Two Legendary Hard Rockers and the Story of Their Classic 70s Hit | Professor of Rock
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- In the early 70s 'the bad boys of Boston” know as Aerosmith were a maelstrom of chaos, and chemically induced tension. The leaders Steven Tyler and Joe Perry battled through their toxic relationship between themselves, and an interloper to produce a rockin’ rampage that started with bassist Tom Hamilton’s vibe, Sweet Emotion would be the band’s breakout hit. We relive the 'bitter sweetness' of a classic rock standard NEXT on Professor of Rock.
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#70s #ClassicRock #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 80s vinyl songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community.
If you’ve ever owned records, cassettes and CD’s at different times in you life or still do this is your place Subscribe below right now to be a part of our daily celebration of the rock era with exclusive stories from straight from the artists and click on our patreon link in the description to see our brand new show there. IT’s time for another edition of our series #1 in our Hearts where we break down a song that should’ve been a number one song on the charts but for various reasons it came up short. We place the song in it’s historical context and most of the time the song has been bigger over the long haul than the song or song that were ahead of hit back when it was released.
Bassist Tom Hamilton was in a few bands with soon-to-be Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and David "Pudge" Scott.
Including the power trio called The Jam Band. bbIt was at a Jam Band gig in summer 1970 at a place called "The Barn” in Sunapee, New Hampshire that the 3 members of the Jam Band met Steven Tyler and the four of them agreed to move to Boston to start a band. Pudge left the band, and was replaced by Berklee College of Music student, Joey Kramer, on drums.
Ray Tobano, a childhood friend of Steven Tyler came on board for a brief stint, and when he exited, another Berklee College student, Brad Whitford, joined, and the classic lineup of Aerosmith was formed. Aerosmith became known as the Bad Boys of Boston- Perry, Kramer, Hamilton, Whitford, and Tyler.
Aerosmith created some amazing music on their self-titled debut album in ’73, that included the single “Dream On.” “Dream On” went to #1 on WBZ-FM, and WRKO-AM in Boston. However, the rock ballad stiffed nationally- stalling at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
During the recording for Aerosmith’s sophomore LP Get Your Wings, Tom Hamilton popped out what he called a “simple” bass
riff, that he didn’t feel was anything special at the time.
Ironically, what Hamilton pegged as a basic melody would evolve into “Sweet Emotion”- Aerosmith’s national breakout hit, and one of the most revered tracks of the Rock Era.
Hamilton says it was the band's producer, Jack Douglas, who coaxed the bassline out of him to present to his bandmates. Near the end of the sessions for Aerosmith's brilliant 3rd record Toys In The Attic, Douglas asked if anyone in the band had some spare riffs lying around. Hamilton promptly began playing his riff, which scored BIG with Douglas & his Aerosmith brothers. - Zábava
Favorite era of Aerosmith- 70s, 80s, or 90s? And tell us the song that support your answer!
70s for me. Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Rats in the Cellar, You See Me Crying, Draw the Line, Nobody's Fault, No More No More, Last Child, Sick as a Dog, Lick and a Promise...
But the 80s, too... Let the Music Do the Talking, Heart's Done Time, Hangman Jury, Angel, Permanent Vacation, Young Lust, Love in an Elevator are all great. Pump may be their best overall album, IMO, or tied with Toys or Rocks. But the 80s is not quite the same "volume" of fantastic songs from a single decade of albums to me. 70s is just packed with amazing stuff.
Hard decision to make.
Toys In The Attic & Pump are their best albums.
Pump is actually Steven Tyler's favourite album.
Seeing them live in concert they were much better later than the early years.
I'd go with 70's but definitely some great albums came later.
I love "Nobody's Fault" on "Rocks" Just so heavy. But so much of their catalog is excellent. BTW, great episode.
70's for sure, a song that I've always wanted to experience live and never had the chance was Kings and Queens.
Toys In The Attic is my favorite Arrowsmith album, and Dream On is my favorite song.
My memory? I was pregnant with my son - friends invited me to go to the Toys in the Attic concert. Years later my son ran out of his room ecstatic about this song I had to hear. I walked into his room and heard Sweet Emotion... Knowing he enjoyed that Great concert too.
One if the best rockers EVER!
My son ran up to me one day after hearing a sing in a movie. "Mom you have to hear this new band. They're great" He was watching Wayne World and I had to tell him that the lead singer had died.
@@laceybanter5937 Ah, yes... Queen and Freddie Mercury! I distinctly remember where I was when I heard the news of Freddie's death on the radio, as I drove up eastbound Route 40 in Bear, Delaware. I had just heard a then-new song from their phenomenal 1991 album "Innuendo" on the radio (either WMMR-93.3 FM or 94.1 WYSP-FM) and thought, "I've got to take my mom and/or my cousin Marty to see them when they go on tour," then... next moment, I was hearing the radio report saying Freddie was gone. I'd been lucky enough to have seen them on their last US tour in 1982, and upon hearing wonderful new Queen music on the radio, I thought maybe there would be hope and demand for a Queen tour of the United States. Sadly, it was not to be. Next day, I was listening to their iconic "A Night At The Opera" album on a boom box and sobbing aloud. We miss him badly, but we will keep the music playing for many years to come... Timeless stuff! (I LOVED that "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene in the movie, as they were riding in the AMC Pacer!)
@@glennhecker4422 Yep I remember that sad day in late 1991, it was the same day Eric Carr (Peter Criss' replacement as the drummer in KISS) also died.
@@NaturalMystic69 WOW... Didn't know that! Quite an odd coincidence. RIP to both of them
When I was in high school, "Toys In The Attic" blasted from almost every smoke filled car in the parking lot during lunch break. Those were some sweet days, indeed.
I was in that bottom parking lot
They rock...HARD!
Great album!
I was 10 years old. My stepbrother was 11. Our parents were gone and I had just bought this album. I went to his room to show him the album, and got my first contact high. 🤣
@@roxannemoser ...and the rest is history. Maybe blurry, but history.
I can't believe Sweet Emotion peaked at only #36 on the US charts! I remember not being able to go most anywhere without hearing it in 75-76.
That was when rock was squeezed out by disco and pop.
Those were the days of payola
@@selfaware9266 Not really, Payola was in the 50s and 60s. Coke-ola and Hooker-ola maybe.
Record charts were based on sales, not plays. The kids who listened to the album constantly didn't have the money to actually buy it.
10cc and The Eagles were legit. Solo Paul McCartney trash? Not so much.
April 1975. After school, went over to my girlfriend's house to help set up the basement for a party we were having that night. We were Aerosmith fans and loved "Get Your Wings". She said "look at what I got on the way home" and showed me "Toys in the Attic". It had just hit the stores. That night we played that album for hours at the party, over and over. We were living in "Sweet Emotion"...
I wonder if people today know what the lyric "can't catch me 'cause the rabbit done died" even means. The Rabbit Test was a common test for pregnancy back in the day. "The rabbit died" was a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.
It’s also about Alyssa Perry’s rabbit , literally
ya gotta be an old coot, like you and me!
That's probably the only lyric in this song that I understood LOL, and only because of fortunate timing. To give you reference I was 13 in 1980 and introduce to this song probably about that time. I want to say around 1979 there was a movie out called Rabbit Test, I asked my father what the title meant and he explained it. I also remember watching the episode of M*A*S*H where they performed one and fortunately for Radar's pet rabbit the test was negative. As for the rest of the lyrics in the song I learned quite a bit in this video!
@Geoffrey Maher
Very impressive.
Songwriting & lyrics were firing on all cylinders during that time.
@@timmmahhhh I was 13 in 1980 as well. I remember Rabbit Test. I think it was Billy Crystal’s first movie.
Seriously, in my opinion there is nothing like the music of the 70’s.
Im with ya there
I agree
Even the top 40 was amazing
Some bands like Wolfmother and Greta Van Fleet are still carrying on that sound!
I don't want to be pedantic but you could say that about any decade really.
"Guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it"
Actually their kids would have loved Aerosmith.
Are we going to see this at the top of every comment section on this channel?
I'm 72 and have been ready for it for 60 years. Have been a rocker and will be 'til I move on.
I saw them 5 times in concert when concerts didn’t require a second mortgage. They played Sweet Emotion every time. I am surely blessed.
My first concert in 76 was judas priest and kiss for a whopping $8 bucks, and years later Aerosmith for $17 on there second coming, I went to many shows in 80"s.early 90's, I got off cheap I guess back in the day and got out before the big prices came in.
Saw them in '78 at the first Texxas Jam in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. What a day, for what I can remember of it.
@Biggus Dickus that's awesome, I didn't get to see him but once would be a dream show.
@Biggus Dickus thanks man, I might have watched the Austin city limits show but I will be checking them out
@Biggus Dickus you ever watched those u tube shows where they cretiek bands and artist I have watched a couple with black host and there first times hearings him, they are freaked out impressed as hell, they say no way is here playing that, its funny
I saw Aerosmith in 89 or 90 at Pittsburgh Starlake Amphitheater, and during the long last solo in Sweet Emotion, Perry came down into the crowd. I was in the 4th row center, and he leaned his back into me as he just floated into this transcendental solo that seemed to just float above the band. First and only time I've ever been starstruck.
Reminds me of the line from the movie "The Third Man"
"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed. They produced Michaelangelo, da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
I love your comment. Love it.
@Biggus Dickus "The Third Man" is commenting on Post WWII world, so if you watch the movie you realize that sort of behavior is what is partially being addressed, and much more. Orson Wells' character is the rank opportunism of post war profiteering while Joseph Cotton's character is the world weary optimist who still believes in what is right. It is slow going by today's movie pacing standards, but a cinematic "must see" masterpiece.
@Biggus Dickus I could tell by the name. Both great films.
Hey, don't knock the cuckoo clock...😊
@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman which brings to mind an old Beach Boys song...
We can't forget one of their greatests songs Season of Wither ! Such a underated song
My fave!
Their first four albums through _'Rocks'_ were all something special. Enjoyed their later music too, but not nearly as much as their earlier stuff. Joe Perry admitted that their fifth album, _'Draw the Line,'_ was disappointing, that they were no longer a cohesive unit because of excessive drug use--and the detrimental effect was quite evident, even if the cause was perhaps suspected but unknown at the time back then.
_'Seasons of Wither'_ is a beautiful song, still gets plenty of listens even now. Personally, thought _'Uncle Salty'_ was one of their most underrated songs. It never got all that much airplay after _'Toys'_ was released, but it's one of my very favorites. Joe Perry is a lot like Jimmy Page, who are long time friends. Both are exceptional guitarists, perhaps not the fastest or the most technically proficient, but their ear for the instrument sets them apart, with superb tones and innovative compositions, and an innate ability of expression, particularly in conveying energy and passion.
This video brought back fond memories. 10cc's melancholic masterpiece _'I'm Not in Love'_ at #3 and Aerosmith's defiant rocker _'Sweet Emotion'_ at #5 on the charts while in high school--we were very fortunate in the '70's to have had so much great new music, as I think most knew and appreciated even then!
Thank you!
Love seasons ! Come on Halloween!
I agree. That was the first song I ever learn to play on guitar. I think my favorite Aerosmith song is “you see me crying”
The true test of a song, is often measured years after it's release. If the song is still being played, listened to and enjoyed, it was truly the number one of that time and remains so. That test when applied to Sweet Emotion, proves that it was the number one hit, and not just a passing fad.
Yup, and Dream On. The bass line in Sweet Emotion may have corrupted me, and got me to learn to play bass. I didn't have the hair to play lead anyway..
I was in high school when the re-release of Sweet Emotion came out. Remember being on the bus and hearing somebody say something like "Have you heard the new Aerosmith song?" I was 18, introverted, and knew jack shit, but knew enough about the band to think to my shy self "That song is older than we are, genius".
Thank you for sharing that story about your dad. Its memories like those that keep our parents alive for much longer than their time on this earth.
Love the opening scene of Dazed & Confused with “Sweet Emotion” playing. Set the mood of that brilliant film perfectly.
What would Randall "Pink"Floyd do ? If I ever want to recall my High school career, I watch this realistic trip down amnesia lane ! Linklater had his fingers on the pulse of 1976 ! 🤙✌🍻
It always cracks me up that Led Zep's Dazed and Confused was not even in the movie! Sweet Emotion was an excellent pick for the intro!
My childhood was a nightmare in Houston. Rock and roll, and a little country music, was the only quality of life I had. It’s in my heart and soul forever. I still remember when these songs came out. *tears
I hope you are ok and happy now. If you ever need forever pure not wanting anything from you love, read about Jesus and turn your heart over, nothing better.
Sweet Emotion is an incredible song from the AOR era. The band is on fire & the lyrics are brutally honest. Classic track.
Good call. Brutally honest is the best way to put it. Thanks for watching.
What's the AOR era?
@@matthewklein660 bands like: Styx, REO, Journey, Foreigner & Aerosmith starts to Rule the Airwaves by 75' then came 78 when AOR became a Big Sensation.
@Janitor Queen Album Oriented Rock or Arena Oriented Rock (for me).
The best line in the song for me is "can't catch me cause the rabbit done died!" I am sure young kids who hear that today have no idea what it means.
@@deelynn8611 actually, it's if their ovaries were swollen that it meant the woman was pregnant. Regardless if the ovaries swelled or not, the rabbits were killed to examine them.
@Vance Savage The rabbit usually died if the woman was pregnant. That is why he said, "can't catch me cause the rabbit done died" because he is running from the responsibility of parent hood. If the rabbit lived he would not be a father. Lol.
Yes we all do now because you won't shut up.
my favorite line is, "my get-up-and-go must have got up and went".
Fewer people still ever saw the Billy Crystal movie, "Rabbit Test," a Joan Rivers production about the first man to get pregnant.
One of the first concerts I went to was Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation tour with my parents. Skid Row opened and I remember my father pushing through the crowd after Skid Row exited the stage so that we could all get closer to the stage for the main attraction. Aerosmith will always hold a special place in my heart because of the connection with my father, who past several years ago.
Hold fast to those memories. I was always closer to my dad than mon. I liked hunting, shooting, and fishing as well as the few auto tips pop gave me. I hated when my mom wanted me to go shopping w her n my sister. I raised my daughters as tomboys too. Apply lipstick n one hand and climb a tree w the other. Miss my dad.....
Sweet Emotion is not just Aerosmith's best song, but is one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Joe's muscular and unrelenting riff drives the tune!
Listing that top 5 from back then tells how much the industry has changed, all completely different songs and there was a place for each one of them in the hearts of music lovers.
Now.. most musicians tap from the same well and present it as "new" and "different", while it is all made from the same "water".
When Pump got big in the early 90s Aerosmith did a video for Sweet Emotion complete with the narrative of a phone sex operator taking a call. A lot of kids didn't realize that it was a song from the 70s. In fact, I think the most amazing thing about Sweet Emotion is that you can not tell. It totally fit in the MTV rotation of the early and mid 90s. It was as if the boys just wrote and released it as a new song.
That was to promote the the "Pandora's Box" box set! I have it! Great collection.
I was in HS then. I sure as hell didn’t know anyone who thought it was a new song.
SWeet Emotion never stopped being played on the radio. Q95 in Indianapolis (where I grew up) played it 10 Times a day.
How many kids in the early 90s could have possibly never heard the song before they made a video for it?
It was ubiquitous back then and still is on classic rock stations.
If you ever spent an entire afternoon in your room with a friend, high speed dubbing each other's cassette tapes on your new dual cassette deck boombox, you're really gonna dig this channel.
Had a Teac double cassette, I loved the high speed dubbing feature!!!
Privilege
That was my life as a teen. Five neighborhood guys got together went to the record store decided what albums we were going to buy, went to Montgomery wards to buy cassettes then to Randy Jr's house to start the dubbing session. All cost split 5 ways meant we no longer had to record off the radio and in the 70's that was a monumental leap in Rock N Roll freedom.
Good times
Because copyright infringement is cool?
I remember putting speakers in my bedroom window in the summer, and blasting Sweet Emotion and the whole Toys album (yes, album!), while playing frisbee in the street! The good ol' days!
Hell yes, could not go anywhere without a frisbee back then. They were great for getting the seeds out to if you know what I mean.
Sweet Emotion is a great song from a great album. Used perfectly in the brilliant Dazed and Confused. Lots of information here that I didn't know about the song. It's always nice to hear stories about your dad, Adam. Thanks again.
Glad you enjoyed it. I love talking about my pops. Thank you for watching my friend! Always great to see your comments here.
@@ProfessorofRock l enjoyed that discussion as well. It put me in mind of my grandkids ( now teenagers) who totally enjoy my music and the background stories l know about the music, artists, etc.
My grandson calls me "The coolest grandma' in town!!"
I kinda' dig it when he says that!!!! 😄
@@ProfessorofRock thanks my friend!
I can’t help but laugh at “some sweathog mama with a face like a gent... said my get-up-and-go must have got up and went” incredibly clever!
Except that it's a grammatical car crash...
"My get up and go must have got up and went" might be my favorite line in rock and roll. One of them anyways. Clever as hell. And I write a lot of lyrics. I'm one of those drummer lyricists. 🥁
@@mrollins4684 But in rock lyrics, no one gives a shit. Well except you....
Hate to rain on your parade but the get up and go line was written by Pete Seeger in 1964. It appears on the aptly name song "Get Up and Go" on the "Broadsides: Songs and Ballads" album. And I agree, it's a great line!
@@terrygoyan3022 Just read the lyrics. That's a good one!
Thank goodness I have a dad born in ‘65 that raised me on music from the late 40s onward. I remember going to Disney World in the early 2000s, riding the rollercoaster and being absolutely obsessed with Aerosmith. We got the Pandora’s Box CD set when I was younger and I wore that thing out. And now I’m in my late 20s buying all the Aerosmith (pre-rehab) vinyl that I can find.
The power of Joe's guitar sound is off the charts.
"Well I got good news, she's a real good liar..." The kind of thing your friends see but you don't.
Yup
OMG. YOUR PPF AND CHANNEL NAME. L🤣😂L. LMAO. I CAN'T.
@@CMissShelleyMichelle I thought of it a couple of years ago after I saw a picture of Mick Jagger with a beard, and was genuinely surprised no one else had taken it. lol Now I use it for other accounts.
"Talkin' bout things and nobody cares...yea, that's Alyssa" ~Steven Tyler
Back seat booty set your pants on fire
I absolutely love this program!!! To hear the back story of my favorite songs is the best !! I can't agree with you more about the lost art of an artist coming up with different objects for sound effects like the late great Johnny Cash using a dollar bill in between the strings of his guitar for rhythm... Priceless!!
Let's not forget how cool the album artwork and how it was just getting bigger and better. The time when you could smoke kick back and look at the albums for hours
Sweet Emotion is, for my money, one of the top 5 hard rock tunes of ALL time. That intro, that riff, those lyrics, that chorus. Just everything.
Good tune but I don't know about top 5 of all time.
I was a cruiser, always driving around, seeing who was out, where the next race was going to be, etc, etc. “Sweet Emotion” was one of those songs that made you cuss at your stereo, because no matter how loud you had it, it wasn’t enough! No matter how much bass you had in it, it wasn’t enough!
I spent my life thinking the amazing music I listened to was due to great song writing and great performances. And that's why they deserved the wealth and accolades they received. But since watching you and "Produce Like A Pro" I've come to understand how much talent, work and creativity that was spent during the production. The bands and producers wracked their brains to come up with the perfect arrangements and tiny touches that made the classics magic.
You're exactly right! I really appreciate your support!
As I get older and have really started to ask myself 'why do I love a certain song so much but not another?' It often comes to how it's arranged and layered, or some little thing. I get anxiety thinking about "What are the odds they chose what they did, and what if they hadn't?"
The moment I came to appreciate this was while watching a documentary where George Martin was sitting at a mixing board with the original tracks used in the making of A Day in the Life. He would talk about how it came together, piece by piece and how he took the brilliant isolated input from the lads and brought it all together to help create what can only be considered a masterpiece. I finally understood why people called him the 5th Beatle.
It boggles the mind that Aerosmith only had one number one hit, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" in 1998, and they didn't even write it! Great review, yet again, Adam! Cheers! :)
I did not know Aerosmith is a one hit wonder. Never woulda guessed.
That shit awful pop song number one single is the reason I dont listen to any Aerosmith album after Done With Mirrors anymore.Total pop music dog shit.The crappy Fenway Park show ( I live in the city of Boston ) didnt help either.I still crank Wings,Toys,Draw,Night and ESPECIALLY Rocks all the time though.First album too.Great music.
Toys in the attic is a multi generational masterpiece.
Just a magnificent album.🎸💪👍🥃
@ The Mad Mick
The first few albums were definitely great but
Toys In The Attic is really one of the best albums of all time.
I will never forget seeing an interview with Steven Tyler where he was talking about people who pissed him off saying “…I’ma write a song about your ass!” LMAO!
I knew it was Aerosmith before I even opened the video 💪🏼😎
Well worth a watch. Great song. Great band. Thank you for watching!
Same here. I guess I thought everyone knew this story, it's been R&R legend for 30+ years. Gonna watch the vid anyway, just cuz I've never seen one of this guy's vids.
Toys in the Attic was HUGE when it came out. I was in high school in the midwest. It seemed like every kid's house I went to had that record out either on the turntable or nearby.
I saw Aerosmith open for the Scorpions on labor day weekend, 1986. We all fried on acid, and my sister found a polar camera on the ground, I grabbed it and took off for the front. I got seperated from my sister and her bf, and my gf. When Sweet Emotions started to play, it was so loud and so crystal clear, that I started crying. It was just too perfect. Still one of my favorite concert memories
I cried again for the same reason when the Scorps played Holiday.
Looking over my old concert tickets, I saw Aerosmith the most!
I loved when Steven told this story. Also, it's cool when you know the song the Prof is talking about before the video starts. It gives you Sweet Emotions.
When my ex was pregnant with our son I’d put on Sweet Emotion, crank it up and put headphones on either side of her baby bump.... thus creating one of the biggest Aerosmith fans on the planet... only surpassed by his old man! Great post my friend ✌️
I love that you weave stories of your dad into your videos showing your love for him not only keeping the music alive but also the memory and love for your dad alive.
I was born in 72' and grew up with my 3 uncles and my dad and rock n roll music playing all the time!! Damn, I miss them daz!!!! ✌✌✌😎😎😎🤗💙💙💙💙💜 One uncle was in a band and he would let me play his drum's, and the other uncle would be asleep and he would wakeup and tell my uncle (who would let me play his drums) to get me off of them drums!!! Lol!!!! They are all gone now and I miss them dearly!! 💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜✌😎 R.I.P. My luv's!!!
I was 14 when Toys in the Attic came out. I still remember the day I put it on the turntable for the first time. It was a great time to be alive.
My dad had it in the 70s. I have his copy now. :)
Toys in the Attic was my first album. My cousin asked me what I wanted for my birthday and first thing out of my mouth was "An Aerosmith record." I was 8 and have loved them ever since.
Have loved this track since I was a teenager in the late 80s. It never gets old. Was playing it about a decade ago (very loud, naturally..) and my wife who is music crazy came into the room with a big grin on her face saying "what's this? It's brilliant!" I couldn't believe that she hadn't heard it before but it just goes to show that old classics like this never lose their appeal. It's a great song from the year we were both born 😀.
I played this song every morning while I was taking my youngest son to grade school in the early 90s. He loved classic rock then and loves it now.
"Sweat hog mama?" Errah...I always heard "sweet-talking mama..."👺
That's what I always thought it was too.
Same here.
Hahahaha! I always thought it was “some sweet Harley mama...”!!😂
I Gotta go back and listen to now. I’ve always thought it said sweet talkin mama.
I always thought that too.
When I saw Aerosmith play this song in concert in 1975 the hammering of the snare was accentuated by Steve Tyler when he would stand on the drum riser and use his microphone stand to drop his mic over the center of the drum kit to amplify it over the PA speakers.
As a minor live sound guy, I can imagine the anxiety of the front of house (FOH) guy at the mixing booth.
Also, reminds me of a UFO concert I went to -- at the time they were my #1 favorite group -- where Phil Mogg went back to the drum stand during the long instrumental portion of the song. I think they improvised a bit and played the instrumental longer than what's on the Strangers in the Night album because I was frantic thinking, "He's gonna miss the point where vocals come in. The mic was docked in the mic stand about 30 feet away. The key moment was approaching for the 2nd or 3rd time when he broke into a sprint, grabbed the mic and slid to the very edge of the stage and started belting out the lyrics. It was a drama that I'm pretty sure played out only in my head amongst 17,000 or so at the concert.
@@joefunsmith Great story!
Summer of '75, I was driving to LaGrange Tx for the weekend. About 30 south of Dallas on I-35 "Sweet Emotion" came on the radio and my foot got a little heavy on the peddle. Looking in the rearview, sure enough, a DPS officer was on my ass with his light glowing. Drunk as a skunk, I pulled over knowing I was going to jail. Instead, the officer told me there's a roadside resting spot about a mile ahead, and he was going to follow me there. This officer, cool as shit, told me to sleep it off before leaving, that he would be watching me. I did,,, 4 hours I was out and when I woke, hungover but fairly sober, I changed my mind about going to La Grange and went back home to Dallas,,, back to bed. Texas DPS officers just don't give you a pass as this one did. I was blessed!
Like some others have said, I'm Not in Love by 10cc was by all accounts a groundbreaking track.
there's a video on YT where they explain how they made it. above and beyond ...
I remember the 1991 video (when "Sweet Emotion" was re-released) that had a subplot with a guy calling an adult phone line. It was around this time Aerosmith was known for their epic videos (like "Janie's Got a Gun," "Livin' on the Edge," "Crazy," "Amazing," etc.) that made MTV so much fun to watch back then.
Yeah... I liked MTV and VHl a LOT back then... When it was STILL ABOUT MUSIC. We had a good thing for a while.... Stopped watching it as it became steadily less and less about music.
Funny video.
MTV just celebrated 40 years on the air.Thanks for 15 years of great music.
You weren’t around at that time, but a lot of the radio people listened to was AM. Paul McCartney was at the top of his fame, so any single he released would end up at #1. Disco was just emerging as the latest dance style, and the hustle was the popular dance (the song being its anthem). It was everywhere. And Olivia? Well she was just the cutest, prettiest, adorable girl that oozed sweetness--and found herself on every tv variety show of the time. Meanwhile, Aerosmith was a kind of street hard sound that only the coolest partiers regularly listened to. They were only played on FM radio (except maybe “Dream On”), and generally high school and above rockers heard them. Bands like Rush, Reo Speedwagon, and Ted Nugent were in this dangerous hard rock genre. #5 seems ridiculous in hindsight, but in the context of the way the world was, it actually made sense. I was young, but I was there, alive to hear the greatest songs ever be the latest crazes!
Music, access, social norms all were really changing ~1975. FM was almost never played in public like swimming pools, malls, etc. Probably a lot of cars driving around with only AM radios. FM and this kind of music was like the dark web. A whole different world.
My first broadcasting gig was AM rock station in Midwestern US in the late ‘60s. What fun! Playing Motown & classic rock in a white, churchy town was pure delight! I miss those friends and that basement! Lol!
The reason sickly sweet pop songs sold more than good rock was because they appealled to a wider range of people buying music (say 10 - 40 year olds) and they always skewed the numbers to those ssccharin songs, and also AM demanded under 3 minutes long songs.
And "McCartney was coming into his own"? Nothing could be further than the truth. He sold out to pop standards. Nothing he did after The Beatles compares to whst he did when he was with Lennon and Harrison.
Then FM came along, thsnk god, as a standard in all new cars and relegated AM to the garbage heap of music history. Amen.
I have to laugh at the idea of REO Speedwagon and Rush being considered hard rock. I listened to AM and their songs were played.
@@mayloo2137 - I was around for AM radio and I can tell you Rush was not played on AM. Ever.
It’s funny how the person dating a devil can never see it, but all of your friends see it so clearly.
True.
@@irenec7665 so many of us relating to this...wishing you a great day !
Was blinded myself in this. Remember wakening up one morning telling myself my life has become toxic. Put her shit in a box and set it outside my apt door. Not a word did I hear from her and found out a couple of weeks later she was living with another guy, PERFECT!
@@6ffrey958 I think most guys, myself included, have been guilty of this. If you could get most of us to admit it, we probably saw it but we didn’t want to admit it.
@@brookswade5774 I've found that when you care enough to be a stand-up friend and tell the person whose getting screwed that they are indeed getting screwed, you end up being the bad guy in the scenario. I've seen it too many times. Of course, I'm a female and maybe that makes it different? I kinda don't think so at the end of the day. Do you? Just wondering.
My college band played a mix of originals and covers during the 1984-85 school year. Of all the covers, "Sweet Emotion" was the most popular with the crowds.
Very cool. Thank you for commenting.
Toys in the attic was one of two records in 1975 that I will always cherish. The other one was physical graffiti by Led Zeppelin. Both came out that year.
I was in high school at the time! 👌
Sorry Physical graffiti leaves it for dead.
Also Wish you were here by Pink Floyd came out that same year.
@@sillyoldbastard3280
And what did you like, Kiss?
Toys In The Attic is wonderful and fantastic...but it aint no Physical Graffitti,thats absolutely magnificent and Zeppelin`s best album.
@@tommytrinder.1226
My point was they both came out the same year.
Amazing these guys even made it out alive and the tension is real...
My dad in the 50s always said when he was tired.. "my get up and go got up and went"..was funny to hear Tyler say it.
1975 mid-school Summer. Too young to drive and stuck with only music for company. Bittersweet, innocent memories.
"Youth Centre" where I learned what was cool and why you never snitch on Billy setting off firecrackers in the Gym (ouch).
I heard first emotion when I watched Dazed and Confused. I had known Aerosmith for a while before that but the way Sweet Emotion resonates with me is otherworldly. I'm glad that you covered it prof
You just nail it every single time!! No music today compares!! Teenager in the 70's and into the 80's and all grown up in the 90's. But still nothing compares!! We were so lucky to have those experiences! Mostly gone now. And it's so sad!! I'm so thankful I grew up in those days!! Forever special!! Thank you for what you do!!
Thanks for sharing the story of your dad rocking out. What a lovely memory for you. ~Elizabeth
As far as Dazed and Confused the song goes , the Led Zepplin version is actually a cover. Dazed and Confused was originally written and recorded by Jake Holmes in 1967. The Yardbirds later rearranged it in 1968 and performed it on tour . Led Zepplin recorded it in 1969. Jimmy Page had heard Jake Holmes perform it when Jimmy was still in the Yardbirds .
Led Zepplin has settled many lawsuits for plagiarism and outright theft of songs/music.
They gave credit to no one, and ignored copyright laws.
@@irenec7665 Yep, can't stand them.
Not to mention Pages "thing" for young girls.
Sickening.
Love this analysis. You did a great job researching this. I never heard the story about the sugar packets, backwards claps, and broken vibraslap.
I first saw Aerosmith on their last stop of the Back in the Saddle tour, January 18, 1985 in Columbus, Ohio. The band had finally got the orginal line-up back together, and they were close to releasing Done with Mirrors. I was on the main floor with my friends, about 10th row. It is one of my most memorable concerts, it was amazing. It was the last date on the tour, and they played like they were never going to play together again. They were so tight and focused, and totally rocked the house. I swore I was never going to see them again, because I knew they couldn't top that show. My wife begged me to go see them again when they toured with Kiss (what a crazy double bill). They were the 2nd band, and they were amazing then as well.
My memory is I got to see Aerosmith in concert once. June ‘77 in Albuquerque. I was 16 so my mom had to take us and pick us up. I remember her teasing us for a long time because we couldn’t hear and would shout when we talked. The encore was ‘Train kept a rollin’”, and the mention of Albuquerque in the song, we all were so proud 😊
Bringing me back to 8-tracks and high school here. Thanks!
Music is a time machine! Right? Thanks for watching.
@@ProfessorofRock As a teen in the seventies we had the best, Aerosmith, Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, Queen and the like, and the worst, DISCO!!, music of a generation. It's always fun to take a trip down memory lane
@@vernhoke7730 disco is something I have come to respect and like a great deal. When I was a kid in the disco era, I was definitely more into rock n roll. As I have gotten older and my musical taste has evolved. I find I'm respecting and appreciate the music I used to not listen to. Disco really does "Rock" in some ways. And also, Disco has definitely cemented its spot in music history. Peace & be blessed
@@jasonwilliams1794 I agree about disco--it really is better than I, a literal card-carrying member of the "disco sucks" brigade, gave it credit for as a teen. It's still not my favorite, but it has aged better than a lot of older music. There was always some I loved--who did songs better and more consistently than KC and the Sunshine Band? They were genius!
Sweet Emotion has long been my favorite Aerosmith song. I had no idea it was such an angry song about Joe Perry's wife.
Saving me time. Thanks.
I just wanna know if Joe knew what the song was about when they were playing it
I saw Aerosmith at Madison Square Garden in the 90s with a group of friends. My friends friend worked at a music store where she got the tickets. We didn't know what kind of seats we had. When we got there and they directed us to our seats...we were 3rd row center, right by the stage that extended into the audience. Fantastic show! I wasn't a big Aerosmith fan at the time. After almost every song, I'd say...I didn't know that song was Aerosmith! I realized that I was a bigger fan than I thought! We were so close to the stage that Steven Tyler sweated all over all of us whenever he swung his mic or his arms. I remember being grossed out at the time, but it's something I'll always remember...lol
Absolutely blows my mind. My mind is blown. How such a rock classic could only muster #36!
In 1975, this was the first song I learned by ear playing to the radio with a pos acoustic guitar my dad bought me for $10 in Tijuana. I was 14. Before that, I was into Niel Diamond, but after Sweet Emotion, KISS and Aerosmith was IT!
Grew up in MA seen Aerosmith over 30 times throughout the years. Love the first Album you can hear throat clearing and doors closing, it's really a live album if you really listen to it.
Awesome history lesson on one of my all time favorites Professor! Thanks for sharing Sweet Emotion's history with us!
Another epic clip my brother, well done!! Love you man!!!
I'll never be able to un-hear that slapper breaking on the song ever again.
😆
I’ve been in a few concert bands (still am) and in each one we had a Vibraslap. I don’t recall playing any piece that required one, though. Those are very hard to break, used “normally”. You grab the loop end with one hand and put the ball above the block. With your free hand above the ball, palm down, you quickly hit the ball. There are some metal pieces inside the block that rattle.
Or, again holding the curved end with one hand, hold the instrument kind of sideways, lift up one knee about halfway up, and strike the ball on your lower femur just above your knee.
Now that I think about it, this is one of the few percussion instruments that you do not hit with a stick or mallet.
BTW, The piano is a percussion instrument, because the strings are struck, unlike the harpsichord, whose strings are plucked.
@@davidhoman3807 ~ Harpsichord and Clavichord are both plucked, I believe. The piano wasn't invented until after Bach, a refinement or evolvement of the other two, which didn't produce the volume needed for large groupings of instruments or people. The old German word _'Klavier'_ is a general term referring to all three instruments. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the piano more commonly grouped as a keyboard instrument, rather than a percussion instrument, despite its mechanics? It could also be grouped together with stringed instruments, I suppose, because whether struck or plucked, it is the vibration of the strings which produce and sustain the sound, and it is the length, girth, and tension of the strings which produce the various tones and pitches.
@@wilywascal2024 It's part of the chordaphone family (an instrument with strings fixed at two points).
@@gtrs4life ~ Thanks for the good info! Apparently, chordophone is the proper classification, putting it with other stringed instruments, as I had suggested. Yet, to call it a percussion or keyboard instrument isn't necessarily wrong, either--one of those cases where more than one thing can be true!
1974, my first concert was Aerosmith and still have the ticket stub but it was spelled wrong on the ticket, Aoresmith, first time I smoked a doobie too, at 14 yrs of age. Fun times back then.
Toys In The Attic....perfect rock'n' roll album!!!!
Toys in the attic and Zep 4 were my first two albums. Given to me for x-mas by my Uncle, a hard rockin Vietnam vet who drove the coolest cars. He passed away the following year of a heart attack at 29. Every time I hear a tune off either of these albums I think of him and that’s a good thing.
70's - "Draw the Line", "Kings & Queens", "Mama Kin", etc., etc.
Exactly. I hated Aerosmith because I'd only heard their 80s stuff and later. But when I went back earlier I fell in love with their 70s music. Such a shame they changed.
What makes some songs great is the passion behind them. Whether it's love or hate it's full of passion. So, even a toxic relationship or the hatred of someone's wife can be the inspiration of a great song.
You write incisive essays. I love your love of rock, and your occasional Kasem riffs. Thanks, man.
Man, you are a treasure trove of great information and trivia. Having the history and backstories makes the music even better. Thanks and keep up the great work!!!
I love this album. Toys is epic. I had the cassette and wore it out. Ditto on the CD. Then after I bought a second one, I gave it to a buddy (an alternative snob) because it blew his mind. Especially “You See Me Crying.”
Toys is epic! Very cool story.
You See Me Crying has only been performed live once,ever.
June 26, 2009 Jones Beach,New York.
@@sameoldeh That needs to change. Such a jewel of a song! Thank you for that detail. Good to know, brother!
Aerosmith is the only band in rock history that became hugely popular with one set of songs, broke up for a number of years, then returned in another era of music, releasing a new catalogue of songs that made them just as iconic with a new generation of fans. Truly a remarkable feat in music.
I know! Right? Can't think of another band like that. Thank you for watching.
@rickdixontn
For sure.
Biggest comeback story in entertainment history.
True. I'm not really a fan of their comeback stuff (being from that first generation of fans), but your assessment is spot on.
@Steve A you could argue that it's not Aerosmith without Joe Perry. The classic line-up including the inimitable Mr Perry and Brad Whitford reunited for Done With Mirrors. I've always thought that album didn't get the love it deserved. It's much closer to the band's early stuff and, for my money, streets ahead of anything they've released in recent decades.
@@ProfessorofRock The Moody Blues. Started as a Blues band in 1964, became a Psychedelic/Prog band from 1967-73, then they took most of the ‘70s off but came back in the ‘80s as a synth-pop band and grew a whole new audience with a string of hits.
awsome video, i remember sitting on the 91 Freeway with my dad in bumper to bumper traffic coming home from my grandmas and being blown away by how this songs intro and vocal harmonies just feel like a plane taking off and by the time the guitar and drums kick in its like a landing in a baron desert. absolutely life changing moments in the garage and the car listening to the radio.
Toys in the Attic was my very first album!!! A cousin bought it for me in the 70's for babysitting. I played that album 1000's of times. Wore it out! My favorite song from the album.....Uncle Salty!!!!
After all these years I can't believe I never noticed the broken vibra-slap on that 4th slap. Now I know it will become front & center in my mind every time I hear the song going forward. 😆
As far as 70s insults go "sweathog" was a pretty savage one, especially when aimed at a woman. It's hard to imagine this song having as much impact if Tyler had opted for the line "jive turkey mama".
@Daryl Turner so she was being compared to John Travolta??
You nailed it. Bands don't take risks anymore.
Really fell in love with covering this song with some good friends of mine that I met when I was 17. We played in a bar band and had some really good times, got really good. One guitarist was a huge Aerosmith and Joe Perry fan. We covered this one along with a few others by them. Such a good time, playing this song and packing a dance floor with it. Marty could really rip some great solos at the end of this one. He kept it pretty close but would add a few phrases of his own. Whenever I hear this song, it takes me back to those times. Really cool to learn the history of this song and what inspired the lyrics.
I'm glad I found this channel. Thanks for the passion.
Absolutely love the story behind the song "Sweet Emotion"! It's so interesting to hear how a song came to be and the inspiration behind some of the greatest songs ever! Truly fascinating stuff my friend. You are appreciated! Peace love & respect from Florida.....🎤 🎶 🎸 🌞 😎
Wow! Thank you for watching my friend. Appreciate the comment and the support.
Adam, enjoyed the story, especially the part about your dad singing the song!
Oh man! Thank you. Appreciate your support!
My memory of this is my neighbor in Portland Oregon who knew Steven from when he lived back east. When the band came to town, he was backstage with them. I was 16 when this came out.
I was 13 in 1970. Love Aerosmith and so many more bands from that time. I was so very lucky to grow up in that decade! A great story from back then. When I started HS in a very small town, the teachers and staff allowed students more freedom than ever. We had a jukebox in the cafeteria, we could smoke between the double doors in winter. And best of all...we built a shack with 6' stockade fence outside the back doors for smoking "other things". Noone ever bothered us. Crazy isn't it?
Most recognisable bass /intro ever.
Toys In The Attic is their best...very diverse album from start to finish.
Hope to see them again someday.
Aerosmith, over 50 years now.
I love hearing stories about you and your dad. We need more positivity in this world. Keep on rockin! 🤘
We will! Thank your for your positive comment!
Prof, thx 4 the "Sweet Emotion" personal memory. I remember my dad singing & his love of music. A lot of us from that monster ERA approx 63-83 have parents that are gone now. Ahh them memories of "TURN THAT NOISE DOWN" & "TURN OFF THAT DISTORTION BOX" as I learned 🎸 over the 📻 on KOME, KSAN & KMEL !!! Yes, in 74/75 in middle school, Aerosmith were the undisputed American Bad Boys of Rock. Exhibit A, covering BIG TEN INCH. Amazing it was 1st released in 1952 by Bull Moose Jackson !!!
Your story about catching your dad singing Sweet Emotion into a push broom reminds me of the time I took my kids to the Disney Parks in Florida, and after boarding the Rock N Roll Coaster at Epcot, when the ride started Sweet Emotion began blaring through enormous speakers hidden somewhere in the dark corners of the inside coaster building. I couldn't help but sing it at the top of my voice, though no one, not even my wife sitting next to me, heard me over the loud indoor speakers.