Aerosmith, ‘What Could Have Been Love’ – Song Review

[tater1977]

Aerosmith, ‘What Could Have Been Love’ – Song Review

by: Billy Dukes 11 minutes ago

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/aerosmit ... been-love/

Columbia

If you want more guitars, more ‘Legendary Child,’ more of the much-hyped Jack Douglas sound of Aerosmith‘s rockin’ ’70s, then their new single is not going to satisfy. You might be better off checking out the band’s other new song, ‘Lover Alot,’ instead.

‘What Could Have Been Love’ is the AC radio hit the group needs to reach a wide audience and sell a ton of copies of ‘Music From Another Dimension‘ on Nov. 6.

Not surprisingly, Douglas didn’t produce this power-ballad. The honor goes to longtime friend and collaborator Marti Frederiksen, who also co-wrote the song along with Steven Tyler and keyboardist Russ Irwin (Frederiksen also helped write ‘Jaded’ from the ‘Just Push Play’ album).

Much like ‘Jaded,’ ‘Cryin’ and ‘Crazy,’ ‘What Could Have Been Love’ is a tight lyric wrapped in bright production that highlights Tyler’s voice.

“I wake up and wonder how everything went wrong / Am I the one to blame / I gave up and left you for a nowhere bound train,” he sings to open the song. (Can we please stop using trains as the ultimate rock metaphor?)

“Now that train (sigh) has come and gone / I close my eyes and see you lying in my bed / And I still dream of that day,” Tyler adds to finish the first verse. The backing vocalists take to repeating his lyrics late in the song, adding the only over-the-top moment of pop sensibility.

The stock chorus lacks imagination or real detail, but Tyler pulls it up with a passion one wouldn’t expect from a man who once broke hearts like Joey Kramer breaks drum sticks.

“What could have been love / Should have been the only thing that was ever meant to be / Didn’t know, couldn’t see what was right in front of me / And now that I’m alone all I have is emptiness that comes from being free / What could have been love will never be,” he sings.

The bottom line is that if this site was called Ultimate Classic Power Ballad, ‘What Could Have Been Love’ would be a staff favorite. Rock fans can appreciate the necessity of this style, but few will embrace it like a song that finds Joe Perry shredding on guitar, or Tyler doing his trademark vocal calisthenics between harmonica solos.

Listen to Aerosmith, ‘What Could Have Been Love’

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/aerosmit ... been-love/

[MCC620]

sounds like another movie soundtrack hit ala" i don't wanna miss a thing"....not bad, but definitely not what is expected of aerosmith in 2012

[jestor92]

I've listened to all three of the songs that have been sprung from their upcoming release. They should push the album back another year because the songs I've heard thus far have sucked big time. Lover Alot may be one of the worst Aerosmith songs I've ever heard. The new ballad is kinda bleh, and Legendary Child should've stayed in the vaults as a collectors song because it's not very good.

Also I have to say I enjoy Aerosmith. I liked everyone of their releases up until Just Push Eject, Just Push Eject though was a fucking abomination of an album.

[slucero]

surprise too with Jack Douglas producing (Get Your Wings (1974), Toys in the Attic (1975), Rocks (1976) and Draw the Line (1977))

Rocks was my favorite album for a loong tme...

[No Surprize]

surprise too with Jack Douglas producing (Get Your Wings (1974), Toys in the Attic (1975), Rocks (1976) and Draw the Line (1977))

Rocks was my favorite album for a loong tme...


You can rest assured that Jack Douglas was nothing but a figure head in the studio. He probably got to "Tweak" a knob on the soundboard, once. After hearing 3

songs off the new cd, I can tell this is another attempt to hit the top 40 singles chart. Diane warren again, really? A duet with Carrie Underwood, wtf? The getting

back to the old Aerosmith sound will never happen. Long ago in days untold we had No More, No More, Uncle Salty, Back in the saddle, Sick as a dog, Draw the

line, etc. zzzzzzzzzz

[slucero]

You can rest assured that Jack Douglas was nothing but a figure head in the studio. He probably got to "Tweak" a knob on the soundboard, once. After hearing 3

songs off the new cd, I can tell this is another attempt to hit the top 40 singles chart. Diane warren again, really? A duet with Carrie Underwood, wtf? The getting

back to the old Aerosmith sound will never happen. Long ago in days untold we had No More, No More, Uncle Salty, Back in the saddle, Sick as a dog, Draw the

line, etc. zzzzzzzzzz

maybe he's a figurehead now... I was referring to when they made Rocks..... that album was recorded in a huge warehouse... and they got a "sound" that was phenomenal.. and the was due to Douglas and the engineering of JJay Messina

now.. I'm sure things are different.. and with Marti Frederiksen, Desmong Child, Russ Irwin, and Jim Vallance co-writing the songs are not solely Aerosmith... but sonically to me its still a bit of a surprise... I'm not hearing the "edge" I was hoping to hear...

[No Surprize]

I'm not hearing the "edge" I was hoping to hear...


No one else is either


Having outside writers (which is something that the band stated was NOT happening) is killing them. Rehashing a song like Legendary Child that was shelved

over 20 years ago was a tipping off point to me that they haven't a clue anymore. I use to think that this was Steven Tyler's doing, but I believe now that Joe

Perry has bought into the shit. Whitford, Hamilton and Kramer are only in it now for the ride into the sunset.

[yulog]

Several good songs on the new cd, i believe the outside writer songs will be the most radio friendly. With 15 songs on the new cd theres bound to be something for all aerosmith fans.