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Cover of Permanent Vacation by Aerosmith
Cover: Permanent Vacation

Song · Aerosmith

“Dude Looks Like a Lady” by Aerosmith

From the album Permanent Vacation (1987)

“Dude Looks Like a Lady” by Aerosmith appears on 89 radio countdowns from 29 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1987 on the album Permanent Vacation. Its best result is #16 on the 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,247 alternative song of all time.

89countdowns
29stations
#16best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Aerosmith - Dude (Looks Like A Lady) (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (AerosmithVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Dude Looks Like a Lady" led Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation into the world in 1987, a brassy, strutting joke of a song that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wrote with songwriter Desmond Child. The joke came from real life: by Child's account, Tyler mistook Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, long blond hair and all, for a woman, and his bandmates ribbed him about it.

Bruce Fairbairn produced it and blows trumpet on it too, stacking a horn section of trombone, clarinet and saxophones on top of Perry and Brad Whitford's guitars, Tom Hamilton's bass and Joey Kramer's drums. Bob Rock and Mike Fraser engineered it, Fraser mixed it, and Tyler throws in harmonica for good measure.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 79 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 296 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 310 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 669 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 748 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 257 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 240 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 65 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 576 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 448 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 473 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2002 644 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 643 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 366 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 433 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 269 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2010 191 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 1076 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 108 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 1142 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 128 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 659 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 289 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 529 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 413 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 423 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 567 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 340 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 219 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 206 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 494 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 530 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 384 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 110 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 303 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 226 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 294 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 112 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 1008 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 150 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 130 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 126 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 74 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 356 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2020 694 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 143 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 81 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 145 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 269 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2021 16 KISW KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from the '80s 25
2021 364 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 251 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 125 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 373 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 410 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 269 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 84 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2022 114 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 464 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 84 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 64 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 355 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 71 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 67 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2023 561 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 50 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 249 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 114 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 490 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 162 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 96 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 293 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 213 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 106 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 119 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 298 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 698 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 95 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 37 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 32 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 141 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2025 16 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 190 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 108 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 299 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 447 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 290 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2026 233 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 146 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Dude (Looks Like a Lady); Dude (Looks Like A Lady); Dude (Looks Like a Lad; Dude Looks Like A Lady; DUDE (Looks Like A Lady); Dude (Looks Like Lady).

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