"Aerosmith Legends Steven Tyler and Joe Perry Discuss the Creation of their Iconic Album, Pump, Including a Mention of an Elevator Romance"
In the summer of 1989, Aerosmith released their critically acclaimed album, Pump. This record marked a significant turning point in the band's career, following the success of their previous album, Permanent Vacation.
The creation of Pump was a collaborative effort, with Aerosmith working closely with outside songwriters Desmond Child, Holly Knight, and Jim Vallance. These collaborations brought a fresh perspective to the band's sound, injecting new ideas and preventing creative stagnation.
Desmond Child, in particular, co-wrote major tracks for the album, including the monster hit "Love in an Elevator." This song, with its catchy "Whoah-oh" vocal hook, became one of the album's signature singles.
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry discussed four cornerstone tracks from Pump: "Young Lust," "What It Takes," "Monkey On My Back," and "Love In An Elevator." According to Tyler, "Young Lust" is about the initial feeling you get when you fall in love, while "Love In An Elevator" was very much autobiographical, with lyrics that reflected Tyler's personal experiences.
The band's fortunes had started to turn around in 1986 with their groundbreaking collaboration with Run-DMC on a new version of their 1975 track, Walk This Way. This collaboration set the stage for the next Aerosmith album, 1987's Permanent Vacation.
The release of Pump marked one of the greatest comebacks in music history for Aerosmith. Despite the band's struggles in the mid-80s, including the bombing of their 1985 album, Done With Mirrors, Pump proved that Aerosmith was still a force to be reckoned with.
Tyler and Perry never lecture about drugs, but they know what it did to them and why they don't do it. Tyler admitted that quitting drugs was the hardest thing he ever did. This struggle is reflected in songs like "Monkey On My Back," a Tyler/Perry composition about drugs.
In 1989, both Tyler and Perry were happy to be clean and sober. This renewed energy and focus contributed to the success of Pump and helped establish Aerosmith as a band that was still relevant and producing hit music.
In an interview with Sounds magazine in the summer of '89, Tyler and Perry discussed the creation of Pump and the importance of Permanent Vacation in revitalizing the band's career. They spoke about how bringing in external writers helped them finish the album under budget and with a strong selection of songs.
The album's polished and slightly more commercial sound, while controversial among some diehard fans, played a key role in establishing Pump as a huge success and reinforcing Aerosmith's revitalized career. The outside songwriters, especially Desmond Child, brought creative input that helped Aerosmith craft hit songs on Pump, contributing to its commercial success and enduring popularity.
Aerosmith's album Pump, released in the summer of 1989, offered a refreshed sound with the inclusion of hit songs like "Love In An Elevator," co-written by Desmond Child. The band's collaboration with outside songwriters, such as Child, Desmond, Knight, and Vallance, injected new ideas and prevented creative stagnation, while also contributing to the commercial success and enduring popularity of the album.
