Writers: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson
Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
Recorded: Early 1993 at Little Mountain Sound Studio in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada
Released: April 1993
| Players: | Steven Tyler — vocals, percussion Joe Perry — guitar, vocals Brad Whitford — guitar Tom Hamilton — bass Joey Kramer — drums |
| Album: | Get A Grip (Geffen, 1993) |
The first single from Aerosmith's Get A Grip album, “Livin' On The Edge” reached Number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It hit Number 19 in the U.K.
The song was inspired by the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of police officers charged in the beating of motorist Rodney King. But frontman Steven Tyler said he also wrote it about his addictive personality, which had resulted in a long-term immersion in heroin. Tyler explained, “I like living on the edge and seeing what's on the other side, but it's a scary place to be.”
“Livin' On The Edge” won a Grammy for best rock performance by a duo or group.
It also won the Viewer's Choice Award at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.
Get A Grip was the first Aerosmith album to debut at Number One on the Billboard 200. The album sold more than seven million copies and remains one of Aerosmith's top sellers.
Get A Grip was a troubled affair, however. Geffen Records executive John Kalodner, who helped engineer Aerosmith's comeback in the '80s, rejected the initial version of the album, much to the group's dismay. After a period of arguing, Aerosmith agreed to return to the studio with producer Bruce Fairbairn at his Little Mountain Sound Studio in Vancouver.