Nine Lives (Aerosmith album)
Nine Lives is the twelfth studio album by Aerosmith, released on March 18, 1997. The band produced the record with Kevin Shirley. It marked their first Columbia Records studio release since 1982’s Rock in a Hard Place. In the United States, the album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and sold more than two million copies. The single “Pink” won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Recording and writing took place after a rocky start. Early sessions happened at Criteria Studios in Miami with producer Glen Ballard, where Steven Tyler and Ballard co-wrote songs like “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees),” “Taste of India,” and “Pink.” Other writers, including Desmond Child and Taylor Rhodes, later contributed. Drummer Joey Kramer went through a period of depression during rehearsals, so Steve Ferrone played drums for a time. Kramer eventually returned, and the band rerecorded tracks to restore the sound they wanted.
The album’s release was delayed. Columbia was unhappy with the nine tracks they’d produced with Ballard, and in July 1996 the band also ended its long partnership with manager Tim Collins. Kevin Shirley was hired as an in-house producer, and the group recorded in New York City’s Avatar Studios with John Kalodner back as A&R supervisor. The team trimmed about 24 songs down to 13. The project was originally titled Vindaloo to reflect added Indian influences, but the final title Nine Lives fit the band’s view of the album’s troubled creation. The album’s cover art caused controversy: the original illustration showed Krishna with a cat’s head and female breasts, which Hindu groups found offensive. The artwork was pulled and replaced with a new cover showing a cat strapped to a circus knife-thrower’s wheel.
The Nine Lives tour became Aerosmith’s longest-running, spanning North America, Japan, and most of Europe from 1997 into 1999. The tour was pushed back several times due to injuries to Steven Tyler and Joey Kramer. Throughout the tour, they shared stages with newer rock acts such as Candlebox, Monster Magnet, Seven Mary Three, Skunk Anansie, and Talk Show. A planned European run in 1998 with Faith No More was scrapped after Faith No More announced their breakup.
Critical reception was mixed. AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine criticized Nine Lives for sounding overworked and lacking strong hooks, while Rolling Stone offered a more favorable view, suggesting the album would please listeners who enjoy Aerosmith’s power ballads alongside harder rock.
Some versions of the album include different tracks. The Japanese editions feature “Fall Together.” The song “What Kind of Love Are You On” began as “What Kind of Lover You Want” and appeared in the 1998 movie Armageddon and its soundtrack; it was later included on the European re-release of the album as part of the “Pink” single’s edition. Unfinished or discarded Florida-era songs included “Bacon Biscuit Blues,” “Bridges Are Burning,” “Heart of Passion,” “Loretta,” and “Trouble,” and Steven Tyler even mentioned a track called “Where the Sun Never Shines” in interviews.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:42 (CET).