"What It Takes" is a
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...
by American band
Aerosmith. Written by
Steven Tyler,
Joe Perry, and
Desmond Child, it was released in 1989 as the third single from the critically and commercially successful 1989 album ''
Pump''. "I'll put some ballads on an album," Tyler remarked, "if that's what it takes so that some young kid can get to hear a 'Young Lust' or '
F.I.N.E.*'."
Background
Child had co-written the power ballad "
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 inclu ...
" for Aerosmith's previous album, but the band wanted to make sure that its own identity was reflected in "What It Takes." According to Perry "It started off sounding really county-western. We didn't want to write a song like ‘Angel,’ and for Desmond, that's where his heart and soul is. He's into big, dramatic ballads. But we wanted to do something different.” Aerosmith guitarist
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 ...
stated that "It was a keyboard song to begin with. Somewhere along the line we knew it was special, so it had to be approached in a different manner.” Perry went on to say that "The thing that made it for me was when
airbairnput an accordion on it. That gave it the flavor it needed. Otherwise it would have just been nice chords and nice changes.”
Lyrics and music
The lyrics to "What It Takes" are about getting over a past relationship and the resulting hurt feelings.
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Music video
There are two videos for the song. One, directed by Wayne Isham
Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958) is an American film director and music video director who has directed films and music videos of many popular artists.
Early life and education
Isham was born in December 2, 1958. He attended the Univers ...
,Longhorn Ballroom
The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas (USA). has been called, Texas' Most Historic Music Venue and since its inception has had a colorful set of proprietors. Originally built by O.L. Nelms, an eccentric Dallas millionaire, for his close friend, ...
. The other, directed by Keith Garde and Martin Torgoff, is culled from scenes from '' The Making of Pump'', a film which documented the recording process of the ''Pump'' album. The latter received much greater airplay, and was also the version the band chose to include on their video collection '' Big Ones You Can Look At''.
Charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
Aerosmith songs
1989 songs
1989 singles
1990 singles
Country music songs
Songs written by Desmond Child
Songs written by Steven Tyler
Songs written by Joe Perry (musician)
Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Geffen Records singles
1980s ballads
Country ballads
Glam metal ballads
Glam metal songs