“Get a Grip”, Aerosmith’s eleventh studio album, released in 1993, became the best-selling Boston bad boy record in the world. It includes several truly hit tracks. One of them was the composition “Livin’ on the Edge”, awarded several prestigious awards. It is called perhaps the band’s best attempt to address social issues in their work, so it’s worth remembering the history of the song’s creation.
When Aerosmith began work on the “Get a Grip” album, artists and repertoire manager John Kalodner suggested that outside writers be brought in to compose new material. One of the guest songwriters was musician Mark Hudson (uncle of actress Kate Hudson), with whom Steven Tyler and Joe Perry co-wrote “Livin’ on the Edge”.
The group was inspired by the riots in Los Angeles that broke out in 1992 after the acquittal of white policemen who beat black Rodney King.
It’s a song about madness taking over the world. About people who put up with racism, cruelty, intolerance, crime and other vices. About their desire to hide behind their own worries and unwillingness to make even the slightest effort to change the situation for the better.
“Livin’ on the Edge” was released as the first single from Get a Grip. The song topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Approximately the same (nineteenth line) were her successes in the UK Singles Chart.
For many years, the composition has remained an obligatory number of Aerosmith’s concert program. The band performed it at the Grammys, Woodstock and the United We Stand charity concert, which took place shortly after the tragic events of 9/11.
In 1993, “Livin’ on the Edge” won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
The controversial music video for “Livin’ on the Edge” contains scenes of vandalism, car theft, teenage violence and the sexual depravity of society. One of the roles in the video, which was directed by Marty Kallner, was played by Edward Furlong, the protagonist of the films Terminator 2 and American History X.
The video won the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards in the Viewers’ Choice nomination. At the same time, he was recognized as the best by the readers of Metal Edge magazine.
Interesting Facts
- The line Then you are a better man than I was borrowed from The Yardbirds. This is the title of their song from the album “Having a Rave Up” (1965).
- According to Tyler, the loud beats that can be heard towards the end of the song were from a drum he stole from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York. Stephen was kicked out of school for drug possession and left with a drum.
Lyrics of Livin’ on the Edge
There’s something wrong with the world today
I don’t know what it is
Something’s wrong with our eyes
We’re seeing things in a different way
And God knows it ain’t his
It sure ain’t no surprise
But I don’t know what exactly
There’s something wrong with our eyes
We see things differently
And God knows it’s not from Him,
Which of course is no wonder We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We live on the edge
We live on the edge
We live on the edge There’s something wrong with the world today
The light bulb’s gettin’ dimmed
There’s a meltdown in the sky
If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister, you’re a better man than I
The light bulb dims
And there’s a disaster in the sky
If you are able to judge the sage
By skin color
Then mister you’re better than me We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We’re livin’ on the edge
We live on the edge
We live on the edge
We live on the edge, livin’ on the edge
You can’t help yourself from fallin’
Living on the edge
You can’t help yourself from fallin’
Living on the edge
You can’t help yourself from fallin’
Living on the edge
You can’t help yourself from fallin’
You can’t avoid falling
We live on the edge
You can’t avoid falling
We live on the edge
You can’t avoid falling
We live on the edge
You can’t avoid falling Tell me what you think about our situation
Complication-aggravation
Is getting to you
If chicken little tells you that the sky is fallin’
Even if it wasn’t would you still come crawling
back again?
I bet you would my friend
Again and again and again and again and again (x2) Tell me what you think of our situation
Complication, aggravation
Gets to you
If an alarmist tells you the sky is falling
Even if it’s not, would you still
crawl again?
I bet yes my friend
Again and again and again and again and again (x2) Something right with the world today
And everybody knows it’s wrong
But we can tell ’em no
Or we could let it go
But I would rather be a hanging on
And everyone knows that it’s not
But we can tell them no
Or allow it
But I’d rather persist
