Permanent Vacation was released in August 1987, becoming a major hit

Permanent Vacation was released in August 1987, becoming a major hit and the band’s bestselling album in over a decade (selling 5 million copies in the US), with all three of its singles (” Dude (Looks Like a Lady) “, ” Angel “, and ” Rag Doll “) reaching the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Steven Tyler reveals in his autobiography that the album was “…the first one we ever did sober.” Part of Permanent Vacation ‘ s commercial success involved producer Bruce Fairbairn whose production touches (such as sound effects and high-quality recording) added interest to the album and the use of outside songwriters such as Desmond Child , Jim Vallance , and Holly Knight who assisted the band with lyrics. While the group was initially hesitant to using outside songwriters, including Tyler being furious for Knight getting songwriting credits for changing one word (“Rag Time” became “Rag Doll”), the method paid off, as Permanent Vacation became the band’s most successful album in a decade. The group went on a subsequent tour with labelmates Guns N’ Roses (who have cited Aerosmith as a major influence), which was intense at times because of Aerosmith’s new struggle to stay clean amidst Guns N’ Roses’ well-publicized, rampant drug use.