"Get It Up" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

. Written by lead singer

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...

and guitarist Joe Perry, the song features Karen Lawrence, singer of the band L.A. Jets, on the chorus. It was released in 1978 as the third and final single from their album '' Draw the Line''. The single also included "Milk Cow Blues" as a B-side. The single failed to break into the singles chart. The guitar is noted for its usage of

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

. The single had a reference to the next track on the album, "Bright Light Fright". The song was played occasionally by the band during the Aerosmith Express Tour from 1977 to 1978 in support of the ''Draw the Line'' album.

Critical reception

In a 1979 issue of ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', Aerosmith's then-manager David Krebs commented on the state of the band's commercial performance, saying "...the essence of Aerosmith's lyrics...has always been a positive, macho sexuality...''Draw the Line'' wasn't like that. You know the song 'Get It Up'? The lyrics really say "'Can't get it up.' Kids who are stoned and having sexual relationships don't want to hear 'Can't get it up.'" ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' stated that "Aerosmith's power charged heavy metal sound works well here." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "the dominating guitar work slides and grinds," and that the song has a "good

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

." In a retrospective review for

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

, Sterling Whitaker cited the song as an example of a ''Draw the Line'' track that "should-have-been-great-but-not-quite", saying that it "featured important elements of the classic Aerosmith sound, but somehow didn't catch fire." Biographer Richard Bienstock called it a "limp funk workout".

References

{{authority control Aerosmith songs American funk songs 1978 singles Songs written by Steven Tyler Songs written by Joe Perry (musician) Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Columbia Records singles 1977 songs American rock songs