The Top 100 Hits Of 1982

1. Physical - Olivia Newton-John
2. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
3. I Love Rock N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
4. Ebony And Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
5. Centerfold - J. Geils Band
6. Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner
7. Jack And Diane - John Cougar
8. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
9. Don't You Want Me - Human League
10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago
11. Hurts So Good - John Cougar
12. I Can't Go For That(No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
13. Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warens
14. Rosanna - Toto
15. Truly - Lionel Richie
16. Open Arms - Journey
17. Chariots Of Fire - Vangelis
18. Who Can It Be Now? - Men At Work
19. Don't Talk To Strangers - Rick Springfield
20. We Got The Beat - Go-Gos
21. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
22. Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
23. Eye In The Sky - Alan Parsons Project
24. Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
25. Heart Attack - Olivia Newton-John
26. Shake It Up - The Cars
27. That Girl - Stevie Wonder
28. I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
29. 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone
30. Freeze-Frame - J. Geils Band
31. The Other Woman - Ray Parker Jr.
32. Heat Of The Moment - Asia
33. Leather And Lace - Stevie Nicks & Don Henley
34. Even The Nights Are Better - Air Supply
35. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
36. Sweet Dreams - Air Supply
37. Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
38. You Should Hear How She Talks About You - Melissa Manchester
39. I Keep Forgettin' - Michael McDonald
40. Young Turks - Rod Stewart
41. Let It Whip - Dazz Band
42. Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
43. Oh No - The Commodores
44. The Sweetest Thing(I've Ever Known) - Juice Newton
45. You Can Do Magic - AMerica
46. '65 Love Affair - Paul Davis
47. Heartlight - Neil Diamond
48. Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross
49. Make A Move On Me - Olivia Newton-John
50. Only The Lonely - The Motels
51. Keep The Fire Burnin' - REO Speedwagon
52. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
53. Trouble - Lindsey Buckingham
54. Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne
55. Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me - Juice Newton
56. Leader Of The Band - Dan Fogelberg
57. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
58. Wasted On The Way - Crosby, Stills & Nash
59. Do You Believe In Love - Huey Lewis & The News
60. Take It Easy On Me - Little River Band
61. Did It In A Minute - Daryl Hall & John Oates
62. Pac-Man Fever - Buckner & Garcia
63. Comin' In And Out Of Your Life - Barbra Streisand
64. Take It Away - Paul McCartney
65. Hooked On Classics - Louis Cark/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
66. Vacation - Go-Go's
67. Cool Night - Paul Davis
68. Muscles - Diana Ross
69. Love Is In Control(Finger On The Trigger) - Donna Summer
70. Yesterday's Songs - Neil Diamond
71. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
72. Caught Up In You - 38 Special
73. Crimson And Clover - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
74. Mirror, Mirror - Diana Ross
75. I Ran(So Far Away) - A Flock Of Seagulls
76. Love Will Turn You Around - Kenny Rogers
77. Get Down On It - Kool & The Gang
78. Waiting On A Friend - Rolling Stones
79. Break It To Me Gently - Juice Newton
80. Think I'm In Love - Eddie Money
81. It's Gonna Take A Miracle - Deniece Williams
82. Blue Eyes - Elton John
83. Edge Of Seventeen(Just Like The White Winged Dove) - Stevie Nicks
84. Oh Pretty Woman - Van Halen
85. Do I Do - Stevie Wonder
86. Making Love - Roberta Flack
87. Empty Garden(Hey Hey Johnny) - Elton John
88. Spirits In The Material World - The Police
89. Hold On - Santana
90. Should I Do It - Pointer Sisters
91. You Could Have Been With Me - Sheena Easton
92. Man On Your Mind - Little River Band
93. Take My Heart(You Can Have It If You Want It) - Kool & The Gang
94. Bobbie Sue - Oak Ridge Boys
95. Any Day Now - Ronnie Milsap
96. Through The Years - Kenny Rogers
97. Body Language - Queen
98. Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt
99. What's Forever For - Michael Murphey
100. Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac

Artist #107 Of The Rock Era - Glen Campbell

It isn't accurate to call Glen Campbell "pure country," but his smooth fusion of country mannerisms and pop melodies and production techniques made him one of the most popular country musicians of the late '60s and '70s. Campbell was one of the leading figures of country-pop during that era, racking up a steady stream of Top Ten singles, highlighted by classics like "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "I Wanna Live," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," "Rhinestone Cowboy," and "Southern Nights." Boasting Campbell's smooth vocals and layered arrangements, where steel guitars bounced off sweeping strings, those songs not only became country hits, they crossed over to the pop charts as well, which was appropriate, since that is where he began his musical career. Originally, he was a Los Angeles session musician, playing on hits by the Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Merle Haggard. By the end of the '60s, he had become a successful solo artist, and that success would not abate until the late '80s, when he stopped having radio hits and began concentrating on live performances at his theater in Branson. 

Campbell was born and raised in Delight, Arkansas, where he received his first guitar when he was four years old. Learning the instrument from various relatives, he played consistently throughout his childhood, eventually gravitating toward jazz players like Barney Kessel and Django Reinhardt. While he was learning guitar, he also sang in a local church, where he developed his vocal skills. By the time he was 14, he had begun performing with a number of country bands in the Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico area, including his uncle's group, the Dick Bills Band. When he was 18, he formed his own country band, the Western Wranglers, and began touring the South with the group. Four years later, Campbell moved to Los Angeles, California, where he became a session musician. 

Shortly after arriving in California, Campbell earned the reputation of being an excellent guitarist, playing on records by Bobby Darin and Rick Nelson. In 1960, he briefly joined the instrumental rock & roll group the Champs, who had the hit single "Tequila" two years earlier. The following year, he released his debut single, "Turn Around, Look at Me," on the small Crest label; the single reached number 62 later in the year. By the summer of 1962, he had released "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry" on Capitol Records; the single only spent two weeks on the charts, peaking at 76. While he was tentatively pursuing a solo career, Campbell continued to play professionally, most notably for Elvis Presley and Dean Martin. Also in 1962, he played guitar and sang on "Kentucky Means Paradise," a single by the one-off group the Green River Boys, who released an album, Big Bluegrass Special. "Kentucky Means Paradise" became a hit on the country charts, climbing to number 20. Instead of pursuing a full-fledged country career after the single's release, Campbell returned to studio work, and over the next two years he played on sessions by Frank Sinatra ("Strangers in the Night"), Merle Haggard ("The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde"), the Monkees ("I'm a Believer"), the Association, and the Mamas & the Papas, among many others. 

Following Brian Wilson's breakdown and retirement from the road in 1965, Campbell became a touring member of the Beach Boys for several months. At the end of his tenure as the group's temporary bassist, the Beach Boys offered him a permanent spot in the band, but he turned them down when they wouldn't allow him to have an equal cut of the group's royalties. A few months after rejecting their offer, the Beach Boys' record label, Capitol, offered Campbell a full-fledged contract. His first release under his new long-term Capitol contract was a version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "The Universal Soldier," which peaked at number 45. For much of 1966, he continued to pursue studio work, but he released "Burning Bridges" toward the end of the year, and it climbed to number 18 on the country charts early in 1967. 

During 1967, Capitol pushed Campbell as a country recording artist, and their breakthrough arrived in the late summer when his folky country-pop rendition of John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind" became a Top 40 hit on both the country and pop charts. By the end of the year, he had released a cover of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," which reached number two on the country charts, and number 26 on the pop charts. Early in 1968, "Gentle on My Mind" won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording of 1967. Campbell's success continued in 1968, as "I Wanna Live" became his first number one hit and "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" reached number three. The following year, CBS television hired him to host the variety show The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour, which became quite popular and helped establish him as not only a country star, but a pop music superstar. 

Throughout the late '60s and early '70s, Campbell continued to rack up hit singles, including the number one hits "Wichita Lineman" (1968) and "Galveston" (1969), plus the Top Ten singles "Try a Little Kindness" (1969), "Honey Come Back" (1970), "Everything a Man Could Ever Need" (1970), and "It's Only Make Believe" (1970). In 1968, he began recording duets with Bobbie Gentry, and they had hit singles with their versions of two Everly Brothers songs: "Let It Be Me," which reached 14 in 1969, and "All I Have to Do Is Dream," which peaked at number six in 1970. Also in 1969, he began a film career, appearing in the John Wayne movie True Grit that year and Norwood the following year. 

By 1972, Campbell's record sales started slipping. After "Manhattan Kansas" reached number six that year, he had trouble having Top 40 hits for the next two years. Furthermore, his television show was canceled. As his career slowed, he began sinking into drug and alcohol addiction, which continued even through his mid-'70s revival. In 1975, he returned to the Top Ten with "Rhinestone Cowboy," a huge hit that reached number one on both the country and pop charts. Over the next two years, he had a number of Top Ten country hits, including "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)" and "Don't Pull Your Love"/"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye," which also reached the pop charts. In 1977, he had his final number one hit with "Southern Nights," which topped both the country and pop charts. 

Following the success of "Southern Nights" and its follow-up, "Sunflower," Campbell stopped reaching the country Top Ten with regularity, yet he had a string of lesser hits and was an immensely popular performer in concert and television. During the mid-'80s, he experienced a brief commercial revival, as the singles "Faithless Love," "A Lady Like You," and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" all reached the country Top Ten. By that time, he had begun to clean up his act. Over the course of the mid-'80s, he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol and became a born-again Christian. Appropriately, he began recording inspirational albums, yet he didn't abandon country music. As late as 1989, Campbell's smooth, synth-laden contemporary country-pop was reaching the country Top Ten; his last two Top Ten country hits were "I Have You" (1988) and "She's Gone, Gone, Gone" (1989). 

Campbell began recording less frequently in the early '90s, especially since he could no longer reach the charts and the radio, since they were dominated by new country artists. Over the course of the decade, he gradually moved into semi-retirement, concentrating on golf and performing at his Goodtime Theater in Branson, Missouri. In 1994, he published his autobiography, Rhinestone Cowboy. Campbell released a comeboack album of sorts, the ironically titled Meet Glen Campbell, produced by Julian Raymond and Howard Willing, on Capitol Records in 2008. 

In June of 2011, Campbell, by now 75 years old, announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In spite of the ailment, he finished an album, Ghost on the Canvas, which was released in August that same year, and began a tour that was to be his farewell to the music business. A collection of outtakes from his last recording sessions, 2013's See You There, featured Campbell performing new, more intimate versions of some of his best known songs. A film crew, led by filmmaker James Keach, followed Campbell on his final concert tour, and the resulting documentary about Campbell's life and music, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, began playing film festivals in the fall of 2014. The film's soundtrack album was released February 2015, and included Campbell's farewell single, the poigniant "I'm Not Gonna Miss You."

Hit #108 Since 1964 - Bad Day - Daniel Powter

"Bad Day" is a pop/rock song from Canadian singer Daniel Powter's self-titled debut studio album (2005). It was written by Powter and produced by Jeff Dawson and Mitchell Froom. Powter and Dawson recorded the song in 2002 but could not find a record label to release it at first. The song was first used in a French Coca-Cola television advertisement in Christmas 2004 before its official release. Tom Whalley, Warner Bros. Records' chairman and CEO, offered Powter a contract after hearing a demo tape of it. This track ended up being released as the lead single in Europe in early 2005.

Although "Bad Day" received mixed critical reviews, with some music critics finding a "universal appeal" and others claiming a lack of depth in its lyrics, it was a commercial success. In 2005, the single charted in the top five in more than ten countries worldwide, and became the most played song on European radio. After its European success, it was released in the United States where it topped Billboard's Hot 100, Pop 100, Adult Top 40, and Adult Contemporary charts. In 2006, it became the first song ever to sell two million digital copies in the United States. After another million were sold, it was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2009. It was certified platinum in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, gold in Denmark and Germany, and also received a certification in France and Japan.

The accompanying music video for "Bad Day" was directed by Marc Webb and reached 9.8 million views in 2006. The video depicts two downcast people sharing a similar routine until they meet each other at the end of the video. The song was used for advertisements and television programs, most prominently as American Idol's elimination song. Different shows and artists covered and parodied "Bad Day", including Saturday Night Live and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Powter has also performed the song on television shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and during his concert tours in North America and Europe. The song's success made it Powter's "anthem" and would be included on his later compilation albums B-Sides (2007) and Best of Me(2010).

Background and writing

After leaving MacEwan University in Edmonton at 20, Powter moved to Vancouver, British Columbia where he played keyboards before he started composing songs. In 1997, he partnered with music producer Jeff Dawson; they recorded "Bad Day" in 2002. For two weeks, Powter had a melody that "wouldn't go away" from his mind. Thinking of a lyric that would fit the melody, he thought an "up and poppy" lyric would make it "the cheesiest song of all time". He then thought "bad day" would be a good choice for the chorus, and wrote the lyrics partly based on his life as "a struggling musician". It was the last song to be composed for his album, with Powter writing it in an hour during a ferry journey between Victoria and Vancouver. Powter said it was not a lyrically elaborate song, but that: "mostly it's about phonics. It's about words that sing great. I was mumbling something, and those words came out."

Dawson and Powter included the song on a disc that was offered to record labels that asked Powter to audition in New York; but his lack of stage presence led to the labels turning him down. Disappointed, he returned to Vancouver to move on because: "once a record company says no, it's difficult to come around again". After this failure, his new representative, Gary Stamler, played a demo tape for Tom Whalley, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records. Whalley offered Powter a contract but he was reluctant to sign it because he considered himself primarily a songwriter. He accepted the offer in April 2003 and, along with Dawson and producer Mitchell Froom, worked on his album and the song in Los Angeles, California. The album was originally recorded in Powter's Vancouver apartment but Warner Bros. asked that it be rerecorded. However, because Froom wanted to keep its "original feel[ing]", in Powter's words it was just "touch[ed] up".

Composition

“	Bitching and griping about nothing. My granddad used to say to me, 'There's better people who are worse off than you,' and I always remember that. It's a song about trying to make people feel better. I'm making fun of you, but at the same time making fun of myself.	”
—  Daniel Powter [8]

"Bad Day" is a "midtempo pop" power ballad, performed in a moderate groove and accompanied by a piano. The song is composed in the key E♭major, and uses syncopated 16th-note rhythms. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Warner Bros., Powter's vocals range from the note of E♭₄ and D♭₆. Its instrumentation differs from "the scores of adolescent thrust-rockers"  and includes, as Powter referred to it, "aggressive" drums. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said it is: "addressed to anyone who's feeling depressed ... but [in contrast] its grand, panoramic arrangement wants to pump you up". Simon Donohue of the Manchester Evening News commented its sound "seagues [sic] from boy band banality to Foo Fighters-style raucous rock". According to Winston Kung of PopMatters, it is "in tune with the zeitgeist".

The lyrics of "Bad Day" were said to have a universal appeal by Alan Connor of BBC News Magazine as they have an "everyman breeziness" because the song's subject can be any person going through a bad daytime. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described it as: "a loping, sunny tune that pretty much has the opposite sentiment of its title".Although About.com's Bill Lamb described its lyrics as having a "reassuring, comforting" tone, Powter said the song "mak[es] fun of self-absorbed and narcissistic people who bitch and gripe". He also affirmed: "It's not literally about having a bad day, it's more about not taking yourself too seriously and complaining about trivial things".

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews by commentators; some reviewers praised it for its composition, while other critics felt that the lyrics were not profound. Billboard's Chuck Taylor called the song "instantly memorable" and praised its instrumentation for being different "from the scores of adolescent thrust-rockers currently dominating the scene." Dubbing it "elegant, timeless pop/rock", Taylor qualified it as "one of the great discoveries of the year", while Pete Waterman, writing for The Guardian in 2007, stated it was "one of [his] favourite songs of recent years". Eric R. Danton from the Hartford Courant classified it as the best track on the album, while Erlewine called it "the template for the rest of his debut".In contrast, Wilson Kung said the song "pales in comparison to some of the truly strong songs" on the album Daniel Powter. Alan Connor of BBC News Magazine said it is a typical sentimental song but that in "Bad Day"'s case "there's even less detail". He said the song "is so low on the specifics, there are some couplets that feel like they've been translated from a foreign language, possibly by a computer". A writer for The Daily Edge called it "a song so sweet it gave you a toothache", while a reviewer from The Scotsman called it a "horrible song". Bill Lamb said it "feels genuine" but "if you are looking for depth, this is not your song", Chris Lee of the Los Angeles Times said the song is "baleful but soulful", and People commented: "'Bad Day' may be catchy enough to overcome its trite lyrics".

Accolades

"Bad Day" won an award from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada as one of six Canadian pop songs with the most radio airplay in 2005. In 2006, it won the Tokio Hot 100 Award for Best Song, and guaranteed Powter the Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New Group or Solo Artist—Mainstream AC. In the following year, the song won a BMI Pop Award, and shared the 2007 Japan Gold Disc Award for the most-downloaded international song with "You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Woman and "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The song was nominated for Hot 100 Single of the Year at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards losing to Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous". At the APRA Music Awards of 2006, it was nominated for Most Performed Foreign Work but lost to Rob Thomas's "Lonely No More". In 2007, it was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards but John Mayer's performance on "Waiting on the World to Change" won him the award. It received a nomination for Best Song at the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards but lost to Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable".

Chart performance

"Bad Day" topped Nielsen Music Control's Pan European Airplay 100 as the most played song on European radio stations in 2005. It was also the third most downloaded song that year in Europe. On Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles it peaked at number two on the weekly chart, while it placed seventh on its year-end chart. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart issue dated August 6, 2005, at number two, its peak position, spending 38 weeks on the chart. "Bad Day" was the eleventh best-selling single and the third most downloaded song in the UK in 2005. It was the most played song on UK radio during the period 2003–08. In October 2016 it was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The song debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number 13 on July 28, 2005, and topped it for three weeks, spending 19 weeks on the chart. The song peaked at number three on the French Singles Chart, and was the most played song on French radio in 2005. It was the most played song on the German Airplay Chart in 2005. It sold 143,600 copies and was certified silver in France, and in Germany it was certified gold for the shipment of over 150,000 copies. It peaked at number one in the Czech Republic, at number three in Italy, at number 5 in Denmark, and reached the top 10 on the singles chart in eight other European territories.

"Bad Day" debuted at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated February 25, 2006. On March 30, 2006 it reached the top spot on the chart. A week before, the song had reached the top of the Hot Digital Songs chart. In the following weeks, it reached number one on the Pop 100 and the Adult Top 40. It topped the Adult Top 40 for 12 weeks, the longest period a song by a lead male artist had spent on the chart. It remained at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for 19 weeks, making it the song that spent the most time on the Adult Contemporary chart that year, tying Phil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" as the longest-running number-one song by a solo male artist to that date. "Bad Day" became the first song to sell two million digital copies in the United States in December 2006, and was the best-selling "digital track" and "digital song" for 2006. "Bad Day" received a three-times platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for digital sales of over 3 million in September 2009. It was the seventh most played song on the American radio in 2006, and was the number one song of 2006 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also performed well on other year-end charts, ranking first on Hot Digital Songs, second on Hot Adult Pop Songs, and third on Hot Adult Contemporary Songs. Media considered its exposure on American Idolas a major factor in its success in the United States.

In Canada, the song was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association for the sale 20,000 downloads. "Bad Day" peaked at number seven on the Canadian Singles Chart and at number six on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart. In Japan, a ringtone version was certified by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipment of over one million copies. Its full-length ringtone version was certified platinum for shipment of over 250,000 copies, while its single track version was certified double platinum for shipment of over 500,000 copies. "Bad Day" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of over 70,000 copies. The song debuted at number 21 on the ARIA Charts issue dated July 4, 2005, peaked at number three on the issue dated August 15, 2005, and spent 20 weeks on the chart.It was the 18th top single of 2005 in the year-end ARIA Charts, and was the second most-played song in the country in 2006. It peaked at number 7 in New Zealand appearing for 23 weeks, and was on Venezuela's Pop Rock chart for 19.

Music video

In this scene, the woman (Samaire Armstrong) is completing a heart on a billboard. In the past scenes, she was using a black marker to deface it with negativeness, while the man (Jason Adelman) used a red one to give it a positive tone.

The music video was directed by Marc Webb and premiered on Yahoo!'s website in early 2005. As of August 2005, it had been streamed over a million times. It was released on VH1.com on April 28, 2005, and at the iTunes Store for digital download on December 13, 2005. It debuted on television channel VH1 on January 23 of the following year, reaching the Top 20 Countdown for two weeks in March. It was subsequently put on heavy rotation in April 2006, when it was played more than 50 times a week, reduced to 30 weekly airings in May. The video was the eighth most-watched music video on the Internet, with over 9.8 million views in 2006. Warner Bros. Records released the video on YouTube on October 26, 2009.

The music video accompanying "Bad Day" features a man (Jason Adelman) and a woman (Samaire Armstrong) going about their daily routines over a three-day period. Parts of the video are shown in split screen as they do exactly the same thing at different times, sometimes in the same location. The central point of the video occurs when they paint separately on the same billboard. Armstrong character shows her negativeness by adding rain and a car running through puddle of water while Adelman adds an umbrella and a man with a coat to protect the woman in the billboard. At some point, he draws a question mark and she completes it with a heart. At the end of the video, they finally meet when the man offers the woman an umbrella during a rain shower as a taxi cab stops for them. Throughout the video, Powter is shown playing a piano while wearing a tuque—a type of knitted hat.

Chuck Taylor said the video is "strikingly good" and "brings emotion and clarity to an artist that we are meeting for the first time".The Daily Edge disagreed calling the video "drippy". VH1 ranked it 17th on its Top 40 Videos of the Year in 2006. It was nominated for the MuchMoreMusic Award at the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards, but lost to Michael Bublé's "Save the Last Dance for Me". It was nominated for Best Male Video at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, but "Age Age Every Knight" by DJ Ozma was the winner.

Artist #108 Of The Rock Era - Aerosmith

Aerosmith were one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond. 

In the meantime, they developed a prototype for power ballads with "Dream On," a piano ballad that was orchestrated with strings and distorted guitars. Aerosmith's ability to pull off both ballads and rock & roll made them extremely popular during the mid-'70s, when they had a string of gold and platinum albums. By the early '80s, the group's audience had declined as the band fell prey to drug and alcohol abuse. However, their career was far from over -- in the late '80s, Aerosmith pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history, returning to the top of the charts with a group of albums that equaled, if not surpassed, the popularity of their '70s albums. 

In 1970, the first incarnation of Aerosmith formed when vocalist Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perrywhile working at a Sunapee, New Hampshire, ice cream parlor. Tyler, who originally was a drummer, and Perry decided to form a power trio with bassist Tom Hamilton. The group soon expanded to a quartet, adding a second guitarist called Ray Tabano; he was quickly replaced by Brad Whitford, a former member of Earth Inc. With the addition of drummer Joey Kramer, Tyler became the full-time lead singer by the end of year. Aerosmith relocated to Boston at the end of 1970. 

After playing clubs in the Massachusetts and New York areas for two years, the group landed a record contract with Columbia Records in 1972. Aerosmith's self-titled debut album was released in the fall of 1973, climbing to number 166. "Dream On" was released as the first single and it was a minor hit, reaching number 59. For the next year, the band built a fan base by touring America, supporting groups as diverse as the Kinks, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sha Na Na, and Mott the Hoople. The performance of Get Your Wings(1974), the group's second album and the first produced by Jack Douglas, benefited from their constant touring, spending a total of 86 weeks on the chart. 

Aerosmith's third record, 1975's Toys in the Attic, was their breakthrough album both commercially and artistically. By the time it was recorded, the band's sound had developed into a sleek, hard-driving hard rock powered by simple, almost brutal, blues-based riffs. Many critics at the time labeled the group as punk rockers, and it's easy to see why -- instead of adhering to the world music pretensions of Led Zeppelin or the prolonged gloomy mysticism of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith stripped heavy metal to its basic core, spitting out spare riffs that not only rocked, but rolled. Steven Tyler's lyrics were filled with double entendres and clever jokes, and the entire band had a streetwise charisma that separated it from the heavy, lumbering arena rockers of the era. Toys in the Attic captured the essence of the newly invigorated Aerosmith. "Sweet Emotion," the first single from Toys in the Attic, broke into the Top 40 in the summer of 1975, with the album reaching number 11 shortly afterward. Its success prompted the re-release of the power ballad "Dream On," which shot into the Top Ten in early 1976. Both Aerosmith and Get Your Wings climbed back up the charts in the wake of Toys in the Attic. "Walk This Way," the final single from Toys in the Attic, was released around the time of the group's new 1976 album, Rocks. Although it didn't feature a Top Ten hit like "Walk This Way," Rocks went platinum quickly, peaking at number three. 

In early 1977, Aerosmith took a break and prepared material for their fifth album. Released late in 1977, Draw the Linewas another hit, climbing to number 11 on the U.S. charts, but it showed signs of exhaustion. In addition to another tour in 1978, the band appeared in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, performing "Come Together," which eventually became a number 23 hit. Live! Bootleg appeared late in 1978 and became another success, reaching number 13. Aerosmith recorded Night in the Ruts in 1979, releasing the record at the end of the year. By the time of its release, Joe Perry had left the band to form the Joe Perry Project. Night in the Ruts performed respectably, climbing to number 14 and going gold, yet it was the least successful Aerosmith record to date. Brad Whitford left the group in early 1980, forming the Whitsford-St. Holmes Band with former Ted Nugent guitarist Derek St. Holmes. 

As Aerosmith regrouped with new guitarists Jimmy Crespoand Rick Dufay, the band released Aerosmith's Greatest Hits in late 1980; the record would eventually sell over six million copies. The new lineup of Aerosmith released Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. Peaking at number 32, it failed to match the performance of Night in the Ruts. Perry and Whitford returned to the band in 1984 and the group began a reunion tour dubbed Back in the Saddle. Early in the tour, Tyler collapsed on-stage, offering proof that the bandmembers hadn't conquered their notorious drug and alcohol addictions. The following year, Aerosmith released Done with Mirrors, the original lineup's first record since 1979 and their first for Geffen Records. Although it didn't perform as well as Rock in a Hard Place, the album showed that the band was revitalized. 

After the release of Done with Mirrors, Tyler and Perrycompleted rehabilitation programs. In 1986, the pair appeared on Run-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way," along with appearing in the video. "Walk This Way" became a hit, reaching number four and receiving saturation airplay on MTV. "Walk This Way" set the stage for the band's full-scale comeback effort, the Bruce Fairbairn-produced Permanent Vacation (1987). Tyler and Perry collaborated with professional hard rock songwriters like Holly Knight and Desmond Child, resulting in the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Rag Doll," and "Angel." Permanent Vacation peaked at number 11 and sold over three million copies. 

Pump, released in 1989, continued the band's winning streak, reaching number five, selling over four million copies, and spawning the Top Ten singles "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's Got a Gun," and "What It Takes." Aerosmith released Get a Grip in 1993. Like Permanent Vacation and Pump, Get a Grip was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and featured significant contributions by professional songwriters. The album was as successful as the band's previous two records, featuring the hit singles "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," and "Amazing." In 1994, Aerosmith released Big Ones, a compilation of hits from their Geffen years that fulfilled their contract with the label; it went double platinum shortly after its release. 

While Aerosmith was at the height of their revitalized popularity in the early '90s, the group signed a lucrative multi-million dollar contract with Columbia Records, even though they still owed Geffen two albums. It wasn't until 1995 that the band was able to begin working on their first record under the new contract -- nearly five years after the contract was signed. The making of Aerosmith albums usually had been difficult affairs, but the recording of Nine Lives was plagued with bad luck. The band went through a number of producers and songwriters before settling on Kevin Shirley in 1996. More damaging, however, was the dismissal of the band's manager, Tim Collins, who'd been responsible for bringing the band back from the brink of addiction. Upon his firing, Collins insinuated that Steven Tyler was using hard drugs again, an allegation that Aerosmith adamantly denied. 

Under such circumstances, recording became quite difficult, and when Nine Lives finally appeared in the spring of 1997, it was greeted with great anticipation, yet the initial reviews were mixed and even though album debuted at number one, it quickly fell down the charts. The live A Little South of Sanity followed in 1998. Three years later, Aerosmith strutted their stuff on the Super Bowl halftime special on CBS with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Nelly, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears, just prior to issuing their heart-stomping Just Push Play in March 2001. Next up for the band was a blues album, Honkin' on Bobo, released in 2004, along with two live album/DVDs, You Gotta Move and Rockin' the Joint. Another greatest-hits collection, Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith arrived in 2006. 

From there, Aerosmith entered a period of volatility. A world tour followed in 2007 and the group attempted to record a new studio album with producer Brendan O'Brien but the sessions were never finalized. Instead, another tour followed in 2009, this time a supporting jaunt for Aerosmith's own special edition of the Guitar Hero video game. This tour proved to be ill-fated, with Steven Tyler suffering a leg injury in June, then falling off the stage in August, leading to the cancellation of the subsequent dates. As 2009 came to a close, Joe Perry released a solo album called Have Guitar, Will Travel as Tyler announced that he was planning on "working on the brand of myself," which included working on an autobiography and a solo album, along with a stint in rehab to wean himself off painkillers prescribed due to his stage injuries. 

Before Tyler embarked on solo projects, he returned to the band for a series of concerts in 2010, in the midst of which it was announced that the singer would be a new judge on the televised singing competition American Idol. Perry voiced his dissatisfaction in the press but Tyler's time on American Idol helped raise the band's profile, while providing a platform for Tyler's memoir, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? The book performed better than his two solo singles -- 2010's "Love Lives" and 2011's "(It) Feels So Good" -- singles that did not wind up signaling his departure from Aerosmith. Tylercontinued to tour with the band and in 2011 they recorded a new album with producer Jack Douglas, the man who helmed their classic '70s LPs. Originally scheduled for release in summer of 2012, Music from Another Dimension! wound up being pushed back to that year's holiday season, by which time Tyler had departed his judgeship on American Idol.