"Janie's Got a Gun" is a song by American
rock band
Aerosmith and written by
Steven Tyler and
Tom Hamilton. The song was released as the second single from ''
Pump'' in 1989, peaking at number four on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the ''Billboard''
Album Rock Tracks chart in 1990. In Australia, the song reached number one, becoming Aerosmith's first of two number-one singles there. It also reached number two in Canada, number 12 in Sweden, and number 13 in New Zealand.
The song describes a young woman planning her revenge for childhood abuse. It won the band a 1990
.
Song structure
On the album, "Janie's Got a Gun" is preceded by a 10-second instrumental called "Water Song", which features the work of instrumentalist
Randy Raine-Reusch, who uses a
glass harmonica
The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instrument that uses a ...
,
wind gong
A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and S ...
, and
bullroarer
The bullroarer, ''rhombus'', or ''turndun'', is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string, which when swung in a large circle ...
s to produce the special effects heard at the start of the song.
Background and writing
Tyler came up with the main riff using a low-tone setting on his keyboard. Hamilton created the bassline.
The guitars and drum parts were configured later and Tyler wrote the lyrics.
[ The guitar solo, by Joe Perry, is accompanied by the main riff and rhythmic clapping. The song also uses the Slap Bass instrument patch from the ]Korg M1
The Korg M1 is a synthesizer and music workstation manufactured by Korg from 1988 to 1995. According to ''Sound on Sound'', it is one of the bestselling synthesizers, selling an estimated 250,000 units.
Development
Korg's chief engineer, Junic ...
. In a 1994 interview with ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', Tyler described the origin of the song:
:
The singer declared, "I got really angry that nobody was paying homage to those who were abused by mom and dad." The line "He jacked a little bitty baby" was originally "He rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
d a little bitty baby," but Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
A&R executive John Kalodner argued that the band should change it, explaining that he felt the song had the potential to be a hit and was certain it would not get played on commercial radio with the word "rape" in it.[ Tyler often sings the original line when performing live. In addition, the line "...and put a bullet in his brain" changed to "...she left him in the pouring rain" for the radio version.
]
Music video
The music video was directed by David Fincher.Kristin Dattilo
Kristin Dattilo (born November 30, 1970) is an American television actress, known for playing manager Yola Gaylen on '' The Chris Isaak Show'' from 2001 to 2004 and detective Barbara Gianna in season 3 of ''Dexter''.
Early life
Dattilo was b ...
. Her parents are played by Nicholas Guest
Nicholas Haden-Guest (born May 5, 1951), known as Nicholas Guest, is an American actor who has appeared in various movie and television roles, including that of headmaster Patrick James Elliot in the teen sitcom ''USA High''. Since 2000, he has p ...
and Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946) is an American actress and singer.
She made her Broadway debut in 1963, aged 17, in '' 110 in the Shade''. In 1965 she received wide recognition for playing the title role in the television musical prod ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1980s ballads
1989 singles
1989 songs
Aerosmith songs
Geffen Records singles
Glam metal ballads
Hard rock ballads
Murder ballads
Music videos directed by David Fincher
Number-one singles in Australia
Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Songs about child abuse
Songs written by Steven Tyler
Songs written by Tom Hamilton (musician)
Glam metal songs