Dude (Looks Like a Lady)
Encyclopedia
"Dude" is a song by United States
hard rock
band Aerosmith
. It was released as the first of three singles from the Permanent Vacation
album in 1987
. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
, #41 on the Hot Dance Club Play
chart, #4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart, and peaked at #45 on the UK Singles Chart
. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler
, lead guitarist Joe Perry
and songwriter Desmond Child
.
, who is mistaken for a female. Steven Tyler says in the book Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
, "One day we met Mötley Crüe
, and they're all going, 'Dude!' Dude this and Dude that, everything was Dude. 'Dude (Looks Like a Lady)' came out of that session.".
According to an interview with Vince Neil
of Mötley Crüe done for Swedish television, the title of the song originated from a New York bar crawl where Steven Tyler and Vince Neil had drinks at a bar where the waiters were dressed in women's clothes. This, according to Vince Neil, prompted Tyler to comment; "Dude looks like a lady!".
Joe Perry came up with the chorus riff, and Tyler came up with the chorus refrain.
In his recent book, The Heroin Diaries
, Nikki Sixx
of Mötley Crüe claims that the song was specifically inspired by Vince Neil
, singer of Mötley Crüe.
man John Kalodner
dressed up in a wedding dress at one point. This is a joke based on the fact that Kalodner always dresses in white.
There are also some provocative sexual performances, both by lead singer Steven Tyler as well as an attractive female who has her skirt torn off to reveal an Aerosmith "wings" tattoo
on her buttocks
. The video was directed by Marty Callner
.
nominations in 1988 (the first for the band). It was nominated for Best Group Video and Best Stage Performance, but failed to gain the wins. The band made up for it eventually, winning over 10 "moon-men" and 4 Grammys in the 1990s.
The song has been featured on a number of subsequent compilations by Aerosmith including Big Ones
, O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits, Devil's Got a New Disguise
and the live album A Little South of Sanity
.
According to Tyler, this is one of the two Aerosmith songs he is not very fond of performing on stage. The other song is "Angel
".
In 1993, the song was prominently featured in the film Mrs. Doubtfire
, during a montage of the main character bonding with his family in disguise as a woman. The song was also used in the film's TV ads.
The song was also featured in the movie It's Pat
where the title character (played by Julia Sweeney
) sings it at karaoke at their wedding reception. The song fits in with the running joke throughout the film, in reference to Pat's gender confusion.
The song was performed live by the band in the movie Wayne's World 2
and is featured on the soundtrack for the film.
The video for Dude (Looks Like a Lady) is featured on the karaoke game Singstar Vol. 2 for PS3.
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira
sang the song with Steven Tyler on MTV Icons and also included it on the setlist of her Tour of the Mongoose
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
. It was released as the first of three singles from the Permanent Vacation
Permanent Vacation (album)
Permanent Vacation is the ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in August 1987 by Geffen Records.The album marks a turning point in the band's career. It is their first album to employ professional songwriters, instead of featuring material solely composed by members of the...
album in 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #41 on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart, #4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart, and peaked at #45 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, lead guitarist Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
and songwriter Desmond Child
Desmond Child
Desmond Child is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Career:...
.
Lyrical interpretation
The song, which originally started out as "Cruisin' for a Lady", talks about a male with an effeminate appearance, possibly a drag queenDrag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, who is mistaken for a female. Steven Tyler says in the book Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith was written by Stephen Davis, published by HarperCollins and released in October 1997. The book was co-written with the members of Aerosmith themselves. This biography contains the story of the band's life, legends, women, drugs and partying that...
, "One day we met Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, and they're all going, 'Dude!' Dude this and Dude that, everything was Dude. 'Dude (Looks Like a Lady)' came out of that session.".
According to an interview with Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
of Mötley Crüe done for Swedish television, the title of the song originated from a New York bar crawl where Steven Tyler and Vince Neil had drinks at a bar where the waiters were dressed in women's clothes. This, according to Vince Neil, prompted Tyler to comment; "Dude looks like a lady!".
Joe Perry came up with the chorus riff, and Tyler came up with the chorus refrain.
In his recent book, The Heroin Diaries
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star is a book co-written by Nikki Sixx, bassist of the rock band Mötley Crüe, and Ian Gittins. Additional reflections on the period from Sixx and others are interspersed throughout the book. The book also includes many black-and-white...
, Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
of Mötley Crüe claims that the song was specifically inspired by Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
, singer of Mötley Crüe.
Music video
The video for Dude (Looks Like a Lady) features the band performing live onstage as well as random moments of characters portraying transvestites, including a cameo appearance by A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man John Kalodner
John Kalodner
John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive. His achievements included signing Foreigner, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins to Atlantic Records in the seventies....
dressed up in a wedding dress at one point. This is a joke based on the fact that Kalodner always dresses in white.
There are also some provocative sexual performances, both by lead singer Steven Tyler as well as an attractive female who has her skirt torn off to reveal an Aerosmith "wings" tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
on her buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
. The video was directed by Marty Callner
Marty Callner
Marty Callner is a director. His primary work is with music videos. Marty has directed work from such popular artists as Cher, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith and has work recorded back as far as 1977 and as recent as 2009. He has been nominated for 7 Emmys, 3 DGAs, and 1 CableACE Award...
.
Award nominations
"Dude" picked up two MTV Video Music AwardMTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
nominations in 1988 (the first for the band). It was nominated for Best Group Video and Best Stage Performance, but failed to gain the wins. The band made up for it eventually, winning over 10 "moon-men" and 4 Grammys in the 1990s.
Legacy
The song has long been a staple on both rock radio and in concert, as the band has regularly rotated it into their setlists over the years.The song has been featured on a number of subsequent compilations by Aerosmith including Big Ones
Big Ones
Big Ones is one of the many compilation albums by the American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 1, 1994 by Geffen Records...
, O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits, Devil's Got a New Disguise
Devil's Got a New Disguise
Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith is a compilation album by American hard rock band Aerosmith released on October 17, 2006. It has sold more than 265,048 copies to date in the U.S...
and the live album A Little South of Sanity
A Little South of Sanity
-Personnel:*Tom Hamilton – bass*Joey Kramer – drums, percussion*Joe Perry – guitar, backing vocals, talkbox on "Sweet Emotion", pedal steel guitar on "Rag Doll"*Steven Tyler – lead vocals, percussion*Brad Whitford – guitar...
.
According to Tyler, this is one of the two Aerosmith songs he is not very fond of performing on stage. The other song is "Angel
Angel (Aerosmith song)
"Angel" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and professional songwriting collaborator Desmond Child...
".
In 1993, the song was prominently featured in the film Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...
, during a montage of the main character bonding with his family in disguise as a woman. The song was also used in the film's TV ads.
The song was also featured in the movie It's Pat
It's Pat
It's Pat, also known as It's Pat: The Movie, is a 1994 comedy film directed by Adam Bernstein and starring Julia Sweeney, Dave Foley, Charles Rocket, and Kathy Griffin...
where the title character (played by Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney is an American actress, comedian and author best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for her autobiographical solo shows.-Personal life:...
) sings it at karaoke at their wedding reception. The song fits in with the running joke throughout the film, in reference to Pat's gender confusion.
The song was performed live by the band in the movie Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
and is featured on the soundtrack for the film.
The video for Dude (Looks Like a Lady) is featured on the karaoke game Singstar Vol. 2 for PS3.
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
sang the song with Steven Tyler on MTV Icons and also included it on the setlist of her Tour of the Mongoose
Tour of the Mongoose
-Tour Dates:-Broadcast and recordings:The tour was shot in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on April 22, 2003.The tour was chronicled on Live & off the Record. The disc included the concert along with a documentary showing the performer preparing for the show, her song writing process and her ideas about...
.
External links
- [ 'Dude (Looks Like A Lady)' review on Allmusic.com]