Wednesday October 13, 2021 “Janie’s Got a Gun” Aerosmith
So in our rock & roll murder theme, this one let’s you know right from the start that “Janie’s Got A Gun” so co-songwriter and Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has prepared us for a lot of violence and ultimately murder.
Aerosmith defined the ideal image of a hard rock band. They released classic album after classic album while also making headlines with their wild antics and rampant substance abuse. It wasn’t always smooth sailing either; Aerosmith came close to crashing and burning—both literally and figuratively, several times, but they continued to endure and made one of the most remarkable comebacks from near oblivion in rock history.
They’ve sold more than 70 million albums in the US. If we’re talking worldwide sales, that number jumps to more than 150 million, and have won four Grammys including one for today’s song. In 1976, Joe Perry, known with his bandmate Steven Tyler as the “Toxic Twins”, admitted that Aerosmith had turned into “drug addicts dabbling in music rather than musicians dabbling in drugs.” Perry also referred to that time as “the beginning of the end” for Aerosmith.
Actress Alicia Silverstone earned the title of “the Aerosmith chick" appearing in three music videos for their hit singles “Amazing,” “Cryin’,” and “Crazy.” “Crazy” also includes Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv Tyler.
Here’s an unsubstantiated story and one that I have heard about a couple of other artists as well. Tyler wrote a song for their 1975 album Toys in the Attic called “You See Me Crying”. Ten years later he was listening to the radio and was overwhelmed by this great song he heard so he immediately went to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and said that Aerosmith should cover the song.
Perry promptly replied “That’s us, you shithead!” It was “You See Me Crying”.
Stay safe and well...and in the video for “Janie’s Got A Gun”, directed by David Fincher, Janie is portrayed by actress Kristin Dattilo and her parents are played by Nicholas Guest and Lesley Ann Warren.