The One Song Steven Tyler Thought Would Ruin His Career in Aerosmith

The 1970s were a tough time for the members of Aerosmith. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had a lot of bad tension that was coming to a head. They were known as the Toxic Twins for a reason. It only took one crazy fight backstage for Perry to leave the band in 1979. While Perry put together his then-short-lived The Joe Perry Project, Steven Tyler dealt with the betrayal with a lot of drugs and the desire to bring Aerosmith out of ruin.

Videos by American Songwriter

Luckily, their manager, Tim Collins, got the two classic rock divas to reconcile. The result was the 1985 record Done With Mirrors, which didn’t hit quite as well as they thought. Even though the two rock stars had put their differences aside, something else really needed to catch the public’s attention.

So, the gang got together with Run-DMC to produce the iconic genre-crossover hit “Walk This Way”. They finally revitalized their career. During that period, they connected with famed songwriter Desmond Child. With him, they produced “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” and really started making waves in the music industry again.

However, that partnership with Child yielded one song that Steven Tyler believed would ruin his career with Aerosmith.

Steven Tyler Thought “Angel” Would Ruin His Career With Aerosmith and Beyond

During their time spent on Permanent Vacation, Tyler and Child collaborated on the ballad “Angel”. It’s a great song still loved today, but back in the day, there was a lot of controversy around the tune. Bassist Tom Hamilton said the track “was too wimpy” at the time. Producer John Kalodner famously said that Tyler claimed that he “ruined his career by making him write ‘Angel’ with Desmond [Childs].”

However, the song quickly became a classic. Even the most hardened rock fans would beg the band to perform “Angel” live. It was the kind of soft rock ballad that wiggled its way into the hearts of listeners, even the ones who preferred Aerosmith’s more egregious and aggressive tunes.

“Angel” defied the expectations of Tyler and his bandmates. In fact, I’d be bold enough to say that the glam metal ballad from 1988 reignited interest in the power ballad. From then on, Aerosmith found a spot in late 1980s and early 1990s mainstream rock. Few bands have successfully evolved quite like they have.

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.