Written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Desmond Child,[5] it was released in 1989 as the third single from the critically and commercially successful 1989 album Pump.

"I'll put some ballads on an album," Tyler remarked, "if that's what it takes so that some young kid can get to hear a 'Young Lust' or 'F.I.N.E.*'.

"[6][7] Child had co-written the power ballad "Angel" for Aerosmith's previous album, but the band wanted to make sure that its own identity was reflected in "What It Takes."

One, directed by Wayne Isham,[9] features the band performing in the Longhorn Ballroom in the middle of a brawl.

The latter received much greater airplay, and was also the version the band chose to include on their video collection Big Ones You Can Look At.