5 Sweetest Facts And Stories Behind ‘Sweet Emotion’

One Of Aerosmith’s Signature Songs

Released in 1975 by Columbia Records for Aerosmith’s third studio album, Toys in the Attic, “Sweet Emotion” kicked off a string of hits that made the band a mainstream success. Here are five interesting facts about it:

1. Written by Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, it expressed Tyler’s frustration with his bandmates.

They were on a downward spiral because of substance abuse. In addition, tension was so thick between Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. There was one incident where Tyler asked Perry and his then-girlfriend Elissa for drugs, and the couple refused to share with him.

2. Hamilton came up with the bass line during a jamming session.

“I smoked a bowl or two and wrote the arrangements, the guitar parts,” Hamilton recalled. “Steven took the intro, turned it around, changed key, and we used it as the tag, the resolution of the song. Brad, Joey, and I went home. Next time we heard ‘Sweet Emotion,’ it had the overdubs, the vocals, and I flipped out. I loved what they did with it.”

3. There’s a hidden message in the song.

The band clapped and chanted. Then, it was played backward. The message was in reference to their manager, Frank Connelly, who received his cancer diagnosis and sold the rights to manage them to Steve Leber and David Krebs. Tyler said that they chanted, “F–k you, Frank” but according to producer Jack Douglas, it was “Thank you, Frank.”

4. The live version featured a rather unconventional instrument.

Instead of a maracas, Tyler used a packet of sugar which he shook into the microphone.

5. Van Halen covered this at their shows during their early days.