On January 5, 1973, Aerosmith released the eponymous debut that would catapult them and Steven Tyler’s many, many scarves into rock ‘n’ roll stardom, thanks to the third track on the album, “Dream On”. The song was a massive success for the band and continues to be a staple of the classic rock canon today. But as impressive as this particular song was, the entire album is a testament to where the band was in their songwriting journey.
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The dynamics between bandmates have often been as aggressive and brash as the music that Aerosmith creates, but in the end, the latter always takes precedent. Aerosmith was a scrappy, hungry band from Boston, eager to prove themselves as rock legends at first glance. For the album’s opening track, Tyler did a little bit of roleplaying to get in the right headspace. And indeed, this “fake it till you make it” mindset did the trick.
“I wrote ‘Make It’ in a car driving from New Hampshire to Boston. There’s that hill you come over and see the skyline of Boston, and I was sitting in the backseat thinking, ‘What would be the greatest thing to sing for an audience if we were opening up for The [Rolling] Stones? What would the lyrics say?’” Tyler later recalled, per Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith. Tyler jotted down his daydream lyrics on a deconstructed Kleenex box.
Aerosmith Told Their Story Through the Tracklist of Their Eponymous Debut
First impressions are everything, so they say, and Aerosmith made sure they packed a big punch for their eponymous debut. As the tracklist continued on from “Make It”, the band moved into a perfectly early 1970s rock riff that was born from a ditty that the band’s roadie, Steve Emsback, would often play if he had a guitar in his hands.
From there, Aerosmith transitioned into the power ballad, “Dream On”, which remains one of their most beloved songs today. The original germ of the song formed years earlier. Steven Tyler was still a teenager when he wrote the piano intro. Seeing it come to fruition years later was a major moment for the frontman. “I started to cry with relief because I was so sure of this song, so sure that it could really work for us and take us places we wanted to go.”
Elsewhere, Aerosmith pulled from rock legends that came before them. “Mama Kin” paid homage to The Rolling Stones’ “Midnight Rambler”. “Write Me a Letter” got by with a little help from The Beatles’ “Got to Get You into My Life”.
And as one would expect, Aerosmith’s debut also showcased how the band was coming together in a collaborative sense. The penultimate track, “Movin’ Out”, saw Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry co-writing for the first time. Tyler has cited this track as the first real Aerosmith song. Finally, the band closed out with their rendition of Rufus Thomas’ “Walkin’ the Dog”, a reference to their live show staple and early influences, The Rolling Stones, who also covered this early 60s track.
Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
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