"Lightning Strikes" is a song by the American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

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 ...

from their

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

album '' Rock in a Hard Place''. It is notable as Aerosmith's only charting song from the lineup without guitarist Joe Perry, who was replaced by

Jimmy Crespo Jimmy Crespo (born July 5, 1954) is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for Aerosmith from 1979 until 1984. He co-wrote "Rock in a Hard Place" with Steven Tyler, and has performed or recorded with Rod Stewart, Billy Squier, Meat Loaf ...

after he left the band in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. The song was 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

Richie Supa Richard "Richie" Supa (born Richard Goodman) is an American songwriter and guitarist best known for his work with Aerosmith, The Rascals and Richie Sambora. Supa released several albums under his own name, including ''Supa's Jamboree'' (1971, ...

, a friend and collaborator of the band. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford recorded his parts before leaving the band. The song reached #21 on the U.S.

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.

Music video

The band created one of their earliest actual music videos for

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and other networks with this song. Directed by Arnold Levine, the music video flashes back and forth between the band performing in what appears to be a studio or small venue and then out on the streets, where the band members flash angry looks, and wield baseball bats, chains, knives, and other weapons, suggesting a fight is about to take place. The song also features fake lightning strikes during the transitions between the band's performance and the streets, and baseball bats striking melons in the air.

Personnel

– lead vocals, keyboards *

– lead guitar, backing vocals * Tom Hamilton – bass guitar *

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 ...

– drums * Brad Whitford – rhythm guitar

References

{{authority control Aerosmith songs 1982 singles Songs written by Steven Tyler Songs written by Richard Supa Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Songs written by Jimmy Crespo 1982 songs Columbia Records singles