"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, Pump, released in September.[1] It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[8] The RIAA certified it gold.[9]
| "Love in an Elevator" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Original single artwork by Mark Ryden
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| SinglebyAerosmith | ||||
| from the album Pump | ||||
| B-side | "Young Lust", "Ain't Enough" | |||
| Released | August 15, 1989 (1989-08-15)[1][2] | |||
| Recorded | April–June 1989 | |||
| Studio | Little Mountain Sound (Vancouver)[3] | |||
| Genre |
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| Length |
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| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Bruce Fairbairn[3] | |||
| Aerosmith singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Love In An Elevator"onYouTube | ||||
According to Tyler, the song was based on an actual experience where he was making out with a woman in an elevator and the doors opened.[10] Tyler said that "It felt like a lifetime waiting for those doors to close."[10]
"Love in an Elevator", like the other tracks on Pump, was recorded some time in April to June 1989 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The song was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and was engineered by Mike Fraser with Ken Lomas as second engineer, and in addition to Aerosmith – Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitars, backing vocals), Brad Whitford (guitars, backing vocals), Tom Hamilton (bass, backing vocals), and Joey Kramer (drums) – were Bob Dowd (backing vocals), Bruce Fairbairn (backing vocals), and Catherine Epps (elevator operator).[3]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love in an Elevator" | Joe Perry, Steven Tyler |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Young Lust" | Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love in an Elevator" (Edit) | Perry, Tyler | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Ain't Enough" | Perry, Tyler | 5:03 |
| 3. | "Young Lust" (LP Version) | Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance | 4:22 |
The music video for "Love in an Elevator" was directed by Marty Callner.[11] At the beginning of the video, Aerosmith are walking through a fancy department store. An elevator operator (played by former Playboy model Brandi Brandt) suggestively asks Tyler if he is "going down". Tyler leaps into the elevator before the band begins playing the song onstage (with several flash cuts to scenes in the department store).[12][13]
The song received a Grammy Award nomination in 1990 for Best Hard Rock Performance, but lost out to Living Colour.
The song has consistently been a staple in the band's setlist on almost every tour they have performed since the song's release. It is a fan favorite and is well known among mainstream audiences.
In concert, Tyler often changes the lyrics to those that are more controversial and profanity-laden; on a version of the song featured on the live album A Little South of Sanity, culled from the band's tours in the 1990s, listeners can hear Tyler say "jackin' in the elevator" and "lick your funky ass" (or "fucking ass") instead of "kiss your sassafras".
A portion of the song plays within the ride sequence of Walt Disney World's Rock 'n Roller Coaster ride, which features different Aerosmith songs on each of its ride vehicles. The lyrics for the Disney World version were specially revised to say "love on a roller coaster" at the end of the ride.
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Click on individual song pages for dates.
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