Aerosmith - Dude (Looks Like A Lady)

So never judge a book by its cover
Or who you gonna love by your lover
Said...love put me wise to her love in disguise
She had the body of a Venus
Lord, imagine my surprise



Thanks, Rebecca, for reminding me of this classic!

And a classic it is! Aerosmith is one of the great classic rock groups from Boston. The group was formed in 1970. Recognize some of these names?

Lead singer, Steven Tyler
Base guitar, Tom Hamilton
Lead guitar, Joe Perry
Drums, Joey Kramer
Guitar, Brad Whitford.

These were the core members of the band, in the 1970's. Some members left and some returned but, nevertheless, the band continued to produce hits well into the 1990's.

Dude (looks like a lady) is off of the Permanent Vacation album, released in 1987.

Over at SongMeanings.com, Steeler3 posted this comment on the meaning behind the song:

The song, which originally started out as "Cruisin' for a Lady", talks about a male with an effeminate appearance who is mistaken for a female. There is a story that the song was inspired by the glam look of the members of Mötley Crüe and their constant usage of the word "dude". Steven Tyler says in the book Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith, "Then one day we met Mötley Crüe, and they're all going, 'Dude!' Dude this and Dude that, everything was Dude. 'Dude (Looks Like a Lady)' came out of that session."

Joe Perry came up with the chorus riff, and Tyler came up with the chorus refrain.

In his recent book, The Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe claims that the song was specifically inspired by Vince Neil, singer with Mötley Crüe.




The lyrics:

Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady

Cruised into a bar on the shore
Her picture graced the grime on the door
She a long lost love at first bite
Baby, maybe you're wrong
But you know it's all right...that's right

Back stage we're having the time
Of our lives until somebody say
Forgive me if I seem out of line
Then she whipped out her gun
And tried to blow me away

Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady

So never judge a book by its cover
Or who you gonna love by your lover
Said...love put me wise to her love in disguise
She had the body of a Venus
Lord, imagine my surprise

Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady

(Baby let me follow you down)
Let me take a peak dear
(Baby let me follow you down)
Do me, do me, do me all night
(Baby let me follow you down)
Turn the other cheek dear
(Baby let me follow you down)
Do me, do me, do me, do me

Oooh...what a funky lady
Ooh, she like it, like it, like it, like that
Oooh, he was a lady
Yeow...wak ak ak ak aow

Dude looks like a lady
Dude look like a lady
Dude looks like a lady...woh
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Dude looks like a lady
Du du du dude looks like a lady
Du du du dude looks like a lady
Du du du dude looks like a lady
Du du du dude looks like a lady
Yeow...yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yeow yeow yeow yeow
Gi gi gi gi gi gi gi gi geow