“Walking on Danger Street” is one of those Aerosmith outtakes that feels far more complete than a throwaway idea. Recorded during the Permanent Vacation sessions at Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver in 1987, it later surfaced on collector tapes and the bootleg Permanent Outtakes, where it has circulated ever since. The song carries a swaggering, blues-based rock ’n’ roll punch that recalls early ’80s Aerosmith tracks like “Lightning Strikes,” but with a slightly more polished edge shaped by the band’s new studio environment. Steven Tyler delivers verses in a talk-sing cadence before leaning into a shout-along chorus, while the guitars and rhythm section lock into a tough, driving groove. Fans who’ve heard it often note how finished it sounds compared to other demos, suggesting it made it fairly far into development before being cut from the running order. A couple of mixes have surfaced among collectors, showing it was revisited more than once in rough form.
The lyrics that circulate paint a vivid picture of a rebellious “wild child” spiralling between rock ’n’ roll excess and self-destruction. “You’re one step away from walkin’ on Danger Street” is the hook, framed by imagery of tight clothes, fights with authority, and drug use, in the classic Aerosmith storytelling mode of dangerous youth and temptation. It is cheeky, gritty and energetic, and thematically closer to the band’s rougher, street-tough persona than to the slicker, radio-minded tone of the finished album.
That clash may explain why “Walking on Danger Street” never made the final cut. Permanent Vacation was designed as a comeback album, tightly sequenced around radio-ready singles like “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Angel,” with carefully balanced blues moments such as “Hangman Jury.” In that context, “Danger Street” felt like an older blueprint for the band—full of swagger, but not obviously a hit and not tonally aligned with the record’s mainstream push. For a band in 1987 working to prove themselves sober, professional, and commercially viable again, a track that leaned more towards a throwback street-rocker was likely an easy one to leave behind. It remains, however, an intriguing document of just how much strong material was being generated in that creative burst, and a glimpse of an alternate path the album might have taken.
I SAW YOU STRANDED IN THE SECOND ROW
YA LOVE TA BOOGIE TO MY ROCK N’ROLL
TEASIN’ THE BOYS WITH YOUR DRESS CREEPIN’ UP YOUR LEG
YOU SHAKE YOUR HIPS DRIVIN’ ME INSANE
YOU WET YOUR LIPS TRY TA RATTLE MY CHAIN
TO BAG YOUR BONES HONEY ANY STRAY DOG WOULD BEG
WILD CHILD YOU’RE SO RED HOT
YOU’RE GIVIN’ OFF A LOT A HEAT
YOU’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM WALKIN’ ON DANGER STREET
YOU’RE MAMMA HATES THE WAY YA RANT AND RAVE
YOU’RE GONNA DRIVE HER TO AN EARLY GRAVE
YOUR SKIN TIGHT CLOTHES
YOU’RE DRESSIN’ LIKE MY SEX MACHINE
THROWN OUT OF SCHOOL ‘COZ YA BROKE THE RULES
YA KICKED THE TEACHER IN THE FAMILY JEWELS
STRUTTIN’ YOUR STUFF YOU AIN’T NO TYPICAL SWEET SIXTEEN
WILD CHILD YOU’RE OUT ALL NIGHT
TEMPTATION IS AT YOUR FEET
RESTLESS AND BORED CRUISIN’ ON DANGER STREET
DANGER STREET
WALKIN’ ON DANGER STREET
YOU’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM WALKIN’ ON DANGER STREET
YOU MESS WITH TROUBLE IN IT EVERY NIGHT
A SILVER SPOON AND SOME CHINA WHITE
YA GETTIN’ YOUR KICKS WITH YOUR FRIENDS
JUST A LITTLE PUNK
YOU’RE IN A STRAIT WHEN YOU FEEL SO SICK
YOU GOT THE HABIT ‘COZ YOU JUST CAN’T KICK IT
LOOKIN’ TA SCORE
SAID WILD CHILD YOU GET SO HIGH
YOU’RE TRIPPIN’ ON YOUR OWN TWO FEET
YOU’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM CRUISIN’ ON DANGER STREET
SAID SAID SAID SAID DANGER STREET
WALKIN’ ON DANGER STREET
YOU’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM WALKIN’ ON DANGER STREET
The Back-Burner: Aerosmith Outtakes & Demos 