Get a Grip

Get a Grip
Studio album by Aerosmith
Released	April 20, 1993[1]
Recorded	January–February, September–November 1992
Studio	A&M, Los Angeles Little Mountain Sound, Vancouver, Canada[2]
Genre	Hard rock[3] pop metal[4]
Length	62:06
Label	Geffen
Producer	Bruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith chronology
Pump (1989) Get a Grip (1993) Nine Lives (1997)
Singles from Get a Grip
"Livin' on the Edge" Released: March 1993 "Eat the Rich" Released: June 1993 (UK)[5] "Cryin'" Released: June 1993 (US) "Amazing" Released: November 1993 "Crazy" Released: May 1994 "Shut Up and Dance" Released: June 1994 (UK)

Get a Grip is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. Get a Grip was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records.

Get a Grip featured guests including Don Henley, who sang backup on "Amazing", and Lenny Kravitz, who offered backup vocals and collaboration to "Line Up". As on Permanent Vacation and Pump, this album featured numerous song collaborators from outside the band including: Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, Mark Hudson, Richie Supa, Taylor Rhodes, Jack Blades, and Tommy Shaw.

Get a Grip became Aerosmith's best-selling studio album worldwide, achieving sales of over 20 million copies. The album became the band's first album to reach number one in the United States and tied with Pump for their second best-selling album in the US, selling over 7 million copies as of 1995 (Toys in the Attic leads with nine million).^[6] This also made it their third consecutive album with U.S. sales of at least five million. Two songs from the album won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, in 1993 and 1994. The album was voted Album of the Year by Metal Edge readers in the magazine's 1993 Readers' Choice Awards, while "Livin' on the Edge" was voted Best Video.^[7]

Production

The album originally had 12 songs and was scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 1992, but Geffen A&R executive John Kalodner listened to what had been recorded and thought it lacked variety and a radio-friendly song. So the band went back to write more songs with collaborators such as Child.^[8] It was also the last album Bruce Fairbairn produced for Aerosmith before his death in 1999.

Regarding songs that reflect on the band's history with drug abuse such as "Get a Grip" and "Amazing", Steven Tyler declared: "We were saying you can point it back to some of those old beliefs about the crossroads and signing up with the devil, that you can look at the drugs as that: It can be fun in the beginning but then it comes time to pay your debt, and if you're not sharp enough to see that it's taking you down, then it really will get you."^[9]

Many songs were written and recorded for the album that were either used as B-sides or never released. "Don't Stop" and "Head First" were released as B-sides, as well as "Can't Stop Messin'", which also appears on several special editions of the album as an addition in the track list. Alternate versions of other songs recorded during the sessions including "Deuces Are Wild", "Lizard Love", "Devil's Got a New Disguise", and "Legendary Child" have since been released on various albums and soundtracks.

Other songs were listed on the official Aerosmith website in the late 1990s. "Black Cherry", "Dime Store Lover", "Meltdown", "Rocket 88", "Wham Bam", and "Yo Momma" were listed on the lyrics page of the website. In 2005, Kalodner confirmed the existence of several of these songs, as well as "Trouble", "Strange", "13", and "Keep on Movin'". "Deuces Are Wild" was possibly recorded again during these sessions. Several songs are also listed on copyright repertoires, including "Ain't Gonna Break My Heart", "Good Thang", and "Jake". These songs can be traced to the year 1991.

Cover art

Get a Grip's cover art, depicting an image of a cow with a captive bead nipple ring through its udder and a brand of the Aerosmith logo, was designed by noted album-cover artist Hugh Syme. Music critic Steven Hyden has referred to the album's cover art as "the worst album cover ever", expressing surprise that Syme was responsible for it given his other work.^[10] An animal-rights group objected to the cover art, but the band confirmed the image had been digitally altered and did not depict an actual act of animal cruelty.^[11]

A special edition of the album was released in a fabric-covered case made to resemble cowhide.^[12][13]

First digital download

On June 27, 1994, Aerosmith became the first major artist to release a song as an exclusive digital download, making "Head First" available as a 4-megabyte WAV file to CompuServe subscribers.^[14] Around 10,000 users downloaded the song in the first few days, even though at the time, most users accessed the service with a modem, meaning the download would have taken the better part of an hour. "Head First" was earlier used as the B-side for "Eat the Rich".^[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]
Calgary Herald	A−[17]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A−[18]
NME	4/10[19]
Q	[20]
Rolling Stone	[21]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1993, Mark Coleman said he enjoyed the title song and compared the introductory track to the band's 1986 rendition of "Walk This Way" with Run–D.M.C. However, he found much of the rest unadventurous and too "somber", negatively comparing "Livin' on the Edge" to a Bon Jovi song, and lamenting the outside contributions from songwriters and collaborators. Ultimately, Coleman determined that, "for a spirited half-hour or so, Aerosmith pretty much gets over on sheer awe-inspiring technique".^[21] Robert Christgau was more positive in a contemporaneous review for Playboy, saying that while it "occasionally exploits their rap connection", remains faithful to Aerosmith's template of "fast ones and slow ones; lyrically it's fuck me and fuck you", but with such superpro crunch and commitment that no good-timing headbanger will give a shit. Christgau highlighted "Cryin'" as "the classic" on the album, while saying that "the closest thing to a duff cut [is] the 'meaningful' Livin' on the Edge, which could be a hit anyway."^[22] He later ranked it 64th on his "Dean's List" accompanying The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll of the year's best albums,^[23] and assigned it an A-minus in his 2000 book Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s.^[18]

Track listing

Get a Grip track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jim Vallance	0:24
2.	"Eat the Rich"	Tyler, Perry, Vallance	4:11
3.	"Get a Grip"	Tyler, Perry, Vallance	3:59
4.	"Fever"	Tyler, Perry	4:15
5.	"Livin' on the Edge"	Tyler, Perry, Mark Hudson	6:07
6.	"Flesh"	Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child	5:57
7.	"Walk On Down"	Perry	3:39
8.	"Shut Up and Dance"	Tyler, Perry, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw	4:56
9.	"Cryin'"	Tyler, Perry, Taylor Rhodes	5:09
10.	"Gotta Love It"	Tyler, Perry, Hudson	5:58
11.	"Crazy"	Tyler, Perry, Child	5:14
12.	"Line Up"	Tyler, Perry, Lenny Kravitz	4:03
13.	"Amazing"	Tyler, Richard Supa	5:57
14.	"Boogie Man" (instrumental)	Tyler, Perry, Vallance	2:17
Total length:			62:06

International and limited editions

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Can't Stop Messin'"	Tyler, Perry, Blades, Shaw	3:30
Total length:			65:36

Japanese Reissue 2025 (SHM-CD)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
16.	"Don't Stop"	Tyler, Perry, Vallance	4:07
Total length:			69:53

• Immediately after "Amazing", a snippet of "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well", by Lucky Millinder, is heard as if being tuned in on an old radio. Tyler says, "So from all of us at Aerosmith to all of you out there, wherever you are, remember: the light at the end of the tunnel may be you. Good night." The music then fades out.

Personnel

Aerosmith

• Steven Tyler – lead vocals, keyboards, mandolin, harmonica, additional percussion, arranger
• Joe Perry – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Walk On Down"
• Brad Whitford – guitar, lead guitar on “Fever”, “Gotta Love It”, and “Flesh”
• Tom Hamilton – bass guitar, bass solo on “Gotta Love It”
• Joey Kramer – drums

Additional personnel

• David Campbell – orchestra arrangements on "Crazy" and "Amazing"
• Desmond Child – keyboards on "Crazy"
• John Webster – keyboards
• Richard Supa – keyboards on "Amazing"
• Don Henley – background vocals on "Amazing"
• Lenny Kravitz – background vocals on "Line Up"
• Paul Baron – trumpet
• Tom Keenlyside – saxophone
• Bruce Fairbairn – trumpet, production
• Ian Putz – baritone saxophone
• Bob Rogers – trombone
• Liainaiala Tagaloa – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
• Mapuhi T. Tekurio – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
• Aladd Alationa Teofilo – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
• Melvin Liufau – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
• Wesey Mamea – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
• Sandy Kanaeholo – log drums on "Eat the Rich"

Production

• Engineers – John Aguto, Ed Korengo, Ken Lomas, Mike Plotnikoff, David Thoener, Karl Heilbron
• Pre Production Engineer – Tony Lentini
• Mixing – Brendan O'Brien
• Mastering – Greg Fulginiti at Masterdisk
• Mastering Supervisor – David Donnelly
• Programming – John Webster
• Production coordination – Debra Shallman
• Guitar technician – Dan Murphy
• Art direction – Michael Golob
• Cover design – Hugh Syme
• Photography – Edward Colver, William Hames
• John Kalodner – John Kalodner

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Get a Grip Chart (1993–1994) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] 3 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25] 3 Canadian Albums (RPM)[26] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 1 French Albums (InfoDisc)[29] 24 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 3 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[31] 7 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[32] 17 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[33] 7 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34] 9 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[35] 3 Scottish Albums (OCC)[36] 43 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[37] 10 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 3 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[40] 2 UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[41] 13 US Billboard 200[42] 1

Year-end charts 1993 year-end chart performance for Get a Grip Chart (1993) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[43] 17 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[44] 80 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[45] 25 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[46] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 21 UK Albums (OCC)[48] 83 US Billboard 200[49] 14 1994 year-end chart performance for Get a Grip Chart (1994) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[50] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[51] 11 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[52] 6 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[53] 5 US Billboard 200[54] 21

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Get a Grip

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[55]	3× Platinum	180,000^
Australia (ARIA)[56]	Gold	35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[57]	Platinum	50,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[55]	Platinum	50,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[58]	Gold	100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[59]	Diamond	1,000,000^
Chile[55]	Platinum	25,000[60]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61]	3× Platinum	60,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[62]	Gold	33,759[62]
France (SNEP)[63]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[65]	Platinum	738,000[64]
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[55]	Gold	10,000*
Indonesia[55]	Gold	25,000[66]
Israel[67]	Gold	20,000[67]
Japan (RIAJ)[55]	2× Platinum	425,000[64]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[68]	Gold	100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[69]	Platinum	100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55]	Gold	7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[55]	Platinum	50,000*
Philippines (PARI)[70]	Platinum	40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[71]	Gold	50,000*
Portugal (AFP)[55]	Platinum	40,000^
Spain (Promusicae)[72]	Platinum	100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[73]	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[74]	Gold	25,000^
Taiwan (RIT)[55]	Gold	25,000[75]
Thailand[76]	Gold	25,000[76]
United Kingdom (BPI)[77]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)[78]	7× Platinum	7,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
1993	"Livin' on the Edge"	Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
1994	"Crazy"	Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal

Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards

Year	Winner	Category
1993	Get a Grip	Album of the Year[7]
1993	"Livin' on the Edge"	Best video

See also

• Get a Grip Tour

References

1. Huxley 2015, eBook,"Get a Grip, Geffen, April 1993".
2. Big Ones (CD insert). Aerosmith. Geffen Records. 1994. GEFD-24716.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
3. Shipley, Al (April 14, 2025). "Every Aerosmith Album, Ranked". Spin.
4. Rivadavia, Eduardo (February 28, 2017). "Aerosmith Albums Ranked". Loudwire.
5. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
6. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013.
7. Metal Edge, June 1994
8. Browne, David (February 5, 1993). "Balk This Way". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
9. Washburn, Jim (July 31, 1993). "Aerosmith: New Grip on Fame : Comeback Rockers, at Pacific Amphitheatre, Revel in Album's Success". Los Angeles Times.
10. "It's the 25th Anniversary of 'Get a Grip,' the Worst Album Cover Ever". Uproxx. April 17, 2018.
11. Davis, S. and Aerosmith: Walk This Way, pp. 502-503. Avon, 1997
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13. "REVIEW: Aerosmith – Get a Grip (1993 "cow hide" cover)". mikeladano.com. April 2, 2013.
14. Schiff, Devin (June 27, 2014). "Go Aerosmith: How "Head First" Became the First Digitally Downloadable Song 20 Years Ago Today". Vice.com.
15. "Aerosmith - Head First". jimvallance.com.
16. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
17. McEwen, Mary-Lynn (April 25, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
18. Christgau, Robert (2000). "A". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the 90s. Griffin. ISBN 0312245602.
19. Dalton, Stephen (May 1, 1993). "Long Play". NME. p. 34.
20. Anon. (April 2001). "Get a Grip". Q. p. 92.
21. Coleman, Mark (May 13, 1993). "Get a Grip by Aerosmith – Album Review". Rolling Stone.
22. Christgau, Robert (May 1993). "Aerosmith, Butthole Surfers, Popinjays, Saint Etienne". Playboy – via robertchristgau.com.
23. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Pazz & Jop 1993: Dean's List". The Village Voice – via robertchristgau.com.
24. "Australiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Get A Grip". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
25. "Austriancharts.at – Aerosmith – Get A Grip" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
26. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on May 24, 2014.
27. "Dutchcharts.nl – Aerosmith – Get A Grip" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
28. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Aerosmith". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 10.
29. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste". Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013.
30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Aerosmith – Get A Grip" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
31. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1994. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
32. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Get a grip".
33. "エアロスミスのCDアルバムランキング、エアロスミスのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp.
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35. "Norwegiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Get A Grip". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
36. "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 17/7/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
37. "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. March 26, 1994. p. 56.
38. "Swedishcharts.com – Aerosmith – Get A Grip". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
39. "Swisscharts.com – Aerosmith – Get A Grip". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
40. "Official Albums Chart on 25/4/1993 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
41. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 9/10/1994 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
42. "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
43. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1993". austriancharts.at.
44. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl.
45. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de.
46. "LOS 50 TÍTULOS CON MAYORES VENTAS EN LAS LISTAS DE VENTAS DE AFYVE EN 1993" (PDF) (in Spanish). Anuarios SGAE. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012.
47. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993". hitparade.ch.
48. "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 25.
49. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard.
50. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1994". austriancharts.at.
51. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1994". dutchcharts.nl.
52. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de.
53. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994". hitparade.ch.
54. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard.
55. "Lot #286 Aerosmith Gifted Record Award". December 20, 2020.
56. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 9.
57. "Austrian album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip" (in German). IFPI Austria.
58. "Brazilian album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
59. "Canadian album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip". Music Canada.
60. "Chile's Warm Up" (PDF). Billboard. December 10, 1994. p. 70.
61. "Danish album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip". IFPI Danmark.
62. "Aerosmith" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
63. "French album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip" (in French). SNEP.
64. Duffy, Thom (December 24, 1994). "Young U.S. Acts Turn Abroad To Drive Their Careers Home". Billboard. p. 53.
65. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Aerosmith; 'Get a Grip')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
66. "Certification Award Levels" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2007.
67. "Gold Record Awarded to John Kalonder".
68. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Aerosmith in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Get a Grip in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
69. "Dutch album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Get a Grip in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1994 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
70. "List of PARI Gold, Platinum & Diamond Awardees". Philippine Association of the Record Industry.
71. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1995 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025.
72. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 937. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
73. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011.
74. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Get a Grip')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
75. "History of RIT (IFPI Taiwan) Platinum and Gold Record Certification Standards".
76. "Presented to John Kalonder to commemorate the sale of more than 25,000 copies in Thailand".
77. "British album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Get a Grip Aerosmith in the "Search:" field.
78. "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip". Recording Industry Association of America.

Bibliography

• Huxley, Martin (2015). Aerosmith: The Fall and the Rise of Rock's Greatest Band. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1250096531.

Further reading

• Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp. 306–307. ISBN 9781847862112. OCLC 227198538.