Sweet Emotion - Song Structure

Song Structure

The beginning of the song is a repeating electric bass riff tracked alongside the bass marimba, played by Jay Messina. The introduction builds with the use of a talk box by Joe Perry, which has become one of the more famous uses of the guitar talk box in popular music (Perry's guitar "sings" the line "sweet emotion" over Hamilton's bass riff). Eventually Steven Tyler joins in, singing in unison with Perry's talk box. The actual talk box device used was called The Bag and was made by Kustom Electronics. The now discontinued device had been used earlier by guitarists including Jeff Beck and Mike Pinera.

The song kicks into a more rocking rhythm with dueling guitars, and rapid-fire angry-sounding lyrics sung by Steven Tyler. The chorus of the song consists of a repeating guitar riff followed by a mirror of the "sweet emotion" intro.

The song also features several bizarre instruments including two shotguns and a sugar bag. The final version appearing on "Toys in the Attic" was mixed from takes 11 and 12.

On the 1980 compilation album Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, "Sweet Emotion" appears in edited form. The bass and talk box introduction is cut, and the track begins with the chorus that precedes the first verse. The guitar solo at the end of the song was also excised, and the track concludes with the chorus, which repeats as the song fades out. This same edit was used for the original single release of the song, which was quickly replaced in subsequent pressings with the album version from Toys in the Attic.