← Back

Nine Lives

by Aerosmith

Released: March 18, 1997

Hard rock, blues rock

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Chart Success.

The Album

"Nine Lives" is the 12th studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. Released in 1997, it marked a return to Columbia Records after their time at Geffen Records. The creation of the album was marred with trouble from the very beginning.

Inside the Recording

The band had problems with their managers, they fired their longtime producer and had to find a replacement, there were internal qualms, and lead singer, Steven Tyler, had a severe ligament injury during the recording process.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

However, they were able to overcome these difficulties…

However, they were able to overcome these difficulties and complete the album.

The album's cover art, which features a cat…

The album's cover art, which features a cat dancing on a human hand, is inspired from a Hindu painting, reflecting the Eastern influence in some of the album tracks.

Start listening here

Essential Tracks

Nine Lives

"Nine Lives" is the 12th studio album by American rock band Aerosmith.

Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned three significant singles: "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", "Hole in My Soul", and "Pink".

Hole In My Soul

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned three significant singles: "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", "Hole in My Soul", and "Pink".

Pink

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned three significant singles: "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", "Hole in My Soul", and "Pink".

Watch and listen

Explore the Album

Aerosmith - Nine Lives

Open in Albums Gallery

Then

Reception

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned three significant singles: "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", "Hole in My Soul", and "Pink". Despite all challenges, "Nine Lives" achieved double-platinum status and garnered Aerosmith their first Grammy for the single "Pink". "Nine Lives" was met with a mixed response critically, which attributed to the band's effort to return to their blues-based rock roots from their more pop-influenced previous albums.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Nine Lives" is the 12th studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. Released in 1997, it marked a return to Columbia Records after their time at Geffen Records. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned three significant singles: "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", "Hole in My Soul", and "Pink". "Nine Lives" was met with a mixed response critically, which attributed to the band's effort to return to their blues-based rock roots from their more pop-influenced previous albums.

The creation of the album was marred with trouble from the very beginning. The band had problems with their managers, they fired their longtime producer and had to find a replacement, there were internal qualms, and lead singer, Steven Tyler, had a severe ligament injury during the recording process. However, they were able to overcome these difficulties and complete the album.

Despite all challenges, "Nine Lives" achieved double-platinum status and garnered Aerosmith their first Grammy for the single "Pink". The album's cover art, which features a cat dancing on a human hand, is inspired from a Hindu painting, reflecting the Eastern influence in some of the album tracks.