"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith as the official theme song for the 1998 sci-fi disaster film ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'', in which lead singer Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four songs performed by the band for the film, the other three being "

What Kind of Love Are You On "What Kind of Love Are You On" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song, originally a track left off the '' Nine Lives'' album, was included on '' Armageddon: The Album'' for the 1998 film ''Armageddon'' starring lead singer ...

", "

Come Together "Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album ''Abbey Road'' and was also released as a single coupled with " Somethi ...

", and "

Sweet Emotion "Sweet Emotion" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith from the band's third album '' Toys in the Attic''. It was released as a single on May 19, 1975. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for the band ...

". The

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

was written by Diane Warren, who originally envisioned it would be performed by "

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

or somebody like that". In the United States, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was originally supposed to be a radio-only single from '' Armageddon: The Album'', but due to popular demand, Columbia Records issued the song commercially in August 1998. It subsequently debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving the band their first and only number-one single in their home country. The song also peaked at number one for multiple weeks in several other countries, including Australia, Ireland, and Norway. In the United Kingdom, it sold over one million copies and reached number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song was covered by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...

for his album of the same name. In early 1999, his version was a top-twenty hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while also topping the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts.

Inspiration and background

In 1997, Diane Warren was watching Barbara Walters interview

James Brolin James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin. He ...

and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

. Brolin said he missed Streisand when they were asleep, and Warren wrote down the words "I don't want to miss a thing", before there was even a song. "When I first heard it," recalled drummer Joey Kramer, "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… As soon as we began playing it as a band, then it instantly became an Aerosmith song."

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. '' Billboard'' wrote, "If you're among the many who adore Aerosmith when it indulges in power balladry à la "

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

", then you're in for a real treat. This tune from the imminent soundtrack to ''"

"'' shows the enduring rock troupe happily giving in to the romance of superstar tunesmith Diane Warren's sweet tune—but with an appropriate dash of guitar-juiced melodrama. Steven Tyler's signature belting is so intensely over the top that he frequently seems to be shrieking. It's a high-voltage performance that is matched by a collision of rock-styled instrumentation and grand, faux-classical orchestration. It's a recipe that will prove irresistible to programmers at top 40 and AC formats." ''

Birmingham Evening Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...

'' commented, "Songwriter Diane Warren weaves her magic again with a bombastic

from the 'Armageddon' movie soundtrack. It perfectly suits Steven Tyler's sleazy vocals as the track moves towards its strings-soaked conclusion." '' Daily Record'' called it an "epic ballad which has Steve Tyler impersonating of

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

". They also noted it as an "end-of-the-night disco favourite."

Impact and legacy

This song was Aerosmith's biggest hit, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it stayed for four weeks in September, and reaching number one around the world, including Australia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Austria, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It helped introduce Aerosmith to a new generation and remains a slow dance staple. On November 28, 2015, boxer

Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is an English professional boxer. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title since defeating Deontay Wilder in 2020, and '' The Ring'' magazine title from 2020 to August 202 ...

sang the song after beating long reigning heavyweight champion

Wladimir Klitschko Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in uk, label=Ukrainian is, Володимир Володимирович Кличко, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko, . ( uk, Володимир Вол� ...

in Düsseldorf, Germany. Fury sang the song again after beating Tom Schwarz in 2019 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 # " Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 UK CD1 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 UK CD2 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

" (live) – 3:45 # "Crash" – 4:26 UK 7-inch picture disc and European CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 European maxi-CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Crash" – 4:25 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 Australian and Japanese CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (rock mix) – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the ''Armageddon'' soundtrack's liner notes. Aerosmith * Steven Tyler – lead and backing vocals * Joe Perry – lead guitars *

Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...

– rhythm guitars * Tom Hamilton – bass guitars * Joey Kramer – drums and percussion Additional personnel * Suzie Katayama – string arrangements

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Mark Chesnutt version

In December 1998,

artist

released a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song. His rendition is the first single and title track from his 1999 album of the same name. Chesnutt chose to cover the song through the suggestion of his record producer Mark Wright, who had heard the Aerosmith version on his car radio. According to Wright, he and Chesnutt only listened to Aerosmith's rendition twice before recording, in order to allow Chesnutt to come up with a rendition that was "his". Because the two thought that his version had potential as a single, his label Decca Records withdrew his then-current single "Wherever You Are" in late 1998 and began promotion of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" instead. Chesnutt also said that he chose to do the song because he thought that it would help revive his then-flagging album sales and chart performance. Despite showing favor toward the cover at the time, Chesnutt remarked in 2016 that he "didn’t want to cut it" and that, even though his version topped the country music charts and was successful on radio, sales were poor for both the single and the corresponding album. He also noted that soon afterward, he exited his label after refusing their offer to cover another pop song.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links