"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American hard rock band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-ba ...

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 armie ...

'', in which lead singer

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

'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 Ste ...

", "

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 romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...

was written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. War ...

, 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 song was covered by American country music 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 ...

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 Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

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 Joseph Michael Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Life and career Kramer was born in the Bronx, New Yor ...

, "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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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 include ...

", 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

's sweet tune—but with an appropriate dash of guitar-juiced melodrama.

'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 ...

'' 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 Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pi ...

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 2022; ...

sang the song after beating long reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in Düsseldorf, Germany. Fury sang the song again after beating

Tom Schwarz Tom Schwarz (born 29 May 1994) is a German professional boxer who has held the IBF International heavyweight title since 2019, and previously held the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title from 2017 to 2019. Professional career Schwarz' first ...

in 2019 at the

MGM Grand Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

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" (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 *

– 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 *

– 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, country music 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 Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

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