Love in an Elevator

"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and guitarist/backing vocalist Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, Pump, released in September (see 1989 in music).^[1] It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.^[4]

Track listings

7" 45 RPM

Side One
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Love in an Elevator"	Joe Perry, Steven Tyler

Side Two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Young Lust"	Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance

CD single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Love in an Elevator" (Edit)	Perry, Tyler	3:42
2.	"Ain't Enough"	Perry, Tyler	5:03
3.	"Young Lust" (LP Version)	Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance	4:22

Recording

"Love in an Elevator", like the other tracks on Pump, was recorded sometime in April to June 1989 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. During the writing process, lead singer Steven Tyler is said to have come upon the concept of the song while researching famous battleships. Specifically, an instance on the Russian battleship Navarin, in which one of the crew was famously quoted, as the ship was going down, "Мы должны жить вверх, в то время как мы теперь идем вниз," or when translated "we must live upwards now, for it is downward we head." Tyler claims the song's lyrics were inspired by an experience he had at a hotel, in which he was making out with a girl in the elevator and they started having sex as the doors opened; “It felt like a lifetime waiting for those doors to close,” quipped Tyler.

The song was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and was engineered by Mike Fraser with Ken Lomas as second engineer, and in addition to Aerosmith – Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitars, backing vocals), Brad Whitford (guitars, backing vocals), Tom Hamilton (electric bass, backing vocals), and Joey Kramer (drums, percussion) – were Bob Dowd (backing vocals), Bruce Fairbairn (backing vocals), and Catherine Epps (elevator operator).^[2]

Chart performance

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australia (Top 50)^[5]	33
Canada (RPM100 Singles)^[6]	13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[7]	14
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[8]	15
Polish Singles Chart^[9]	15
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[10]	13
US Billboard Hot 100^[4]	5
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks^[4]	1

End of Year Chart

End of year chart (1989)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[11]	81

Music video

The video for the song, considered by many to be a definitive music video for Aerosmith, starts off with the band walking up to a department store elevator, and an attractive woman (Brandi Brandt) says "2nd floor...hardware, children's wear, lady's lingerie. Oh, good morning Mr. Tyler, going down?" Steven Tyler enters the elevator and the song starts.

The video flashes back and forth between the band performing live and scenes from the department store. The scenes in the department store and elevator include Brad Whitford being hypnotized by fake department store models turning into real ones when he's not looking, Joey Kramer dressed up like a woman, Joe Perry and his wife (both topless) kissing in the elevator, Tyler kissing the female department store clerk, and Tom Hamilton playing his bass grooves, in addition to the odd performances of other random characters, including a butcher, a fat lady, midgets, the Tin Man and Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, and a male model.

At the end of the song, all the band members gather around the microphone to sing "Love in an Elevator...lovin' it up when I'm going down". And then it flashes back to a scene in which the elevator doors close.

The video was directed by Marty Callner, who produced many of the band's Geffen-era music videos in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The woman with the male little person in the video is Dee Booher, better known as Queen Kong in the Los Angeles area. She also wrestled on TV show G.L.O.W. as Matilda the Hun.

In concert

The song has consistently been a staple in the band's setlist on almost every tour they have performed since the song's release. It is a fan favorite and is well-known among mainstream audiences.

Also, in concert, Tyler often changes the lyrics to more controversial and profanity-laden ones. On a version of the song featured on the live album A Little South of Sanity, culled from the band's tours in the 1990s, one can hear Tyler say "jackin' in the elevator" and "lick your funky ass" or "fucking ass" instead of "kiss your sassafras".

Use in Disney World rollercoaster

A portion of the song plays within the ride sequence of Walt Disney World's Rock 'n Roller Coaster ride, which features different Aerosmith songs on each of its ride vehicles. The lyrics for the Disney World version were specially revised to say "Love in a roller coaster" at the end of the ride.

Reception

Award nomination

The song received a Grammy award nomination in 1990 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, but lost out to supergroup The Traveling Wilburys.

References

1 2 Strong, Martin (2002) [First published in 1994]. The Great Rock Discography (Sixth ed.). United Kingdom: Canongate Books. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
1 2 3 Big Ones (CD insert). Aerosmith. U.S.A.: Geffen Records. 1994. GEFD-24716.
↑ RIAA Gold and Platinum Searchable Database - "Love in an Elevator". RIAA.com.
1 2 3 "Aerosmith - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
↑ Steffen Hung. "Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
↑ "RPM - Item Display: Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 2, November 11 1989" (.Php). Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Aerosmith – Love In An Elevator" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Aerosmith – Love In An Elevator". Top 40 Singles.
↑ "Polish Singles Chart". Lp3.polskieradio.pl. 1989-12-23. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
↑ "Archive Chart: 1989-09-30" UK Singles Chart.
↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1989". Retrieved 2010-02-09.

External links

"Love In An Elevator" at Discogs (list of releases)

Aerosmith singles discography

1970s	"Mama Kin" "Dream On" "Same Old Song and Dance" "Train Kept A-Rollin'" "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" "Sweet Emotion" "Toys in the Attic" "Walk This Way" "You See Me Crying" "Last Child" "Home Tonight" "Back in the Saddle" "Draw the Line" "Kings and Queens" "Get It Up" "Come Together" "Chip Away the Stone" "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"

1980s	"Lightning Strikes" "Bitch's Brew" "Let the Music Do the Talking" "Shela" "My Fist Your Face" "Darkness" "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" "Hangman Jury" "Angel" "Rag Doll" "Chip Away the Stone" (re-release) "Love in an Elevator" "F.I.N.E.*" "Janie's Got a Gun"

1990s	"What It Takes" "The Other Side" "Monkey on My Back" "Love Me Two Times" "Helter Skelter" "Sweet Emotion" (re-release) "Livin' on the Edge" "Eat the Rich" "Fever" "Cryin'" "Amazing" "Shut Up and Dance" "Deuces Are Wild" "Crazy" "Blind Man" "Walk on Water" "Nine Lives" "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" "Hole in My Soul" "Pink" "Taste of India" "Full Circle" "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" "What Kind of Love Are You On"

2000s	"Angel's Eye" "Jaded" "Fly Away from Here" "Sunshine" "Just Push Play" "Girls of Summer" "Baby, Please Don't Go" "Devil's Got a New Disguise"

2010s	"Legendary Child" "Lover Alot" "What Could Have Been Love" "Can't Stop Lovin' You"

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