In addition to being one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s, it also helped resurrect their career and revolutionized the new hybrid sub-musical genre of "rock and rap", or the molding of rock and hip hop music when it was re-made in 1986 with rappers Run-D.M.C. on their album Raising Hell. It became an international hit and won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single in 1987.
The song was covered by UK girl groups Sugababes and Girls Aloud as the official Comic Relief single in 2007.
Song information
The song starts out with the famous two measure drum beat intro by Joey Kramer, followed up the equally famous guitar riff by Joe Perry. The song then goes into the verse, with a steady drum beat and bassline by Tom Hamilton forming as the backbeat, with dueling guitars by Joe Perry and Brad Whitford.
The lyrics, which tell the story of a high school boy losing his virginity, are sung quite fast by Steven Tyler, with heavy emphasis being placed on the rhyming lyrics (e.g., "so I took a big chance at the high school dance"). This rap-style delivery -- which may explain why the song worked so well as a rap song when it was re-made 11 years later -- was ahead of its time.
Between the elaborately detailed verses, the chorus primarily consists of a repetition of "Walk this way, talk this way". In collaborations, the other singer often says "talk this way" every alternate line of the chorus. Live in concert, Steven Tyler often has the audience, combined with members of the band, sing "talk this way". There is also a lengthy guitar solo at the end of the song, and in concert, Steven Tyler will often harmonize his voice to mimic the sounds of the guitar.
In the Run-D.M.C. cover, the turntable is added in to reflect the additional hip hop influence on the record.
While the band were working on Toys in the Attic, having written the music for the song but having difficulty coming up with lyrics for it, they decided to take a break and see Young Frankenstein, where the "Walk This Way" gag, by legendary British comedian Marty Feldman, provided the basis (or phrase) for the lyrics.
While the Run-DMC cover is nearly identical to the original version of the song, the Girls Aloud/Sugababes cover has a few changes tweaked into the song; the additional line "Walk this way, you wanna talk this way" is added, the vocoder is added, the lyrics are moved around, and the beat is slightly sped up to add a further dance pop influence to the song.
Both versions of the song (the original Aerosmith version and the second Aerosmith/Run-DMC remake version) appear on various Aerosmith compilations as well as Run-DMC albums
Legacy
"Walk This Way" was one of two hit singles by the band to hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1970s, the other one being a re-release of "Dream On". "Walk This Way", though, helped "Toys in the Attic" to be the bestselling Aerosmith album, and one of the most critically acclaimed. Aerosmith's version of "Walk This Way" often competes with "Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On" for the title of Aerosmith's signature song, being one of the band's most important, influential, and recognizable songs. The band almost never omits it from their concert setlist, still performing their classic version of the song to this day. The song has also long been a staple of rock radio, garnering regular airplay on classic rock, mainstream rock, and album-oriented rock radio stations. In 2009, it was named the 8th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Run-D.M.C. version
In 1986, the hip hop group Run-D.M.C. performed a cover of "Walk This Way" with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry guesting on vocals and guitars. While working on Raising Hell, Rick Rubin pulled out Toys in the Attic (an album they freestyled over) and explained who Aerosmith were. While Run and DMC had no idea who Aerosmith were at that time, Jam Master Jay suggested remaking the song. Both Run and DMC did not like the idea. Later, however, they covered the song with Aerosmith. DMC later called it "a beautiful song" in a trailer for Guitar Hero. The 1986 version of the song is often credited as helping break rap into mainstream popular music as it was the first rap song to hit the Top 5 in The Billboard Hot 100, and the remake demonstrated how elements of rap music can be part of rock and pop songs, harking back to the DJing of Afrika Bambaataa, who would mix in tracks by the likes of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Grand Funk Railroad among the more usual funk breaks. It also briefly samples the opening drum intro of the original in a middle section of the song. This version of "Walk This Way" charted higher on the Hot 100 than the original version, peaking at #4. It was also one of the first big rap singles in the UK, reaching a peak of #8 there. The landmark collaboration catapulted Run-D.M.C. into mainstream stardom and would influence rap music for years to come. The song paved the way for other pop acts to introduce elements of hip hop into their music. It pioneered the trend of rap/sung collaborations that is so present on American Radio in the late 1990s and 2000s. The collaboration also introduced a fusion of rock and hip hop, later known as rap rock, to a wide audience for the first time. The song also marked a major comeback for Aerosmith, as they had been largely out of mainstream pop culture for several years while recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, and their 1985 comeback album Done with Mirrors, flopped. Aerosmith followed up "Walk This Way" with a string of multi-platinum albums and Top 40 hits, starting with the album Permanent Vacation and single "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" in 1987. In 2008, "Walk This Way" was ranked number 4 on VH1's 100 greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Music video
The 1986 music video for "Walk This Way" symbolically placed Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. in a musical duel in neighboring studios before Tyler literally breaks through the wall that separates them. The video then segues to the bands' joint performance on stage. The highly popular video was the first rap hybrid video ever played in heavy rotation on MTV and is regarded as a classic of the medium.
It is to be noticed that, aside from Steve Tyler and Perry, none of the other rock musicians in the video are the Aerosmith members; instead, they were played by Roger Lane, J. D. Malo and Matt Stelutto - respectively rhythm guitarist, bassist and drummer for the largely unknown hair metal outfit Smashed Gladys.
Walk This Way
Run DMC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's always undercover
And I talk 'til my daddy say
Said, "you ain't seen, nothin'
'Til you're down on the muffin
And there's sure to be a change in ways"
Now there's a cheerleader
That's a real big pleaser
And the best thing of loving
Was her sister and her cousin
And it started with a little kiss, like this
See-saw swingin'
With the boys in school
And her feet was flyin' up in the air
Singin', "Hey diddle diddle with a kitty in the middle"
And they swingin' like it just don't care
So I took a big chance
At the high school dance
With a lady who was ready to play
It wasn't me she was foolin'
'Cause she knew what was she was doin'
When she told me how to walk this way
She told me to
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
She told me to
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Well, just gimme a kiss!
Ooh, a-like this!
School girl sleazy
With a classy kind of sassy
Little skirt hangin' way up her knee
There were three young ladies
In the school gym locker
And they find they were lookin' at D
I was high school loser
Never made it with a lady
'Til the boys told me somethin' I missed
That my next door neighbor
Had a daughter, had a favor
And I gave the girl a little kiss, like this
See-saw swingin'
With the boys in school
With your feet was flyin' up in the air
Singin', "Hey diddle diddle with a kitty in the middle"
I was swingin' like I didn't care
So I took a big chance
At the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
It wasn't me she was foolin'
When she knew what was she was doin'
When she told me how to walk this way
She told me to
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
She told me to
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Walk this way!
Talk this way!
Like this
The lyrics to "Walk This Way" by Run DMC start off with a description of a hidden lover who is always undercover. The singer then suggests that the listener hasn't experienced anything yet until they've "been down on the muffin", which is a suggestive reference to oral sex. The singer then describes a cheerleader who is "a real big pleaser" and reminisces about the joys of loving her sister and cousin. The lyrics move on to talk about a high school dance where the singer takes a chance on a girl who is ready to play. The girl teaches him how to walk and talk in a certain way, which the singer repeats throughout the song.
Overall, the lyrics of "Walk This Way" are about teenage desire and rebellion. The song takes a rebellious tone by using suggestive language and themes of sexuality to express the wildness and excitement of youth. The reference to the popular and classic nursery rhyme, "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle" adds a playful quality to the song. The chorus urges the listener to follow the woman's lead by walking and talking in a certain way. This suggests that the woman is confident and self-assured, and the singer aspires to emulate her confidence.
Line by Line Meaning
Now there's a backseat, lover
There's a person hiding their relationship, usually in a car
That's always undercover
They are keeping their relationship a secret
And I talk 'til my daddy say
I talk a lot to my father
Said, 'you ain't seen, nothin'
My father thinks I am naive
'Til you're down on the muffin
You haven't experienced anything until you've had sex
And there's sure to be a change in ways
The experience will change you somehow
Now there's a cheerleader
There's a girl who cheers for a team
That's a real big pleaser
She's very good at pleasing people
As far as I can reminisce
As far as I can remember
And the best thing of loving
The best part of sex
Was her sister and her cousin
The girl had attractive relatives
And it started with a little kiss, like this
The whole thing started with just a small act of intimacy
See-saw swingin'
They were playing on a seesaw
With the boys in school
They were playing with other kids at school
And her feet was flyin' up in the air
She was enjoying herself and jumping high on the seesaw
Singin', 'Hey diddle diddle with a kitty in the middle'
She was singing a silly song while playing
And they swingin' like it just don't care
They were having fun and not worrying about anything else
So I took a big chance
I took a risk
At the high school dance
At a dance in high school
With a lady who was ready to play
With a girl who wanted to have fun
It wasn't me she was foolin'
She wasn't tricking me
Cause she knew what was she was doin'
She was in control of the situation
When she told me how to walk this way
When she showed me how to be confident and cool
She told me to
She advised me to
Walk this way!
To walk with confidence and style
Talk this way!
To speak in a confident and cool manner
Well, just gimme a kiss!
Just give me a little kiss
Ooh, a-like this!
Like this, with passion and energy
School girl sleazy
A suggestive and scandalous schoolgirl
With a classy kind of sassy
With a confident and alluring attitude
Little skirt hangin' way up her knee
Her skirt was very short
There were three young ladies
There were three girls
In the school gym locker
In the school gym changing room
And they find they were lookin' at D
They were checking out me or my partner
I was high school loser
I wasn't successful in high school
Never made it with a lady
I never had sex with a girl in high school
'Til the boys told me somethin' I missed
My friends informed me of something I didn't know about girls
That my next door neighbor
My neighbor who lived next door
Had a daughter, had a favor
Had a daughter who was willing to do something
And I gave the girl a little kiss, like this
I initiated intimacy with the girl
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Joe Perry, Steven Tyler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nwilliams4714
One of the best collaborations of all time. They made each other’s music more relevant.
@michaelvaughn1707
This reminds me of Public Enemy and Anthrax collab 🤎💯💥👍
@Connect2discxnnect
@@michaelvaughn1707 /r/whoosh
@whatever85x
love when art is popping off in a great way
@LMH61
agreed, I wouldnt be interested in either of these groups if not for this collab!
@Ecthelion1967
It is on the same standard as the KLF.
@juanjots
The metaphor in this video is epic. Rock and Hip-hop/Rap breaking the barrier that separates them!
@poloauz3446
I never realized that
@quasidiem99
The barrier has always been imaginary because everyone I knew in the 80s liked RUN DMC and Aerosmith, even before this song came out.
@noirfiddle7284
Much like Hip Hop was thirty years ago. Rock was invented by blacks and was criticized as not being "real" music. This was a legendary moment in music history. It reignited Aerosmith's career.