10 Famous Rock Songs That Were Almost Called Something Else

10. Aerosmith's Dude (Looks Like A Lady) - Almost Called “Cruisin’ For A Lady”

Serving as the lead single to Aerosmith's 1987 album Permanent Vacation, Dude (Looks Like a Lady) is a very strange song.

If you couldn't already tell, it's about a man who mistakes a fellow man for a woman whilst attempting to make a romantic move on them. The story goes that lead singer Steven Tyler saw what he thought was a woman with long blonde hair in bar one night, only for the "lady" in question to be Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil.

The band were originally going to call the song Cruisin' for a Lady, as they didn't want to offend the gay community by putting any male pronouns in the title. However, long-time collaborator Desmond Child hated the idea, saying that Van Halen wouldn't "put that on the B-side of their worst record."

Ouch, what did Van Halen ever do to you, Des?

With Child's (himself a gay man) permission, Aerosmith gave the song its current title, and it would go on to become a major hit.