"Livin' on the Edge"
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Get a Grip
B-side"Don't Stop", "Can't Stop Messin'"
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1993
Length
  • 6:07 (album version)
  • 6:21 (full version)
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Sweet Emotion (reissue)"
(1991)		 "Livin' on the Edge"
(1993)		 "Eat the Rich"
(1993)
Music video
"Livin' on the Edge" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Strictly limited edition
Strictly limited edition

"Livin' on the Edge" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson. It was released in February 1993 as the first single from the band's commercially successful album Get a Grip. The single reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number three on the Cash Box Top 100, and number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for nine weeks. In the UK, the song peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1993.

Background

According to the band's autobiography Walk This Way, the song was inspired by the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[1] Tyler also mentions in the book that the song features the sound of a bass drum he stole from his high school; four loud beats are heard from that drum in a pause between the final verse and chorus.

Music video

The music video depicts vandalism, grand theft auto, joyriding, airbag crashing, unprotected sex, violence among school-aged youth, cross-dressing teachers, a naked Steven Tyler holding a zipper by his crotch with half his body painted black (to give the effect he pulled down a zipper, unzipping his body) and lead guitarist Joe Perry playing a lead guitar solo in front of an oncoming McCloud River Railroad freight train. The train scene was filmed on Lake Britton Bridge in Shasta County, California, the same bridge where Stand by Me filmed their famous train scene and employs the same Introvision technology. Directed by Marty Callner, the video features actor Edward Furlong.

Reception

"Livin' on the Edge" met with dismissive reactions from music critics. Reviewing Get a Grip for Rolling Stone, Mark Coleman cited "Livin' on the Edge" as an example of the album "playing it safe according to strict late-Eighties directives", and added that it "ascends into a soaring, Bon Jovi-esque power chorale; only the gritty guitars on the bridge keep the damn thing grounded."[2] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly also found the song was uncomfortably derivative of Bon Jovi, remarking that it "might have worked better if it didn’t sound like Bon Jovi trying hard to sound like Aerosmith."[3] Both Browne and Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song's lyrics as a halfhearted, ineffectual attempt at social commentary.[3][4]

The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for the year 1993.[5] The video for the song earned the band a Viewer's Choice award at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. The video was also voted "Best Video" by Metal Edge readers in the magazine's 1993 Readers' Choice Awards.[6]

Live performances

"Livin' on the Edge" has been a staple at Aerosmith concerts ever since its release. During the Get a Grip Tour, the band performed a portion of "She Cried" (a song recorded by Jay and the Americans, among other artists) as the intro to "Livin' on the Edge". Performances often involved Tyler screaming "There ain't no life nowhere" (from the song "I Don't Live Today" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience) and then breathing heavily over a bright light during the brief interlude. "Livin' on the Edge" was performed at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, the 36th Grammy Awards, and at Woodstock '94. Additionally, the band performed the song as part of its set at the United We Stand benefit concert, held in Washington, D.C. shortly after the September 11 attacks.

Track listings

CD single

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Livin' on the Edge" (LP version)Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson6:07
2."Don't Stop"Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance4:05
3."Flesh" (LP version)Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child5:57

US maxi-CD single

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Livin' on the Edge" (LP version)Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson6:07
2."Livin' on the Edge" (acoustic version)Tyler, Perry, Hudson5:46
3."Livin' on the Edge" (demo)Tyler, Perry, Hudson5:11
4."Don't Stop"Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance4:06
5."Can't Stop Messin'"Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child3:30

Strictly limited-edition CD single

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Livin' on the Edge" (LP version)Tyler, Perry, Hudson6:07
2."Livin' on the Edge" (acoustic version)Tyler, Perry, Hudson5:41
3."Can't Stop Messin'" (international release LP version)Tyler, Perry, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw3:21

German CD single

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Livin' on the Edge" (LP version)Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson6:07
2."Don't Stop"Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance4:05
3."Flesh" (LP version)Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child5:57
4."Livin' on the Edge" (acoustic version)Tyler, Perry, Hudson5:41

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States February 23, 1993 Maxi-CD Geffen [7]
Japan March 24, 1993 [27]
United Kingdom March 29, 1993
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [28]

See also

Livin' In the Fridge

References

  1. ↑ "The 20 Songs That Can Represent The Career Of Aerosmith". Society of Rock. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ Coleman, Mark (May 13, 1993). "Get a Grip by Aerosmith – Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Browne, David (April 23, 1993). "Get a Grip Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Get a Grip – Aerosmith > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". Grammy.com. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ Metal Edge, June 1994
  7. 1 2 "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0979." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 16. April 17, 1993. p. 27. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  12. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (21.–27. maí)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). May 19, 1993. p. 27. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge". VG-lista. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 16. April 17, 1993. p. 28. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Aerosmith – Livin' on the Edge". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Cashbox Magazine". Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  25. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Retrieved September 25, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  26. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  27. ↑ "リビング・オン・ジ・エッジ | エアロスミス" [Living on the Edge | Aerosmith] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  28. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. March 27, 1993. p. 27.
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