The best opening lyric Aerosmith never wrote: “Our first number one”
A struggling band left behind by the surge of grunge takes the leap into Hollywood: ‘I don’t want to miss a thing’ is proof that combining rock with romance will only make you more popular.
Aerosmith topped US charts for the first time in 1998, over two decades after the world had discovered them, and not for a song written by the band. From its opening, the song by which the band is universally remembered is a radical change of pace from Aerosmith’s loud and unhinged rock, which purists took to be a betrayal. But the ballad is far from pop: it welcomes rock into the realm of relatable.
“I could stay awake just to hear you breathing:” the indomitable lyric to bring love’s foolishness to life. Enshrined in Steven Tyler’s iconic opening words is the feeling so many failed to put into words, or admit to openly. Was it ever shameful to watch someone sleeping? Popular culture had leaned towards that idea, but it only took an age-defining ballad to normalise non-conventional expressions of romance.
For hopeless romantics, this song was a revival of the great poets: “I don’t wanna miss one smile,
And I don’t wanna miss one kiss” are reminiscent of the John Donnes and their open expression of devotion, which are far as ever from 1990s rock. Their writing does a perfect job of capturing longing without nostalgia, of making perfect similes to enshrine them into accessible lyrics that are easy to love.
In fact, many fans saw this transition as slow-burning commercialisation of their former guitar-smashing sound, but it also suddenly meant that rock and roll didn’t have to be violent. It could, for once, be both power and ballad, both sensitive wordplay and unforgettable guitar riffs that lounged in the listener’s ear, rather than being paired with screaming.
The group took pride in performing songs written by its own members, primarily frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. Songwriter Diane Warren wrote the track for Michael Bay‘s 1998 science fiction disaster flick Armageddon, starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler, the lead vocalist’s daughter. The ways of Hollywood meant that those performing the song had little say in its composition, and it is thought that Warren had even initially written it with other artists in mind.
The band took the edge off, they welcomed a more varied audience, and they grew up: ‘I don’t want to miss a thing’ is the age-old tale of rock stars who are tired of drug abuse and just want to pledge homage to their daughter in her movie. Unfettered expressions of love had rarely been seen pronounced by eyes smeared with black eyeliner and chests stacked with chains and gothic crosses, so with this track, Aerosmith made history in loosening tightly woven expectations of masculinity in rock.
Despite marking popular culture, the band was not a fan of the influence the track bore: “It was a shock, not because we had our first number one but because it was our only number one,” Tyler said. Nonetheless, it is widely believed to be the song that finally gave recognition to the singer’s significant vocal range and showcased it in a way it had never been.
The story behind that first line was recently shared by its unlikely inspiration – Barbra Streisand. In her memoir My Name is Barbra, Streisand wrote about lying in bed with her husband James Brolin. He told her, “I don’t want to fall asleep, ‘cause I’ll miss you.” Streisand reported the anecdote during an interview in 1997, and Warren took notes.
Diane Warren had previously worked on music that is much more aligned with pop, such as Starship’s ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ and romantic chart toppers like Toni Braxton’s ‘Un-Break My Heart’. So, everything but rock. But as the path was already set for Aerosmith’s comet to fizzle into the inevitable path of becoming music show jury members, the poetic contemplation of staying awake to ensure more time with one’s lover nestled the culture-defining boys to continue making history in arena rock anthems.
