Walk This Way
Posted 4/27/2008 @ 12:46:00 PM by aerosmithrock.com
Walk This Way is one of Aerosmith's most successful and covered singles. Released as the headline song of their 1975 Toys in the Attic, it helped the band break into popularity. Their remix in 1986 with the rapper Run DMC helped to reignite interest in the band around the world, winning a Best Rap Song award from Soul Train. The song had somewhat humorous roots, as Joe Perry and Steve Tyler had drawn inspiration for the tune from the Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein. Despite its light roots, the song's underlying anti-authority message mixed with prurient references appealed to their audience - later bridging the cultural divide in the landmark remix. It's hard to imagine Steve Tyler as a "high school loser" but he manages to pull off the story in the narrative of the song. His rapid delivery of the lines and his paper-thin double entendres ensured that the song could get played on radio and television without incurring the wrath of the morality brigade. It's a clever strategy, as in order for a censor to get angry about a line like "with your kitty in the middle of the swing" would involve admitting that they understood what it meant. This paean to youthful sexuality probably would not have flown in today's society obsessed with teenage pregnancy and perpetual frenzy surrounding pederasty in the commentariat. The Thong Song, while crude, is not nearly as explicit a track as Walk This Way, which is a four minute unbroken celebration of male promiscuity, while the former could theoretically simply be about someone shopping in an underwear store. |
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