What It Takes (Aerosmith song)

"What It Takes" is a power ballad[3] by American band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Desmond Child, it was released in 1989 as the third single from the critically and commercially successful 1989 album Pump. "I'll put some ballads on an album," Tyler remarked, "if that's what it takes so that some young kid can get to hear a 'Young Lust' or 'F.I.N.E.*'."[4] The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Desmond Child.[5]

"What It Takes"
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Pump
B-side"Monkey on My Back"
ReleasedFebruary 26, 1990[1]
Recorded1989
Genre
Length6:28 (Album Version With Hidden Track)
5:11 (Single Version)
4:08 (CHR Remix-Edit) (From the Album: Devil's Got a New Disguise)
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Janie's Got a Gun"
(1989)		 "What It Takes"
(1990)		 "The Other Side"
(1990)

Music video

There are two videos for the song. One features the band performing in the Longhorn Ballroom. The other is culled from scenes from The Making of Pump, a film which documented the recording process of the Pump album. The latter received much greater airplay, and was also the version the band chose to include on their video collection Big Ones You Can Look At. The videos were directed by Keith Garde and Martin Torgoff.

Charts
Chart (1990) Peak
Position
Billboard Hot 100[6] 9
Mainstream Rock Songs[7] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1990) Position
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[8] 91

References
  1. "Aerosmith - Singles". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2021-06-23. Click on individual song pages for dates.
  2. Bienstock, Richard (2011-09-15). Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-1-61059-769-2.
  3. February 27, Martin KieltyPublished; 2020. "How Aerosmith Created Power-Ballad Masterpiece 'What It Takes'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Ingham, Chris (June 2001). "Play for today". Classic Rock #28. p. 50.
  5. Rolling Stone (2012-11-07). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Aerosmith Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  6. "Aerosmith - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  7. "Aerosmith - Mainstream rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 22, 1990). "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 102 (51): YE-14.
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