Hangman Jury
"Hangman Jury" | ||||
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Single by Aerosmith | ||||
from the album Permanent Vacation | ||||
Released | August 1987 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Genre | Blues | |||
Length | 5:31 | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bruce Fairbairn | |||
Aerosmith singles chronology | ||||
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"Hangman Jury" is a song by American rock band
Background
Perry said of writing the song when sober that "when the
Perry claimed that the praise for this song was his biggest surprise of the Permanent Vacation album.
Perry felt that with the song's "acoustic
According to Aerosmith biographer Martin Power, Tyler got the idea for the song from a record by Taj Mahal, who got the phrase "if I surely could" which most interested Tyler from Lead Belly, who got it from a chant that had been sung by slaves on southern US cotton fields.[8] Aerosmith received permission from Taj Mahal to adapt his song, but Lead Belly's estate sued the band for copyright infringement.[1]
Power describes "Hangman Jury" as "a remarkably powerful song detailing the murder of a wife at the hands of her husband, his dark reasoning for the deed and the terrible consequences to be faced", also saying that it is an example of Aerosmith trying and succeeding to do something different.
Critical reception
Rocky Mount Telegram critic Deborah Saine interprets the song as a warning against using
Charts
Chart (1987) | Peak Position |
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Mainstream Rock Songs[11]
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14 |
References
- ^ ISBN 9780760369364.
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew (August 18, 2015). "How Aerosmith Came Roaring Back With 'Permanent Vacation'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
- ^ "POP MUSIC : Steven Tyler--Straight but Still Swaggering". Los Angeles Times. 1988-01-24. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
- ^ Greene, Andy (2019-09-18). "Inside Aerosmith's 'Deuces Are Wild' Las Vegas Set List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
- ^ Greene, Andy (2016-07-13). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Aerosmith Deep Cuts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
- ISBN 9781476714592.
- ^ a b c d Considine, J.D. (November 13, 1987). "Comeback takes Aerosmith back to its rock roots". Baltimore Sun. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-05-23 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 0711955980.
- ^ a b Saine, Deborah (October 26, 1987). "Aerosmith proves place in '80s rock with release". p. 5. Retrieved 2022-05-23 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Franck, John. "Permanent Vacation". Allmusic. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
- ^ "Aerosmith - Mainstream rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-22.