The bad boys of Aerosmith are often referred to as America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band – and for good reason. With over 150 million record sales worldwide, Aerosmith has gone on to influence several other bands over the years, further cementing their impact on the industry. But there was a time lead vocalist Steven Tyler feared for the band’s future and he put all the blame on their song “Angel.”
Recorded in 1987, “Angel” is a power ballad by Tyler himself in collaboration with professional songwriter Desmond Child, who in 2008 was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Child’s other credits include Jon Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Ricky Martin’s Livin’ la Vida Loca,” and Cher’s “We All Sleep Alone,” among many others. What had Tyler so doubtful about “Angel?”
Aerosmith wrote “Angel” after a bumpy road that Steven Tyler feared would only grow rougher
Aerosmith mastered a style of hard rock rooted in blues; indeed, their whole repertoire consisted of various forms of rock, from glam to heavy, flavored further by rhythm and blues. But there was a point where its members needed to figure out who they were, and in this process of self-discovery, they released Done With Mirrors, which was met with a lackluster response.
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So, for the next round, they outsourced and recruited other songwriters who would help them sound fresh while also formulating a solid identity. Desmond Child ended up being one such songwriter, working with Tyler to produce “Angel.”
Hindsight is 20/20 but at the time, producer John Kalodner revealed, “Tyler says that I ruined his career by making him write ‘Angel’ with Desmond.”
Time is the best indicator
Tyler worried that him working with Child on “Angel” would put a grinding stop to his own songwriting work and shove him out of the spotlight for good. Meanwhile, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton just wasn’t a fan of the song on its own merit.
“The song was just too wimpy,” he felt. Others strongly disagreed, he soon realized. “Then when we played it on the road, I had these hardened biker guys saying, ‘Play “Angel.” I love that “Angel,” man. Oh yeah.’ So there goes my argument.”
Music magazine Cashbox would likewise offer high praise of “Angel,” writing, “Steven Tyler recreates the emotional intensity of the classic ‘Dream On.” Following its release, “Angel” rocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the band’s highest-ranking single at that point.
It also opened the door for Aerosmith to try some new things in their songs, straying more from their typical bawdy humor and letting in more vulnerabilities, notes Songfacts. Thanks to the precedent “Angel” set, fans would be treated to “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” and “Amazing.”
Revisit the song that started it all, much to Steven Tyler’s chagrin, in the video below!