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"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 that would continue for the remainder of the 1970s. The song was written by 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. ...
and bassist Tom Hamilton, produced by Jack Douglas and recorded at
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 ...
studio.


Success

"Sweet Emotion" was released as a single on May 19, 1975, and peaked at No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the band's breakthrough single and their first Top 40 hit. The day it hit No. 36 on the U.S. chart, July 19, 1975, Aerosmith was booked at a gig in New York City's
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
, called the Schaefer Music Festival. The song and consequently the album that went into the Top 10 were so successful that the band decided to ride the heels of success and re-release one of their first singles, 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. M. C ...
" Dream On", which had originally charted at No. 59 in 1973. The re-released version went on to hit No. 6, the highest chart performance in the 1970s for the band. "Sweet Emotion" remains successful in the modern day, having sold over three million digital downloads. '' Cash Box'' said that with "Sweet Emotion" "Aerosmith explodes with inspired harmony, virtuosity in some searing guitar licks, and powerful production by Jack Douglas."


Lyrical interpretation

Many Aerosmith fans believe that Steven Tyler wrote all of the lyrics to the song about the tension and hatred between the band members and Joe Perry's first wife. Tyler himself has said that only some of the lyrics were inspired by Perry's wife. It was stated in Aerosmith's tell-all autobiography '' Walk This Way'' and in an episode of '' Behind the Music'' that growing feuds between the band members' wives (including an incident involving "spilt milk" where Elyssa Perry threw milk over Tom Hamilton's wife, Terry) may have helped lead to the band's original lineup dissolving in the early 1980s. The line "Can't catch me / 'Cause the rabbit done died" is a reference to the
rabbit test The rabbit test, or Friedman test, was an early pregnancy test developed in 1931 by Maurice Friedman and Maxwell Edward Lapham at the University of Pennsylvania. Test The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced during pr ...
.


Song structure

"Tom Hamilton wrote the music for 'Sweet Emotion,'" recalled producer Jack Douglas. "He had that bassline. And when Joey Kramer came in, he played on the twos and fours instead of the ones and threes, so he was playing on the backside of it. When we heard that, we went, 'Oh, boy! Magic.'" "Sweet Emotion" is a hard rock, funk rock and psychedelic funk song with a repeated electric bass riff tracked alongside the bass
marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbr ...
, played by Jay Messina in the beginning. Steven Tyler shakes a packet of sugar in place of maracas, as none were available. He also plays the vibraslap, which he revealed on the Howard Stern show that the vibraslap broke the third time he hit it, which can still be heard in the final recording. The introduction builds with the use of a
talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sou ...
by Joe Perry, which has become one of the most famous uses of the guitar talk box in popular music (Perry's guitar "sings" the line "sweet emotion" over Hamilton's bass riff). Eventually Tyler joins in, singing in unison with Perry's talk box. The talk box device used was called The Bag, made by Kustom Electronics. The now discontinued device had been used by guitarists including
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock music, rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, ...
and Mike Pinera. The song kicks into a more rocking rhythm with dueling guitars, and rapid-fire angry-sounding lyrics sung by Tyler. The chorus consists of a repeating guitar riff followed by a mirror of the "sweet emotion" intro. On the 1980 compilation '' Aerosmith's Greatest Hits'', "Sweet Emotion" appears in edited form. The bass and talk box introduction is removed, and the track begins with the chorus that precedes the first verse. The guitar solo at the end of the song is also removed, and the track concludes with the chorus, which repeats as the song fades. This edit was used for the original single release of the song, which was replaced in subsequent pressings with the album version from ''Toys in the Attic''.


Personnel


Aerosmith

*
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. ...
– vocals, sugar packet,
vibraslap The vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire (bent into a U-shape) connecting a wooden ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes th ...
* Joe Perry – lead guitar,
talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sou ...
, backing vocals *
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 guitar * Tom Hamilton – bass * Joey Kramer – drums, percussion


Additional personnel

*Jay Messina –
marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbr ...


Legacy

The song has been included on almost every Aerosmith compilation and live album, including '' Aerosmith's Greatest Hits'', ''
Pandora's Box Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem '' Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing phy ...
'', ''
Pandora's Toys ''Pandora's Toys'' is a compilation album released on June 8, 1994 by Aerosmith. This disc collects tracks from their 1991 box set ''Pandora's Box''. It was also made available in a limited-edition wooden boxed set that contains the disc covered ...
'', '' O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits'', '' Devil's Got a New Disguise'', '' Live! Bootleg'', '' Classics Live I'', '' A Little South of Sanity'', ''
Greatest Hits 1973–1988 ''Greatest Hits'' is the first greatest hits compilation album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released by Columbia Records on November 11, 1980. Release and reception Although the official website for Aerosmith lists the release for '' ...
'' and ''
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 ...
''. The song is frequently cited as Aerosmith's
signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...
, including in the '' World Almanac and Book of Facts'', and regularly competes with " Dream On" and " Walk This Way" for the title of Aerosmith's "signature song" elsewhere. It is often included on "greatest song" lists or "greatest rock song" lists, including a ranking of No. 408 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' magazine's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
. This song was prominently used in a scene of the 2013 American comedy film We're the Millers, where
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
's stripper character Rose O'Reilly performed a strip routine.


Re-release

The original recording was remixed by David Thoener and released as a single in 1991 in coordination with the release of the band's box set ''
Pandora's Box Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem '' Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing phy ...
'', although the remixed version was not in the box set. The difference from the original is that the drums are mixed louder with more reverb, the instrumental segue between verses is twice as long and the same as the segue between the 2nd and 4th verses and their subsequent choruses, and a guitar harmony has been added at the fade-out. A new music video was filmed and released in support of the single. The re-released version reached No. 36 on the
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 i ...
chart and No. 74 in the United Kingdom. The remixed version was later issued on the soundtrack to the 1998 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 ...
''.


Music video

The video for the re-released version is based on a
phone sex Phone sex is a conversation between two or more people by means of the telephone which is sexually explicit and is intended to provoke sexual arousal in one or more participants. All parties participate voluntarily; it is typically accompanied ...
conversation. The video, directed by
Marty Callner Marty Callner (born 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American television director, who has made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials, and television shows, in a career spanning from 1977 to present day. He is the creator of HBO's ''Ha ...
, shows a young man under his covers with a magazine which is advertising a phone sex line. The young man, who says he is a 26-year-old attorney, and the phone sex operator talk about each other for a while, until it goes into a shot of the band performing in a basement (this portion of the video was actually recorded in an old warehouse in the
Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
, which substituted as the band's old apartment on 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
). It switches back-and-forth between Aerosmith performing "Sweet Emotion" and the phone conversation. At the very end, both the phone sex operator and the young man are shown to be very different from each other's perceptions; she is an overweight older woman with a baby living in a run down house, and he is a teenage boy. Throughout most of the video, Perry is playing a
Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typica ...
but plays the solo on a
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuous ...
. The video is also a homage to the 1983 film '' Risky Business'', in that the opening scenes of the young man talking to the woman are almost identical to the scenes in the film of
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...
's character talking on the phone to the call girl.


Release history


Charts


Certifications


References


Bibliography

*Dafydd Rees & Luke Crampton (1991). ''Rock Movers & Shakers''. Billboard Books, {{Authority control 1975 songs 1975 singles 1991 singles Aerosmith songs Music videos directed by Marty Callner Songs written by Tom Hamilton (musician) Songs written by Steven Tyler Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Columbia Records singles Funk rock songs