revolutionized rock and roll and hip-hop music when it was re-made in 1986 with rappers Run-D.M.C. on their album Raising Hell. It became an international hit and won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single in 1987.
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[edit] Lyrical interpretation
The song title was inspired from a line in the movie Young Frankenstein spoken by the character Igor (played by Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman (1934-1982). The lyrics, written by Steven Tyler, are about a high school male having sexual intercourse for the first time and engaging in group sex.
[edit] Song structure
The song starts out with a drum beat, followed up with what is now considered a legendary guitar riff by Joe Perry. The song then goes into the verse, with a steady drum beat by Joey Kramer and bassline by Tom Hamilton forming as the backbeat, with dueling guitars by Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. The lyrics are sung quite fast by Steven Tyler, with heavy emphasis being placed on the rhyming lyrics ("so i took a big CHANCE at the high school DANCE," etc.) which may explain why the song worked so well as a rap song when it was re-made 11 years later. The chorus primarily consists of a repetition of "Walk this way, talk this way". In collaborations, the other singer often says "talk this way". Live in concert, Steven Tyler often has the audience, combined with members of the band, sing "talk this way". There is also a lengthy guitar solo at the end of the song, and in concert, Steven Tyler will often harmonize his voice to mimic the sounds of the guitar.
[edit] Legacy of the 1975 version
"Walk This Way" was one of two hit singles by the band to hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1970s, the other one being a re-release of "Dream On". "Walk This Way", though, helped Toys in the Attic to be the bestselling Aerosmith album, and one of the most critically acclaimed. Aerosmith's version of "Walk This Way" often competes with "Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On" for the title of Aerosmith's signature song, being one of the band's most important, influential, and recognizable songs. The band almost never omits it from their concert setlist, still performing their classic version of the song to this day. The song has also long been a staple of rock radio, garnering regular airplay on classic rock, mainstream rock, and album rock radio stations.
[edit] Success of the 1986 version
In 1986, Run-D.M.C. performed a cover of "Walk This Way" with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry guesting on vocals and guitars. The 1986 version of the song is often credited as helping break rap into mainstream popular music as it was the first rap song to hit the Top 5 in The Billboard Hot 100 and demonstrated how elements of rap music can be part of rock and pop songs. The landmark collaboration catapulted Run-D.M.C. into mainstream stardom and would influence rap music for years to come. The collaboration also introduced both rap music and hard rock/hip hop fusion (later known as rapcore) to a wide audience for the first time. The song also marked a major comeback for Aerosmith, as they had been largely out of mainstream pop culture for several years. Aerosmith would follow up with a string of multi-platinum albums and Top 40 hits, starting with Permanent Vacation in 1987.
[edit] Music video
The 1986 music video for "Walk This Way" symbolically placed Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. in a musical duel in neighboring studios before Tyler literally breaks through the wall that separates them. The video then segues to the bands' joint performance on stage. The highly popular video was the first rap video ever played in heavy rotation on MTV and is regarded as a classic of the medium.
[edit] Later collaborations
In 1989, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry joined Bon Jovi at a concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in the United Kingdom for an encore performance and extended jam of the song. [1]
On September 9, 1999, Kid Rock joined Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith for an updated rendition of "Walk This Way" at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2002, Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C. (as separate acts) opened for Aerosmith on the first leg of the Girls of Summer Tour. Each night, at the end of Aerosmith's set, Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C. would join Aerosmith for an encore collaborative performance of "Walk This Way".
At the Super Bowl XXXV half-time show in January 2001, performers *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly joined Aerosmith onstage for an encore performance of "Walk This Way" with members of *NSYNC and Britney Spears singing different parts of the 2nd verse, Mary J. Blige adding background harmony, and Nelly performing a rap towards the end of the song.
[edit] Awards and accoloades
[edit] The song
- The song won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single in 1987.
- The version of "Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C. with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry is included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
- Rolling Stone ranked "Walk This Way" at #336 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- In 2000, "VH1: 100 Greatest Rock Songs" included "Walk This Way" at #35
- In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 23 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
[edit] The video
- In 1993, "Rolling Stone: The Top 100 Music Videos" included "Walk This Way" (w/ Run-D.M.C.) at #11
- In 1999, "MTV: 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" included "Walk This Way" (w/ Run-D.M.C.) at #5
- In 2001, "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" included "Walk This Way" (w/ Run-D.M.C.) at #11
[edit] Trivia
- Aerosmith's autobiography is named Walk This Way.
- Aerosmith's fan club, Aero Force One, sells doormats printed with the phrase "Walk This Way".
- The music video for "Walk This Way" was parodied in the music video for Lil Jon's "Get Low Remix"
- When Aerosmith guest-performed on the hit animated-series The Simpsons in the early 90s, they performed "Walk This Way", featuring side vocals from Moe Szyslak the bartender (voiced by Hank Azaria.)
[edit] Cover versions
- In 2002, the song was covered by Sum 41 with Nelly, Ja Rule, and DJ Clue.
- In 2004, the song was covered by Macy Gray; her version was initially available only by download, but was later released on Gray's 2004 greatest hits compilation, The Very Best of Macy Gray.
