"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American

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 ...

, written by

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 Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their third album with

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

, ''

Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...

'', released in September. It peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart. The

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

certified it gold.

Background

According to Tyler, the song was based on an actual experience where he was making out with a woman in an elevator and the doors opened. Tyler said that “It felt like a lifetime waiting for those doors to close.”

Recording

"Love in an Elevator", like the other tracks on ''Pump'', was recorded some time in April to June 1989 at

Little Mountain Sound Studios Little Mountain Sound Studios is a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, it was the most successful recording studio in Western Canada and the home for many years to producers Bruce Fa ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The song was produced by

Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are ''Slippery When Wet'' an ...

and was engineered by Mike Fraser with Ken Lomas as second engineer, and in addition to Aerosmith –

(

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

), Joe Perry (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

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 ...

(guitars, backing vocals), Tom Hamilton (

electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck The ...

, backing vocals), and

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 ...

(

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

) – were Bob Dowd (backing vocals),

(backing vocals), and Catherine Epps (elevator operator).

Track listing

7" 45 RPM

CD single

Music video

The music video for "Love in an Elevator" was directed by Marty Callner. At the beginning of the video, Aerosmith are walking through a fancy department store. An elevator operator (played by former ''Playboy'' model

Brandi Brandt Brandi Angela Brandt (born November 2, 1968) is an American model and actress, who was ''Playboy's'' Playmate of the Month for October 1987. Early life Brandt was born on November 2, 1968, in Santa Clara, California to parents Mike Brandt and ...

) suggestively asks Tyler if he is "going down". Tyler leaps into the elevator before the band begins playing the song onstage (with several flash cuts to scenes in the department store).

Reception

Award nomination

The song received a Grammy Award nomination in 1990 for

Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011. The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...

, but lost out to

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...

In concert

The song has consistently been a staple in the band's setlist on almost every tour they have performed since the song's release. It is a fan favorite and is well known among mainstream audiences. Also, in concert, Tyler often changes the lyrics to those that are more controversial and profanity-laden; on a version of the song featured on the live album ''

A Little South of Sanity ''A Little South of Sanity'' is a live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released on October 20, 1998, by Geffen Records. The two-disc album features recordings taken while the band was on the Nine Lives Tour, which began in 1997 and w ...

'', culled from the band's tours in the 1990s, listeners can hear Tyler say "jackin' in the elevator" and "lick your funky ass" (or "fucking ass") instead of "kiss your sassafras".

Use in Disney World rollercoaster

A portion of the song plays within the ride sequence of

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

's Rock 'n Roller Coaster ride, which features different Aerosmith songs on each of its ride vehicles. The lyrics for the Disney World version were specially revised to say "love on a roller coaster" at the end of the ride.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-End charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control Aerosmith songs Albums with cover art by Mark Ryden 1989 singles 1989 songs Elevators Geffen Records singles Glam metal songs Funk metal songs Music videos directed by Marty Callner Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn Songs written by Joe Perry (musician) Songs written by Steven Tyler