Seasons of Wither

"Seasons of Wither"
Song by Aerosmith from the album Get Your Wings
Released March 1974
Recorded December 1973 - January 1974 at Record Plant Studios, New York
Genre Hard rock
Length 5:38
Label Columbia Records
Writer Steven Tyler
Producer Jack Douglas
Get Your Wings track listing

"Train Kept A-Rollin'"
(6)		 "Seasons of Wither"
(7)		 "Pandora's Box"
(8)

"Seasons of Wither" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and is five minutes and thirty-eight seconds in length. It was released in 1974 on the band's second album Get Your Wings.

Song information

According to Tyler, the song was inspired by the Massachusetts landscape in wintertime.[1] The song's lyrics also discuss a relationship. It is one of Tyler's favorite Aerosmith songs. The song is highlighted by acoustic guitars, slow haunting vocals, and a strong rhythm. On the Get Your Wings album, the song starts off with a crowd of people cheering, which gradually fades to the howling wind and an acoustic guitar played by Tyler which start off the song. This is done to achieve a blending effect between this song and the previous track, "Train Kept A-Rollin'".

Legacy

While not released as a single, the song has gained prominence over the years. It was featured on the career-spanning compilation's Pandora's Box in 1991, O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits in 2002 and on the live album Rockin' the Joint in 2005.

Additionally, the song has been resurrected as a live staple among Aerosmith shows in the 2000s, after not being played much on tours in the late 1980s and 1990s. However, the song was performed at the band's MTV Unplugged performance in 1990. On the Just Push Play Tour in 2001, Tyler and Joe Perry would start off the song at the top of a dual staircase. On the Route of All Evil Tour (2006) and World Tour (2007), Tyler and Joe Perry would start off the song sitting down on chairs at the end of the catwalk.

The song has been covered by Die Kreuzen on the album Gone Away, Tesla on the Real to Reel 2 album and by Vitamin String Quartet on their Aerosmith tribute album. Boston pianist Yoko Miwa has recorded an instrumental jazz version with her trio, and Seattle's defunct Mother Love Bone (Pearl Jam's precursor) also recorded their version, which is available on scattered bootlegs. It can be found on YouTube as well.

References

  1. ↑ Davis, Stephen (2003-02-18). Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith (Reprint Edition ed.). It Books. p. 214. ISBN 9780060515805. "Seasons of Wither" was about the winter landscape near this house I was living in with Joey near an old chicken farm (in Needham, Mass).