Let The Music Do The Talking

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry wrote this song after leaving the band in 1979. He recorded it with his own group, The Joe Perry Project, making it the title track of their 1980 album. When Perry returned to Aerosmith in 1984, the band signed a new record deal with Geffen Records and began to sober up, leading to their wildly successful comeback. Done with Mirrors was their first Geffen album, and a newly recorded "Let the Music Do the Talking" was the first single. This success would have to wait, however, as both the single and album sold poorly, mostly consumed by fans loyal to the band from their '70s heyday. Their resurgence would come two years later with the release of the Permanent Vacation album.

The Done with Mirrors album had an interesting packaging gimmick: the letters were printed backward so you had to hold it up to a mirror to read it. The single cover for this song was also printed this way.

Along with the rest of the album, this song was produced by Ted Templeman, best known for his work with Van Halen. It was Aerosmith's record company that paired them with Templeman, hoping he would deliver something along the lines of his previous Van Halen effort, 1984. Templeman and Aerosmith didn't click, and for their next album, Bruce Fairbairn was at the controls.