“Walk This Way” is one of Aerosmith’s signature songs. It was released in 1975 as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic. It did not originally chart, but after “Dream On” from the band’s debut album was reissued and climbed to #6 in 1976, “Walk This Way” was also reissued and reached #10 in early 1977.

The band got the idea for the song’s lyrics from a line in the film Young Frankenstein that originally came from The Three Stooges. While the lyrics sound dirty on the surface, the less obvious meaning trumps it. The title of the song derives from the idea that his fingers are moving in a walking motion while he is sexually pleasing her.

In 1986, producer Rick Rubin arranged for Run DMC to do a cover of the song involving both Tyler and Perry. Both acts were initially hesitant and uninterested, but the song became a surprise top 10 hit in the US and the UK, and revived Aerosmith’s career which, at the time, was a low point.