I can't believe

[Steph]

Aerosmith performed "Dream On".

Anything you thought you knew forever shock you?


I've heard that song so many times but assumed it was a one-hit wonder band (a thousand apologies to Lixy!!!). Never noticed Tyler's distinctive wail.

Now, of course, I hear the song every day and the announcer always says, "That was 'Dream On' by Aerosmith" whereas I had heard the song a zillion times but no band was announced by the DJ. It was never discussed. It was just a song I know.

To hear it was such a well-known band performing it floored me.

Anyone else just learn a well-known fact recently?

[Oldfart]

Some girls don't.

[sodaklostsoul]

I can't think of anything.

[Irish]

Point of interest-Aerosmith has cancelled,their future perfomances.Stephen
Tyler has to be hospitalised.I don't know what is wrong,with him,only that he
is sick! Irish :(

[scotzoidman]

Steph, "Dream On" was almost Aerosmith's one hit...I remember it came out in '72 or '73 (couldn't get enough of it at the time), & then we heard very little from Steven & the boys until the Toys in the Attic album in late '74-early '75...just another example of someone who almost slipped thru the cracks except for some old-fashioned hard work & determination...

BTW, my #1 son (now in his early 20's) was also flabbergasted to learn that "Dream On" was an Aerosmith hit...if ya listen carefully, you can tell that Tyler's voice not quite as ragged in the beginning...before all the sex&drugs&rock&roll...

[Steph]

That's funny! Someone told me that song was from Toys in the Attic.

LOL @ your son not knowing it either. :)

[Coaster]

Like lixy, I'm a huge fan! They are my all time favorite band.... and have local ties. I've photographed them several times and told Steven the first Aerosmith ticket I bought at a college concert in the 70's was $4.50!
I have a photo I took of him hanging in my office. Yeah and it's funny when our 20something kids wonder how we know the words to these "new" releases!

http://www.aerosmith.com/history.htm

[Winston77]

Dream On - Aerosmith)

Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin' clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay

I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life is in books' written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know it's true
All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for tofay
Mabye tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Dream On, Dream On
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream On, Dream On
Dream until your dream come true
Dream On, Dream On, Dream On...

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Mabye tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

[Winston77]

Songfacts: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.
This was the first single Aerosmith released. Their manager had them share a house and concentrate on writing songs for their first album. Steven Tyler had been working on this on and off for about 6 years, and was able to complete it with the help of the rest of the band.
Aerosmith was their first album. It didn't do so well, mainly because their record company didn't promote it. Columbia records was focused on Bruce Springsteen's first album, and put little effort into promoting this. Aerosmith was in danger of being dropped, but Columbia decided to keep them when they released this as a single and it showed promise, reaching #59 in the US.
Tyler: "It's about the hunger to be somebody: Dream until your dreams come true."
This went to #6 when it was re-released in 1976, after the band had a larger audience.
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry hated this. He thought it was much too soft.
Tyler played the piano on this. It provided an interlude at concerts where he could sit behind a piano instead of running around on stage.
The album was reissued in 1987 and 1993, after their albums Permanent Vacation and Get A Grip exposed them to a new audience who had not heard their early work.
Aerosmith first performed this at the Shaboo Inn in Willimantic, Connecticut. They were paid $175 and a bottle of gin for the show.
Tyler's ex-wife, actress Cyrinda Fox, wrote a book in 1996 called Dream On where she trashed Tyler for paying little child support and doing other bad things. Tyler was not pleased with Fox when the book came out, but they became friends once again when Cyrinda learned she had brain cancer. Tyler paid her medical bills until her death in 2002.
Eminem used this as the basis for his 2002 song "Sing For The Moment." Tyler's vocals were sampled and Perry played guitar on Eminem's track.
This plays over the closing credits of the 2004 movie Miracle, about the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team. In the credits, they explain what has happened to each member of the team since they won the gold medal.
Ronnie James Dio sang this on the album Aerosmith Tribute: Not The Same Old Song & Dance (released September 7, 1999). Yngwie Johann Malmsteen played the guitar part - It's what you'd expect, a million notes per minute. (thanks, Dino - Bandung, Indonesia)

[scotzoidman]

That's funny! Someone told me that song was from Toys in the Attic.

LOL @ your son not knowing it either. :)
"Toys" was the source of "Walk This Way" & "Sweet Emotion", quite a breakthru for the band....BTW, I recently heard the story of how "Walk This Way" was inspired by Marty Feldman's line in "Young Frankenstein"...the band went to see the movie as a break during the recording of the album...

My boy is kinda funny, he tries so hard to impress me with how much he's picked up from me about the rock bands of my youth, but it's hard for him to keep them straight since he wasn't there & has to try to absorb all this history at once...he also plays Name that Artist in the van....he once confused Mellencamp with Rod Stewart, to my chagrin...

[Steph]

he once confused Mellencamp with Rod Stewart, to my chagrin...

What song?

[LixyChick]

*strolls in*

Wait! What?????? Um....*THUD*


OMG Steph! I'm amazed at your revelation! And what you didn't say was if you liked Dream On over the years...as a song from a "one hit wonder" band? Don't even know if you like Aerosmith...do I? Hmmmmmmmmmm!

I sorta felt this way when I learned the words to the Immigrant Song. I only just learned them a few years back when that Viking Kitten vid was going around the net. Before that I usually just mumbled some of the lines and made up the rest...LMFAO!

Oh...and Coaster? SEND ME A PIC OF THE PIC YOU HAVE IN YOUR OFFICE!!!!!!! *blushing*

[jennaflower]

Fantastic Song... sends my mind back to my high school years.... Another example as to why Aerosmith is legendary and will continue to be... I would claim that in many ways Aerosmith was more pivitol in the History of Rock and Roll than The Stones were (are).

[Lion]

Jenna, please name one?

[jennaflower]

Lion...
Name one of what?

a memory...
a particular song...
Or a reason why Aerosmith is more pivotal than the stones?

[scotzoidman]

What song?
I can't recall which song, or even whether it was Cougar-Mellacamp or Rod the Mod doing the song in question...it just blew my mind that 2 singers from (in my mind, anyway) such separate eras would be confused...#1 also has the same problem with Peter Gabriel & Phil Collins, but that's more understandable to me, since they do sound similar & came from the same band...