Music Video of the Day: Chiquita by Aerosmith (1979, directed by Arnold Levine)


Today’s music video of the day comes to us from the time when Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were both truly living up to their reputation for being the Toxic Twins.  It can be easy to forget now that they are both rock luminaries and both have, more or less, cleaned up their acts as far as hard drugs are concerned but it’s something of a miracle that the two of them survived the 70s and the 80s.

Chiquita was recorded for Aerosmith’s 6th studio album, Night of the Ruts.  The recording of this album found Aerosmith on the verge of breaking up.  Joe Perry actually did leave the band halfway through recording, saying that he wanted to get back to what the band used to be about before it all became about making money for the record companies.  The album was panned when originally released but its critical reputation has improved over the years, with Steven Tyler calling it his favorite Aerosmith album.

The video was directed by Arnold Levine, who also directed videos for Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon.

Enjoy!