Rocks cover art

  Studio Album · No. 4

Rocks Songwriting Credits by Aerosmith

1976 Columbia Records 9 tracks 34 min

Produced by Jack Douglas, Aerosmith  ·  Engineered by Jay Messina, David Hewitt, Rod O'Brien, Sam Ginsburg

Columbia Records Hard RockArena RockHeavy Metal
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 9 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Aerosmith carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
9 trackswritten by Aerosmith 0 tracksoutside writers
Aerosmith's roles on this album

Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

9
Tracks
4
Lyricists
2
Producers
1976
Released
Data Insight

Rocks is an all-original album with the writing spread widely across the band rather than confined to Tyler and Perry. Tyler and Perry share 'Back in the Saddle,' 'Rats in the Cellar,' 'Get the Lead Out,' and 'Lick and a Promise,' while Brad Whitford steps up as co-writer on 'Last Child' and 'Nobody's Fault' and sole writer of 'Combination,' which he and Perry also sing. Tom Hamilton co-wrote 'Sick as a Dog,' and Tyler wrote the ballad 'Home Tonight' alone. The album was produced by Jack Douglas with the band, and there are no covers on it.

Aerosmith's fourth studio album, released May 3, 1976, their first co-production credit alongside Jack Douglas. Considered by critics and the band alike as their finest work, a raw and relentless hard rock record recorded at their peak creative powers. 'Back in the Saddle' (Tyler-Perry) and 'Last Child' (Tyler-Whitford) became hard rock classics. Joe Perry receives his only sole writing credit on this album with 'Combination.' The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and is widely cited as an influence on the heavy metal and punk movements that followed.

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 7 contributors

More from Aerosmith

Frequently Asked Questions Rocks

Did Aerosmith write all of Rocks?
Yes. Every song on Rocks is an original written by members of the band. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry lead the writing, with significant contributions from Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton, and there are no cover songs on the album.
Who wrote Last Child?
'Last Child' was written by Steven Tyler and guitarist Brad Whitford. Released as a single, it reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of the band's bigger hits of the mid-1970s.
What is Back in the Saddle about and who wrote it?
'Back in the Saddle' was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and opens the album. It is one of the band's signature hard rock tracks and was released as a single.
Who produced Rocks?
Rocks was produced by Jack Douglas together with Aerosmith, with Jay Messina among the engineers. It was recorded in early 1976 and released by Columbia Records.
How successful was Rocks commercially?
Rocks reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was one of the first albums to ship platinum on release. It has since been certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.
Did Brad Whitford write songs on Rocks?
Yes. Brad Whitford co-wrote 'Last Child' and 'Nobody's Fault' with Steven Tyler and wrote 'Combination' on his own, making Rocks one of his most prominent writing showcases in the Aerosmith catalog.

Sources