S.O.S. (Too Bad)

"S.O.S. (Too Bad)" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith. It was released in 1975 as the third single from their second album, Get Your Wings (1974).

"S.O.S. (Too Bad)"
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Get Your Wings
B-side	"Lord of the Thighs"
Released	February 20, 1975 (1975-02-20)
Studio	Record Plant (New York City)
Genre	Proto-punk[1]
Length	2:51
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Steven Tyler
Producer	Jack Douglas
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (1974) "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" (1975) "Sweet Emotion" (1975)

Background

Written by Steven Tyler, it is a hard rocking song focusing on sex and sleaze, with a chorus of "I'm a bad, lonely school boy, and I'm a rat, and it's too bad, can't get me none of that." The song starts off with a fast drum beat and basic guitar riff, then slows down, and builds up once again, with Steven Tyler's rapid-fire, fierce lyrics accompanying. The song's lyrical content and musical styles are in the vein of "blooze", a grittier hard rock version of blues music, often with lyrics focused on sex, drugs, and urban life.

"S.O.S. (Too Bad") has been described as a proto-punk song, with numerous elements presaging the punk rock explosion, including dark lyrical themes.^[1]

Record World said "Here comes [Aerosmith's] hard rock supreme to the rescue."^[2]

The song has remained a fan favorite and has been a staple in the setlists on Aerosmith's most recent tours, the Rockin' the Joint Tour and the Route of All Evil Tour.