Why Aerosmith lived to regret their first number one in 1998: “It was difficult”
There are very few bands out there that get a second wind, but Aerosmith were one of the exceptions.
For them, after a drug and alcohol-fuelled run in the 1970s and ‘80s, the thing that really gave them a new lease of life was becoming sober. There are a lot of musicians who would tell you that getting sober is enough to make you lose your edge, but the opposite happened for Aerosmith. Their sound became tighter, and the albums they released, like Nine Lives, were commercial successes.
“There is a belief among musicians that if they don’t have their drugs and alcohol, then they will lose their fire,” said Joey Kramer, the band’s drummer. “We completely disproved that assumption.”
Of course, while the band were seeing a great deal of success during this second wind, there was one thing that still eluded them, and that was the first number one single. They’d had a few songs peak in the top five, but none of them had actually managed to take the top spot… It wouldn’t be until the back end of the ‘90s that the band had their first-ever number one hit, and while such success isn’t to be sniffed at, it’s a song that didn’t sit right with a lot of the band members.
One of the biggest talking points of that year was the sci-fi epic Armageddon, which saw a space-bound Bruce Willis give everything to save the world – the movie was ready to go, but it was missing a soundtrack. Where else did the production studio turn other than to this new and improved version of Aerosmith playing one of the biggest ballads of all time, ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’.
The band didn’t write the song; it was written by Diane Warren, a renowned hitmaker. The minute Krammer heard the track, he knew there was no escaping the success it was going to bring; however, there was something about the track that just didn’t sit well with him. Aerosmith had worked hard to perfect this new sound, and ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’ felt like a step backwards.
“I kind of knew it was a hit, but I didn’t really like the song,” he said. “I didn’t think that song was us. When I first heard it, it was just a demo with piano and singing. It was difficult to imagine what kind of touch Aerosmith could put on it and make it our own.”
They did make it their own, though. Once the guitars were added and the strong vocals of Steven Tyler glided over the surface, it was clear that the band had somewhat made the song their own. Fans connected with it immediately, as people were buying the soundtrack so much that it managed to land Aerosmith with their first number one song. It made people see them in a whole new light, as they gained a brand new fan base who flocked to shows just to see that one power ballad.
“We were just about to go off the road, and that song came around,” recalled Krammer. “We continued to tour off that song for another year. That was welcomed by the band. At that time, that was what we did. We would be on the road for 12 or 18 months, and the only time we came off the road was to make another record.”
While Aerosmith were no doubt happy to have their first number one in the bag, they also regretted that this new group of fans were all backing a song which wasn’t a great reflection of the band.
