"What It Takes" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Desmond Child. It was released in 1990 as the third single from Aerosmith's critically and commercially successful 1989 album Pump. In the video The Making of Pump, A&R man John Kalodner described the song as "a masterpiece". During live performances, Tyler sings the first verse a cappella and belts out one of his signature screams right before the chorus. The album version of the song is followed by an untitled hidden track.