An old video shared on Aerosmith’s 1997-era website captivated many fans. The clip, titled “stpiano.mov,” featured Steven Tyler wearing a “Toxic Twins” t-shirt, playing a beautiful, unfinished ballad on the piano. The archived video can be found here. Judging by his appearance—reminiscent of the Permanent Vacation/Pump era—the footage likely dates back to the Little Mountain Studios sessions in Vancouver during the 1988 Pump sessions, as those sessions were being videotaped. Fans on the old AF1 forum dubbed it “The Aerosmith Ballad That Never Was,” and many have long wondered what the full song might have sounded like.
Partial lyrics from the clip include:
Devil he can see the light,
Oh Lord, never seen them right,
Well, will she break your heart?
Got you in her spell,
Will she break your heart?
Only time will,
Tell you mama, everything will be alright…
Despite years of speculation, the song’s origin remains unconfirmed. Songwriter Jim Vallance once mentioned that it reminded him of an idea from the early Permanent Vacation sessions, but it didn’t match anything he recalled. The closest lead to a title comes from a leaked list of old song titles. On a tape dated December 30, 1986, there’s an instrumental called “Only Time Will Tell.” Given Steven’s lyrics in the video, it’s plausible that the clip shows a piano rehearsal of this elusive track from 1986.
In 2005, a dedicated fan endeavored to bring this unfinished ballad to life. Drawing from the leaked samples, partial lyrics, and independent research, he began experimenting with the chords. While learning the basics of home recording on an old computer, he recorded a rough version of the song—covering the part featured in the video and adding placeholder lyrics for a second verse. Over time, other fans shared this cover on YouTube, and surprisingly, many mistook it for an actual Aerosmith recording, despite its amateur quality compared to what a full-band Aerosmith version would undoubtedly offer. One fan from Brazil even created his own cover of this rendition, playing and singing it with remarkable skill.
Will we ever hear a completed version or confirm the song’s true origin? It’s possible that it was never fully recorded or developed beyond a band rehearsal.
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