All Things Reconsidered: Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"

Part of the reason I haven't posted in a while is because I've been swamped with client work. But part of the reason is because I was trying to come up with a semi-clever title for yet another regular column that has nothing to do with baby products. (Sorry, I'm lame like that.) This new column was inspired by all of the things I've seen in a different light since Baba G arrived. Things that I just didn't "get" before now, or feelings I've had about certain issues that only intensified after having a baby.

But today let's start off with something that's not TOO deep, m'kay? Let's kick this thing off with a rock ballad of the sappiest sort: Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." (Which, I learned while doing research for this post, is one of only three songs nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Raspberry. Nice!)

I was NEVER a fan of this song, despite liking most of Aerosmith's other popular singles. Maybe it's because that scene it played in during Armageddon annoyed me. Or maybe it's because I've just never liked many slow love songs in general. Either way, I didn't think much of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" until my husband—after listening to its lullaby version over and over again these past few months—became CONVINCED that it's actually not a romantic-love song, but rather a parent-child love song, specifically about holding a sleeping baby.

WITNESS THESE LYRICS:

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

---

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God we're together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

---

I don't want to miss one smile
I don't want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

---

It makes you think twice, doesn't it?

So I did some investigating, and it turns out that this song was written by Diane Warren. "A woman!" I thought. "Yep, it's definitely about a baby."

However, this Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated songwriter never had any children. Hmm. I'm not saying someone can't write a song about something they might not have experienced (maybe she had nieces or nephews or was really close to friends' kids or something?), but it threw my husband's theory in doubt.

A quick Google search came up with a few articles that claim Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has  said that the reason the band recorded the song (which was fairly different from everything else they'd done until that point) was because he regretted not being in his daughter Liv's life when she was younger. So maybe he, too, saw something in the lyrics beyond a traditional love song. We'll never know.

But I'm certainly never going to think about anything except snuggling with Baba G whenever I hear that song from here on out.