"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song by American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

as the theme song for the 1998 science fiction disaster film '' Armageddon'', in which lead singer

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...

's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four songs performed by the band for the film, the other three being " What Kind of Love Are You On", "

Come Together "Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the band's 1969 studio album ''Abbey Road''. It was also a double A-side single in the U ...

", and " Sweet Emotion". 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. Balla ...

was co-written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

, who originally envisioned it would be performed by "

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

or somebody like that", and Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry, although only Warren got songwriting credit. The song received its airplay premiere on May 12, 1998, and was officially added to radio a week later. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was first released in Japan on July 29, 1998. In the United States, it was originally supposed to be a radio-only single from '' Armageddon: The Album'', but due to popular demand,

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

issued the song commercially in August 1998. It subsequently debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving the band their first and only number-one single in their home country, remaining at the top for four weeks. The song also peaked at number one for multiple weeks in several other countries, including Australia, Ireland, and Norway. In the United Kingdom, it sold over two million copies and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. The song was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

as Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards of 1998, but lost to "

When You Believe "When You Believe" is a song made for the 1998 DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks musical animated feature ''The Prince of Egypt'', with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe" performed by American singers ...

" from ''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...

''. The song was covered by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer Mark Chesnutt for his album of the same name. In early 1999, his version was a top-twenty hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while also topping the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts.

Inspiration and background

In 1997,

was watching

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

interview

James Brolin Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (born July 18, 1940), known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes and an Emmy Awards, Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August ...

and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

. Brolin said he missed Streisand when they were asleep, and Warren wrote down the words "I don't want to miss a thing", before there was even a song. "When I first heard it," recalled drummer Joey Kramer, "it was just a demo with piano and singing. It was difficult to imagine what kind of touch Aerosmith could put on it and make it our own… As soon as we began playing it as a band, then it instantly became an Aerosmith song."

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "If you're among the many who adore Aerosmith when it indulges in power balladry à la "

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

", then you're in for a real treat. This tune from the imminent soundtrack to ''" Armageddon"'' shows the enduring rock troupe happily giving in to the romance of superstar tunesmith

's sweet tune—but with an appropriate dash of guitar-juiced melodrama.

's signature belting is so intensely over the top that he frequently seems to be shrieking. It's a high-voltage performance that is matched by a collision of rock-styled instrumentation and grand, faux-classical orchestration. It's a recipe that will prove irresistible to programmers at top 40 and AC formats." '' Birmingham Evening Mail'' commented, "Songwriter Diane Warren weaves her magic again with a bombastic

from the 'Armageddon' movie soundtrack. It perfectly suits Steven Tyler's sleazy vocals as the track moves towards its strings-soaked conclusion." '' Daily Record'' called it an "epic ballad which has Steve Tyler impersonating of

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

". They also noted it as an "end-of-the-night

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

favourite".

Music video

The music video was shot at the Minneapolis Armory in May 1998 and features scenes from the film along with a cameo by Liv Tyler in her role as Grace Stamper. While the band plays with an orchestra backing them in a studio filled with giant banners of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, the banners fall in the second chorus, revealing the studio to be the launchpad of Space Shuttle Freedom from the film, while F-15 and T-38 fighter jets fly in formation overhead.

Impact and legacy

This song was Aerosmith's biggest hit, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it stayed for four weeks in from September 5 to October 3, 1998, and reaching number one around the world, including Australia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Austria, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It helped introduce Aerosmith to a new generation and remains a slow dance staple. On November 28, 2015, boxer

Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...

sang the song after beating long reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in Düsseldorf, Germany. Fury sang the song again after beating Tom Schwarz in 2019 at the

MGM Grand Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...

in Las Vegas.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 # " Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 UK CD1 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 UK CD2 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

" (live) – 3:45 # "Crash" – 4:26 UK 7-inch picture disc and European CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 European maxi-CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Crash" – 4:25 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36 Australian and Japanese CD single # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – 4:58 # "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (rock mix) – 4:58 # "Taste of India" (rock remix) – 5:52 # "Animal Crackers" – 2:36

Credits and personnel

Personnel are adapted from the ''Armageddon'' soundtrack's liner notes. Studio * Recorded and mixed at The Hit Factory in New York City. Personnel * Diane Warren – writing * Matt Serletic – production, arrangement * Mark Dobson – production and arrangement assistance * David Thoener – engineering * Rob Murphy – engineering assistance * Alex Dejonge – engineering assistance * Suzie Katayama – conducting (strings)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Mark Chesnutt version

In December 1998,

artist Mark Chesnutt released a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song. His rendition is the first single and title track from his 1999 album of the same name. Chesnutt chose to cover the song through the suggestion of his record producer Mark Wright, who had heard the Aerosmith version on his car radio. According to Wright, he and Chesnutt only listened to Aerosmith's rendition twice before recording, in order to allow Chesnutt to come up with a rendition that was "his". Because the two thought that his version had potential as a single, his label

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

withdrew his then-current single "Wherever You Are" in late 1998 and began promotion of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" instead. Chesnutt also said that he chose to do the song because he thought that it would help revive his then-flagging album sales and chart performance. Despite showing favor toward the cover at the time, Chesnutt remarked in 2016 that he "didn't want to cut it" and that, even though his version topped the country music charts and was successful on radio, sales were poor for both the single and the corresponding album. He also noted that soon afterward, he exited his label after refusing their offer to cover another pop song.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Notes

References

External links