"Lord of the Thighs" is a song performed by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
. It was written by frontman
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. ...
, and released on the band's 1974 album ''
Get Your Wings
''Get Your Wings'' is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 1, 1974. The album was their first to be produced by Jack Douglas, who also was responsible for the band's next three albums. Three singles were rele ...
''. 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 ...
has said it is his favorite song to perform live. Kramer and 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. ...
have each said that he alone was the subject of the song's title.
[ The song has remained a live staple since its release.
]
Composition
"Thighs", as it is commonly abbreviated on setlists and elsewhere, was supposedly the last song written for ''Get Your Wings.'' The band needed one additional song for the album, so they locked themselves in Studio C at the Record Plant
The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
in New York City and came up with this song, based on the unsavory characters near their hotel on Eighth Avenue. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics are filled with double entendres
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...
and innuendo, and the song is darker than it first appears.[ The song is notable for the funky drum beat by Kramer.] In its opening, the drum beat sounds very similar to "Walk This Way
"Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
" and the song also features lead guitar work by 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 ...
and piano playing by Steven Tyler.
Live performances
The song has long been a staple in setlists at Aerosmith concerts, and was featured on the live albums ''Live! Bootleg
''Live! Bootleg'' is a double live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in October 1978. While most of the performances were drawn from concerts in 1977 and 1978, "I Ain't Got You" and "Mother Popcorn" were taken from a radio b ...
'' and ''Classics Live I ''Classics Live'' and ''Classics Live II'' are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after ''Live! Bootleg''. ''Classics Live I'' has gone ...
''. It was also featured on the deep cut collection ''Gems
Gems, or gemstones, are polished, cut stones or minerals.
Gems or GEMS may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
*Gems (Aerosmith album), ''Gems'' (Aerosmith album), 1988
*Gems (Patti LaBelle album), ''Gems'' (Patti LaBelle album), 1994
*G ...
''. The song was resurrected as a live staple, being played at several concerts on the Rockin' the Joint
''Rockin' the Joint'' is a live album by Aerosmith, which was released on October 25, 2005. It was recorded in January 2002 in '' The Joint'' at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, and consists of Aerosmith songs from throughout their career perf ...
and Route of All Evil Tour
Route or routes may refer to:
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* Route, County Antrim, an area in Northern Ireland
* ''The Route'', a 2013 Ugandan film
* Ro ...
s in 2005 and 2006.
In concert, the band typically does an extended jam in the song, which often results in the song exceeding seven minutes in length, which prominently features Whitford on lead guitar. Tyler also introduces Whitford before he starts playing the song's riff. Joe Perry typically plays slide guitar.[
]
Notable cover versions
* The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ...
covered the song in 1993 as a b-side to ''Cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
''.
* Danzig covered the song on their 2015 album ''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
''.
In other media
The song was featured in ''Grand Theft Auto IV
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...
'' as well as both episodic expansion packs ''The Lost and Damned
''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' is the first of two episodic expansion packs of the 2008 video game ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released individually for the X ...
'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony
''Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' is the second of two episodic expansion packs available for the 2008 video game ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released individuall ...
'' on in-game radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...
.
References
{{authority control
Aerosmith songs
The Breeders songs
Songs written by Steven Tyler
1974 songs
Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer)