When was walk this way written

Forty years ago this December, Aerosmith's lead guitarist Joe Perry and singer Steven Tyler began collaborating on a song that would become a top hit twice—establishing the band's national identity in the '70s and helping to erase the cultural divide between rock and rap in the '80s. Ten years later, when Messrs. Tyler and Perry teamed with rap group Run-D. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service.

The song in question, "Walk This Way," was recorded during the sessions for the band's third album, 's Toys in the Attic. According to singer Steven Tyler , the tune's undeniable groove grew out of some pre-show goofing around between himself, drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Joe Perry. Our drummer Joey Kramer played with a funk band and was always pushing James Brown. He brought funk to the table.

And Joe picked up on it and brought that 'Walk This Way' lick. But I would scat, and then write the lyrics in after. I wrote them on the hallway wall. By the mids, Aerosmith were a shadow of their former self.

And then the DJ would cut it back to the start of the beat. But he persuaded me and Jay to sit down and listen to the lyrics, so we put the needle on the record. We had this big argument. The meeting of the two worlds — and their assumptions about one another immediately grew clear. The iconic beats of the song were familiar to everyone involved although the members of Aerosmith still argue about who came up with it.

In a literal shattering of the wall between the two genres, the accompanying music video starts out showing the two bands on opposite sides of a wall before Tyler punches a hole to break down the barrier — and ends with the bands united on stage.

It became so popular on MTV that it was shown twice an hour. The success propelled Run-DMC into mainstream popularity the album Raising Hell with the track on it went three times platinum and gave Aerosmith the boost they needed to jumpstart their career their album Permanent Vacation sold 10 times as many copies as its predecessor.

But more importantly, it opened the doors for hip-hop and rap music to become part of mainstream American culture. And all that came from the foresight of a young producer still living in his dorm room. Anybody can do that. What Rick wanted was a specific kind of rock.