Get It Up (Aerosmith song) explained

Get It Up
Cover:Get It Up cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Aerosmith
Album:Draw the Line
B-Side:Milk Cow Blues
Released:April 6, 1978
Recorded:1978
Genre:Funk, rock
Length:4:02
Label:Columbia
Producer:Jack Douglas
Prev Title:Kings and Queens
Prev Year:1978
Next Title:Come Together
Next Year:1978

"Get It Up" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler 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. 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, 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.'"[1] Billboard Magazine stated that "Aerosmith's power charged heavy metal sound works well here."[2] Cash Box said that "the dominating guitar work slides and grinds," and that the song has a "good hook."[3] In a retrospective review for Ultimate Classic Rock, 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."[4] Biographer Richard Bienstock called it a "limp funk workout".[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rolling Stone's 500 Worst Reviews of All Time (work in progress) . May 8, 2015 .
  2. News: Top Single Picks. 2020-07-10. Billboard. 95. April 15, 1978.
  3. News: CashBox Singles Reviews. April 22, 1978. 52. Cash Box. 2022-01-01.
  4. Web site: 36 Years Ago – Aerosmith Release 'Draw the Line' . Sterling Whitaker . Ultimate Classic Rock . December 2, 2013 . May 8, 2015.
  5. Book: Bienstock . Richard . Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys . Voyaguer Press . 78 . September 16, 2011 . 978-0760341063 .