"Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first track on Aerosmith's hard rock album '' Rocks'' released in 1976. The song was also released as the third single from the album in 1977. It peaked at #38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

The song's main riff was written by Joe Perry on a

Fender Bass VI The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass guitar made by Fender. Design concept and history The Fender VI was released in 1961 and followed the concept of the Danelectro six-string bass released in 195 ...

, which gives the song its distinctive "growl".

Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...

plays the lead guitar part. "Back in the Saddle" also features one of the heaviest and most noticeable bass lines by Tom Hamilton. The song is also notable for the slow buildup of the drum beat and guitar riff in the beginning of the song, as well as the sound effects of a galloping horse and whips, and screams and yodeling by Steven Tyler at the end of the song. A real bullwhip was intended to be used for the whip effects and hours were spent trying to get it to crack. The band members ended up cut up and hurt without making any progress. Eventually, the band decided the whip effects would be created by whirling a 30-foot cord from the studio, then by firing a cap gun to create the crack of the whip (the sound effects are more prominent in the

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mix of the album (Columbia CAQ 34165)). When the song is performed in concert, Tyler often makes more noticeable lyrical and visible references to sex. Although the lyrics, by Tyler, were written with the simple idea of cowboys and sex, this song took on new meaning after Aerosmith reunited in 1984 and embarked on their

Back in the Saddle Tour The Back in the Saddle Tour was a comeback concert tour by American rock group Aerosmith, which had been relatively inactive for several years. The tour began on June 22, 1984, in Concord, New Hampshire and ended on January 18, 1985, in Columbus, ...

. Today, the song remains a staple on classic rock radio and in concert. It is arguably one of the heaviest songs of Aerosmith's

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

singles, and is cited by rock musicians Slash and James Hetfield as among their favorite rock songs. The "saddle" Tyler refers to in the song is metaphorical to several sexual positions.

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that "many rhythmic changes, a great bass line and many devoted fans should carry this one in the same direction as '

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

'."

Cover versions

Sebastian Bach Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and ha ...

covered the song on his 2007 solo album '' Angel Down'' as a duet with Guns N' Roses frontman

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...

. Mark Slaughter,

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...

and

Frankie Banali Frankie Banali (November 14, 1951 – August 20, 2020) was an American rock drummer, most widely known for his work with heavy metal band Quiet Riot. His signature tone and iconic drum intros first became famous on their album ''Metal Health' ...

covered the song for the Aerosmith tribute album ''Not the Same Old Song and Dance'' (Eagle Records, 1999). Additional guitars were by the album's producers, Bob Kulick and Bruce Bouillet. In 2014

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles " I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in t ...

covered this song for the soundtrack for the film ''Need for Speed''.

In other media

*The song was used in the opening titles of

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races on

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from 2007 to 2008. *In February 2009, Minority Whip

Eric Cantor Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Minori ...

(R-VA) used Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" to boast in an ad that "The House GOP is back" due to the party's unanimous opposition in the house to the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the Gr ...

. After Stage Three Music, which owns the rights to the song, asserted the use as copyright infringement, Cantor was forced to take down the ad. Aerosmith also did not approve of its use and also wanted it taken down.Schor, Elana. "Aerosmith to House GOP: Don't Use Our Song". ''Talking Points Memo'', February 17, 2009
available online.
/ref> *The song was used in the trailer for the 2010 action film ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1976 songs 1977 singles Aerosmith songs Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Songs written by Joe Perry (musician) Songs written by Steven Tyler American heavy metal songs