Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler celebrated his 76th birthday on March 26, 2024. The legendary frontman’s high, powerful voice has earned him the nickname “the Demon of Screamin’,” and he’s sung and co-written many enduring hits for his famous band.
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However, Tyler has been candid about his many struggles with drug abuse, and his excesses have sometimes have led to some embarrassing incidents. One infamous occurrence happened in 1984, when Aerosmith was relearning some older songs in preparation for a new tour after guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford had rejoined the band after exiting the group several years earlier.
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As Perry recalled in his 2014 memoir, Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith, the band members were listening to old recordings at the house of one-time Boston rock DJ Mark Parenteau. At some during the get-together, someone played “You See Me Crying,” a track from Aerosmith’s 1975 album Toys in the Attic.
According to Perry, when Tyler heard the tune, he commented, “That’s outta sight. We should cover that tune. Whose original is this?”
“What the f— are you talking about, Steven?” Perry responded. “That’s us.”
“Is it? … Where was I?” Tyler then said, to which Perry replied, “In the booth, singing.”
About “You See Me Crying”
Tyler co-wrote “You See Me Crying” with an outside collaborator named Don Solomon, but his substance abuse had led to some memory issues.
“You See Me Crying” is a piano-driven power ballad that appeared as the last track on Toys in the Attic. The song also was released as a single, but failed to make a dent on the Billboard charts.
Tyler’s Sobriety Struggles
Tyler has continued to struggle with his sobriety on and off over the years, with Aerosmith announcing that it had to cancel dates of its 2022 Las Vegas residency because the singer had relapsed.
However, Tyler has kept a positive attitude, and in a 2019 GQ interviewed, he explained what motivates him to keep working on overcoming his addictions.
“I got a band that’s still together, the guys are still alive, everyone’s healthy,” he maintained. “We play better than we did 50 years ago. I mean, there was a certain rawness when we played clubs and we were all f—ed up. Sure, I get it. But the band is still together and still sought-after.”
Aerosmith’s Delayed Farewell Tour
Unfortunately, Tyler suffered a vocal injury last year that led to the postponement of Aerosmith’s Peace Out farewell tour, but he’s reportedly on the mend, and the band hopes to rescheduled the trek when he’s ready to go.
