B-side "Combination" Format Record Genre Funk rock | Released May 27, 1976 Recorded 1976 Length 3:26 | |
"Last Child" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford. It was released as the first single from the band's album Rocks in 1976. The song peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of many in a string of hit singles for the band in the mid-1970s.
Contents
Structure
The song is one of the most famous co-contributions of Brad Whitford to the band. Live, he plays a variation of the guitar solo as heard on the original recording. The song opens like a slow song, with the slow, careful playing of the guitar and Steven Tyler's dreamy lyrics. But then after 22 seconds, it abruptly changes to a hard rocking bluesy song, complete with a boogie background and two-guitar interplay between Whitford and Joe Perry, with Whitford playing the low notes of the song's riff on the verse and Perry playing funk chords higher up on the neck.
Legacy
Long after its release, "Last Child" continues to see regular airplay on rock radio stations and is regularly rotated into Aerosmith's concert setlist, even on their latest tour. In concert, it is often Whitford's feature spot, in which Tyler gives him an introduction with something like "Brad Whitford, what do you got to show for yourself?" or "What do you got up your sleeve?" Whitford often does a little bit of an intro before playing the opening notes to the song.
Although it is often assumed that the guitar solo as heard on the studio recording was played by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry, it has also been rumored to have been played by an uncited (hired) guitarist. During his appearance as a guest on That Metal Show in 2012, Whitford stated that he actually wrote and performed the solo himself.
"Last Child" has also been re-released on numerous Aerosmith compilations including Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits, and Devil's Got a New Disguise as well as numerous live collections including Live! Bootleg, Classics Live II, and A Little South of Sanity.
The song is one of Aerosmith's most funk-based tracks, modeled after the band The Meters.
Other appearances
Mickey Thomas, Earl Slick, Nathan East and Steve Ferrone covered the song for the Aerosmith tribute album Not the Same Old Song and Dance (Eagle Records, 1999).
A cover version of this song appears in the game Guitar Hero II. The cover is based on the live version from A Little South of Sanity.