How 'Young Frankenstein' inspired a classic Aerosmith song

Whether it be hedonistic classic rock anthems or chart-topping number-one ballads, Aerosmith have covered many bases in their time. Led by the ‘Toxic Twins’ of frontman Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, in their heyday, the group were considered an American equivalent to The Rolling Stones, imbuing their music with a tangible sense of swagger.

The Boston quintet have enjoyed such an extensive career that it is not just their singles that rank amongst their very best efforts. Steven Tyler once outlined this when discussing the “highlights” of his career. He counts one of them as ‘Nobody’s Fault’ from 1976’s Rocks, a song noted for being a more heavy metal-oriented track than most of their others.

Discussing the number in his 2004 memoir, Does The Noise in My Head Bother You, Tyler recalled: “‘Nobody’s Fault’ from that album is one of the highlights of my creative career. I told Joe to turn his amp volume to 12 and the volume on his guitar off. When [Whitford and Perry] played together, rolling the volume knob up with their pinkies, the band came in on a crashing E chord like Hitler was at the door. I looked over, and [producer] Jack Douglas was internally haemorrhaging with bliss.”

Whilst fan favourites such as ‘Nobody’s Fault’ will forever be considered amongst the best Aerosmith songs, it is another much more well-known release that sums up the band’s essence when they were at their peak: ‘Walk This Way’, taken from 1975’s Toys in the Attic. Featuring one of Joe Perry’s ultimate riffs and Steven Tyler at his best in the vocal booth, the song is so infectious that even hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC enlisted Tyler and Perry for a cover.

Tyler explained the “filthy” nature of the original track to Songfacts in 2012. He said: “‘Walk This Way’ came out all at once. If you listen to the words, they’re all really filthy. If you listen closely you’ll hear that I disguised it quite cleverly.”

Although there are many memorable aspects of ‘Walk This Way’, one of the most fascinating is the unusual place from where the band took inspiration for the central refrain and title. This was a scene in Mel Brooks’ 1974 comedy horror, Young Frankenstein, one of the director’s best-known movies, starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle.

In early 1975, Aerosmith decided to take a break from recording Toys in the Attic at the Record Plant in New York City. About halfway through the process, they were struggling to pen more material for the album, meaning they wrote new songs in the studio. To alleviate the situation, the group decided to try a composition that Joe Perry had conceived in Hawaii the previous December.

However, the idea didn’t have lyrics or a title. Embarking on their well-deserved break from recording, Aerosmith and producer Jack Douglas went to a cinema in Times Square to watch Mel Brooks’ latest release, Young Frankenstein. Reportedly, the group loved the movie immensely and were particularly beside themselves laughing at the scene where Igor, Marty Feldman’s character, instructs Gene Wilder’s Frankenstein to follow him, saying, “walk this way”, but limped around in a reflection of Brooks’ absurd style of comedy.

Douglas thought the line would be perfect for Perry’s song. However, Tyler had not written any words for it. Fittingly, after a farce of their own in which the frontman forgot his lyrics sheet in a taxi, the scene in Young Frankenstein made such a mark that it eventually combined perfectly with the music to give Aerosmith one of their ultimate anthems.

Listen to ‘Walk This Way’ below.