Aerosmith Achieves No. 1 Single 25 Years Ago with ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’
via Rafael Romero / YouTube
After 25 years in the music industry, Aerosmith achieved a long-awaited milestone by reaching the coveted No. 1 spot on the charts. On September 5, 1998, they dethroned Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” with their hit single “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”
What makes this achievement particularly ironic is that Aerosmith didn’t even write the song themselves. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was penned by the renowned hitmaker Diane Warren, who has also written chart-toppers for artists like Celine Dion and Michael Bolton.
The song made its debut as part of the soundtrack for the summer blockbuster film “Armageddon.”
Guitarist Joe Perry, during a hiatus in the early 2000s, expressed some frustration with the process. He shared his thoughts with the Boston Herald, saying:
“I don’t mind using outside songwriters, but I’d still like to see an Aerosmith where the core of the music comes from the guys in the band.”
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Despite these feelings, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” remains Aerosmith’s only No. 1 single.
The “Armageddon” soundtrack featured not only this chart-topping hit but also three other Aerosmith songs: “Sweet Emotion,” their rendition of the Beatles’ “Come Together,” and an outtake from the “Nine Lives” sessions titled “What Kind of Love Are You On.” Notably, the film starred Liv Tyler, the daughter of Aerosmith’s frontman, Steven Tyler.
Tyler recalled the surprise the band felt when they learned about the opportunity.
He shared:
“The magic of [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer calling me up and saying, ‘We’re doing a movie called ‘Armageddon.’ Your daughter is in it. And I want four Aerosmith songs, plus the one you did with Diane Warren.'”
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” held its No. 1 position for four weeks and even received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. While it didn’t secure the Academy Award, it did win the MTV Movie Award for the Best Song from a Movie.
Prior to this achievement, Aerosmith had cracked the Top 10 on six other occasions, but their first No. 1 single was a surprise. Tyler reflected on the moment, saying:
“It was a shock, not because we had our first No. 1, but because it was our only No. 1. I thought that [of] all those other Aerosmith songs, at least one or two did.”
Listen to the song below:
