In a recent interview with Classic Album Review, Desmond Child shared the story behind Aerosmith’s ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady,’ co-written with Steven Tyler, revealing that a misunderstanding involving Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil inspired the lyrics.
Child recalled, “Steven says – because he’s the people-pleaser – ‘Well, when I first came up with that riff, I was singing ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady.’’ I said, ‘What?’ He repeated, ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady,’ and Joe [Perry] said, ‘But we don’t know what that means, and we don’t want to insult the gay community.’ I said, ‘Okay, dude, I’m gay, not insulted. Tell me, how did you come up with ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady?’’”
Tyler explained that he’d once been in an empty bar near Boston during happy hour. He described spotting someone at the end of the bar: “It was this platinum-mullet-haired goddess with porcelain skin, curves, jewelry, rings, and black nails.”
The band members drew straws to decide who would approach her, only to realize it was Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe. Child said, “So, Steven instantly started saying, ‘Ooh, that dude looks like a lady! Dude looks like a lady,’ and he loves the alliteration.”
Though the song became a hit, it faced criticism from some fans and LGBTQ+ activists for allegedly being transphobic. Child, however, saw it as an opportunity to challenge norms rather than offend.
“When Steven Tyler sings, ‘Never judge a book by the cover or who you’re gonna love by your lover,’ it was opening people’s minds because it was a very conservative time,” the singer told The Guardian last year.
He added, “And nowadays, they’re getting people revved up that somehow trans people are coming after your children. It’s a bogeyman, like with antisemitism. They implant it in the mind. It’s not logical, but it generates hatred. And then people find the candidate that hates everything and vote for them.”
Released in 1987 as the lead single of Aerosmith’s ninth album, ‘Permanent Vacation,’ ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ received two MTV Video Music Award nominations. The music video featured Aerosmith performing alongside drag queens.
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