Why One of Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits Almost Never Existed

Movies and music certainly have a symbiotic relationship. They both benefit from each other and as a result, an expansive and epic piece of art is born. We’ve seen it transpire before our eyes countless times, and movie theme songs have gifted bands with some of their all-time greatest hits. One instance mimicking this paradigm is with Aerosmith and the 1998 action blockbuster hit, Armageddon.

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Besides starring Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis, the most notable part of Jerry Bruckheimer’s 1998 film is its theme song, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” However, this Aerosmith hit nearly never belonged to them, and it is thanks to a feud between Bruckheimer, the song’s writer, Diane Warren, as well as the artistic misunderstanding between her and Aerosmith.

The Creative Controversy Behind Aerosmith’s Hit Song

Diane Warren is one of the most decorated Hollywood songwriters of all time. During her career, she has written Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” from Up Close & Personal and Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin. Despite these accolades, her most successful track almost never came to fruition, and she candidly divulged why in an interview with Rolling Stone.

Prior to collaborating on Armageddon, Warren and Bruckheimer had a falling out on the film, Con Air. In short, Warren disagreed with Bruckheimer’s decision to have Trisha Yearwood sing “How Do I Live.” Evidently, that decision did not see the light of day, as LeAnn Rimes sang the track. Though, consequently, Warren recalled Bruckheimer stating, “I’m never gonna work with you again.”

However, that feud did not stick as the famed producer asked Warren to write a song for Armageddon. Warren told the publication, “He changed his mind. So I went back and wrote the song. And never in a million years thought Aerosmith would do it.” “I kind of thought a female vocalist would end up doing it, but it’s so much more powerful with Steven Tyler — him being that vulnerable in the song really worked,” concluded Warren.

Not only did the song work for Warren and the film, but it also worked for Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. Following its appearance in the film, the single became Aerosmith’s first and last single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, when it was featured on Aerosmith’s album, Nine Lives, the song helped the album peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. However, Diane Warren and Aerosmith were just a hair away from never reaping the benefits of this song’s monstrous success.

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