Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)
Encyclopedia
"Falling in Love" is a song performed by American hard rock
band Aerosmith
. It was written by Steven Tyler
, Joe Perry
and record producer/writer Glen Ballard
. Glen Ballard had originally been the producer and a songwriting collaborator for the Nine Lives
album, but was replaced by Kevin Shirley
halfway through the recording process of Nine Lives.
. The song is primarily a rocking number, yet maintains the mainstream appeal found in the former Get a Grip singles. The horns arrangements were written by Steven Tyler and David Campbell.
Lead singer Steven Tyler
got the inspiration for the title off a bumper sticker he saw a few years previously. The line "But you like the way I hold the microphone" was a reference to an almost identical line in The Rolling Stones
' 1965 song "The Spider and the Fly
".
, and had a surreal landscape described as "12 Monkeys meets Brazil
", which was meant to parody grunge
videos. Many supermodels, such as Angie Everhart
, are featured dressed as nurses, dominatrices
and princesses. http://books.google.com/books?id=I4irI6O3Ko8C&pg=RA1-PA54
, #1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (where it remained for five weeks), #2 in Canada
, #22 on the UK Singles Chart
, and #46 in Australia
.
by the RIAA
for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the U.S. This is the band's third gold single.
The video for the song won the band a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
in 1997.
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 written by 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...
, 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 record producer/writer Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
. Glen Ballard had originally been the producer and a songwriting collaborator for the Nine Lives
Nine Lives (Aerosmith album)
-Bonus track :-Bonus tracks :-Bonus tracks :-Bonus tracks :-Artwork:...
album, but was replaced by Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley is a music producer and mixer for many artists, such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Marya Roxx, Dream Theater, Tyler Bryant, Mr. Big, and Europe.-Biography:...
halfway through the recording process of Nine Lives.
Overview
"Falling in Love" was released as the first major single from Nine Lives in 19971997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
. The song is primarily a rocking number, yet maintains the mainstream appeal found in the former Get a Grip singles. The horns arrangements were written by Steven Tyler and David Campbell.
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...
got the inspiration for the title off a bumper sticker he saw a few years previously. The line "But you like the way I hold the microphone" was a reference to an almost identical line in The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' 1965 song "The Spider and the Fly
The Spider and the Fly (song)
"The Spider and the Fly" is a song by British rock and roll band The Rolling Stones first released on the US version of their 1965 album Out of Our Heads. In the UK it was released as the B side to " Satisfaction"....
".
Music video
A music video was produced to promote the single. The video was directed by Michael BayMichael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
, and had a surreal landscape described as "12 Monkeys meets Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
", which was meant to parody grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
videos. Many supermodels, such as Angie Everhart
Angie Everhart
Angela Kay "Angie" Everhart is an American actress and former fashion model.-Early life:Everhart was born in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of homemaker Ginnie and engineer Bob Everhart. The first of three children, she has a younger brother and a younger sister...
, are featured dressed as nurses, dominatrices
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
and princesses. http://books.google.com/books?id=I4irI6O3Ko8C&pg=RA1-PA54
Charts
The song was a popular radio hit around the world, reaching #35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, #1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (where it remained for five weeks), #2 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, #22 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 ...
, and #46 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. 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... |
35 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
29 |
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
46 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 35 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 7 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
40 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 22 |
| 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 ... |
22 |
Awards
The single was certified goldRIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the U.S. This is the band's third gold single.
The video for the song won the band a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and...
in 1997.