Aerosmith Music Review

Aerosmith debuted in the early seventies with five members including Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Cramer.  This group quickly became famous though they did not have a major hit until the release of their third album Toys in the Attic in 1975.  By the end of the seventies they had sold millions of records, appeared in the SGT. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Movie, and had several hits including the song “Dream On.”  However, by the early eighties drugs and alcohol had taken their toll, the band lost many fans, and they had to take a hiatus to go through rehab.  In 1985, the band returned to the studio to record Draw the Line, noted as the best album since Rocks, in 1977.  This album placed the band on the road to comeback.  This comeback culminated in the late nineties with the release of the song “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”  This was the band's first number one hit in their twenty-six year career.  Since that time, the band has continued to gain popularity and recently released their 23^rd album (including box sets) called Honkin’ on Bobo.  This album is a classic blues record with songs made famous by artists such as the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, and even a spiritual titled “Jesus is on the Main Line.”

With this final song on the album, we turn our attention to the spiritual aspect of their work.  They do not openly confess to be worshippers of the occult to the best of my knowledge, but references are often made to gypsies, witches, spell casting, fortune telling, angels, the devil, and-- on occasion--to priests.  The majority of these references reflect negatively on the beliefs of Christians, and one song (What Kind of Love are You On) makes reference to "pissing on saints" and "kissing on the devil."  This idea seems foreign to the spiritual on their most recent album, but it seems that they are probably a band that is not afraid to dabble in things of satanic origin.  While they do not seem to find any objection to fortune telling and the like, they also do not appear to cling to these things very closely.  Without further evidence, one may be inclined to conclude that just like many other Americans, they are intrigued by the mystical, but not enough to make it an authoritative part of their lifestyle.

The song “Jesus is On the Main Line” may be an acceptable tune, but do not let it fool you.  The band is anything but Christian.  Nonetheless, there are nuggets of truth in their music such as the songs “Amazing,” “Living on the Edge,” and “Dream On.”  “Amazing” is about the bands struggle to break the addiction to cocaine, but it may be applied to any addiction or sin/struggle that an individual may face.  Another song of this nature was recorded for the album Big Ones, a kind of greatest hits volume two, called “Blind Man.”  “Living on the Edge” speaks about racism and how it is a problem in the world today, and “Dream On,” discusses the pain and struggles that come with aging.  The latter song states that one should “sing for today, maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away.”  While the band is not Christian in affiliation, they do offer a hope found in Jesus.  While they are probably talking about death, one could easily appropriate this language to the day the Jesus will return and bring an end to all of the pain, suffering, and evil that is so apparent in the world today.  Just because Aerosmith may not be a band of Christians, all of their music should not be automatically written off.  They have much to offer from the perspective of a lost sheep, and even when truth is found by the most vile of characters, it still belongs to God and is to be used for His glory.  Where they have done well, let us accept what they have to offer, but let us not look past where they have fallen either.  We should not accept their message as a whole. Many of their songs are unacceptable, and they let any Christian know that we should still be praying for their salvation, along with the salvation of other bands who are in the same place in life as these men.

Note: Below is a list of works that the band has released including the songs that this author believes have something to offer, and the ones that are famous and yet do not.  Before listening to any of the works below, I request that you pray for the Lord to give you ears of discernment so that you may decide what is a gem, and what needs to be thrown back in the mine.  It is not my intention to make anyone stumble, and if you have questions in regard to this matter, please write and let me know.

Discography: Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, Rocks, Draw the Line, Live Bootleg, Night in the Ruts, Greatest Hits, Rock in a Hard Place, Done with Minors, Classics, Classics II, Permanent Vacation, Gems, Pump, Pandora's Box, Get a Grip, Big Ones, A Little South of Sanity, Nine Lives, Just Push Play, Oh Yeah, Honkin' on Bobo.

Songs Worth Listening To: Amazing (about coming off of cocaine, but may be appropriated to anything involving recognition of sin and repentance), Dream On (about the everyday struggles in life, namely growing both older and colder), Living on the Edge (especially helpful in discussing racism and inequality), Never Loved a Girl (heartache), Back Back Train, Jesus is on the Main Line, Angel, Blind Man, Crazy (heartache), Cryin' (heartache), Janie's Got a Gun (sexual abuse), Lightning Strikes (life on the street), Nobody's Fault (fallen state of the world-contains some language), Remember (Walking in the Sand) (heartache), The Other Side (blues), Toys in the Attic, What it Takes (heartache), Write Me a Letter (suicide), Falling Off (life struggles and failure), Once is Enough (learning from past mistakes), Fallen Angels (a non-orthodox view of the problem of evil), Fly Away From Here (beginning again after past mistakes), Theme From Spiderman.

Most of the above songs are written in the framework of an acceptable Christian worldview.  The ones that are not bring up issues about life that are written well from a non-Christian perspective, or accurately describe a significant issue that people deal with in life.

Other Popular Songs that do not hold a Christian Worldview, glorify immorality (including violence, prostitution, sexual experimentation), contain extensive use of fowl language, or contain occult themes, but are considered to be hits, or popular songs from the band include: Back in the Saddle, Deuces are Wild, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees), Just Push Play, Love in an Elevator, Mama Kin, Monkey on My Back, Rag Doll, Same Old Song and Dance, Sweet Emotion, Taste of India, Walk on Down, Walk on Water, Walk this Way, Vodoo Medicine Man, What Kind of Love are You On?, Road Runner, Baby Please Don't Go, eat the Rich, Fall Together, Jaded (both versions), Last Child, Pink (unless married), Make It, The Movie (Instrumental), Flesh (the need for physical touch), Something's Gotta Give, The Farm, Crash, Theme From Wayne's World.

Often times, these are the songs that many listeners believe have the best sound.

Famous Covers from Other Bands: Love Me Two Times, Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu, Helter Skelter, Come Together, and Train Kept Rollin'.

All the other songs in this bands catalogue fall outside of a Christian Worldview, glorify immorality (including violence, rape, prostitution, sexual experimentation), contain extensive use of fowl language, or contain occult themes.  In the opinion of this author, these songs should not be listened to simply for pleasure by individuals claiming to be Christians.