Something

Album: Music from Another Dimension! (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Guitarist Joe Perry penned this tune and provided lead vocals. The song finds him sneering at people who have him done him bad. "I wrote 'Something' a long time ago, back when there was a whole other batch of people around us: lawyers, managers that I was really pissed off at," he explained to Rolling Stone. "It's a short bit of angst and pissed-off-ness about these people that ripped us off forever. The funny thing is that 20 years later, There's a whole new batch of people I'm pissed off at. The lyrics still work."
  • The band's regular vocalist Stephen Tyler takes over the drums here, bringing back memories for Perry of the first time the pair met in 1970. "When we first started playing together, it was him on drums. I thought it would be perfect to get Steven to play drums on 'Something' because it's such a simple song. Steven played great," the guitarist told Rolling Stone. "It's ironic that our very first meeting together and playing together was that way. We stripped it right down to the basics. I left every mistake on there I could. I tuned the guitar down from an E to a C so that the strings would wang and twang."
  • The song features frequent Aerosmith sideman Paul Santo on keyboards and Perry's friend, Dr. Rudy Tanzi, who is a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, on Hammond organ.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Famous Singers' First Films

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.