Back in the Saddle

Perry wrote the main riff on a Fender Bass VI, an instrument he liked because Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac occasionally used a similar instrument in live shows. Whitford plays the lead guitar part and Hamilton adds a heavy bass line. A real bullwhip was meant to supply the whip sound, but the band cut and hurt themselves trying to make it crack, so the effect came from whirling a 30-foot cord and firing a cap gun. The song ends with screams and yodeling from Tyler.

Released in March 1977 as the third single from Rocks, it reached number 38 on the Hot 100. It was only a moderate hit at first, but its stature grew until it became one of the band's best known songs. After the 1984 reunion it gave its name to the Back in the Saddle Tour.