Def Leppard | Take It Easy

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, as he tells us in his post – A Definitive List – Jim is inviting us to play a song from the List of the 200 Definitive albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which, as Wikipedia tells us, is a 2007 list of the best albums ever produced by artists or bands throughout the history of world music, according to the criteria of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), whoever they are. Good sales performance and continuity of potential with lasting popularity are apparently adopted as criteria by both.

I have been critical on many occasions about the criteria used by the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame in choosing their inductees, many of whom have absolutely no connection with rock music, but I was pleasantly surprised when I sought this list out, as there were probably approaching 150 albums there from which I could have chosen. The usual mix of (c)rap was in there, of course, but I won’t be playing any of those – no surprise there, then! As you might expect, the list was a little biased towards the US, with several inclusions that didn’t do anything over here, but there were plenty of choices from elsewhere, including quite a few Brits.

I’m staying at home and going with one of the bands who have two albums on the list: Def Leppard, at #36 with Hysteria and at #86 with Pyromania, and am playing songs from both of them. I wouldn’t mind betting that I will be failing in my usual attempt at avoiding duplications with other SLS participants, but never mind – they are worth hearing more than once. This is the opener for today, the title track from Hysteria:

And here are the lyrics:

Out of touch, out of reach, yeahYou could try to get closer to me

I’m in love, I’m in deep, yeahHypnotized, I’m shakin’ to my knees

I gotta know tonightIf you’re alone tonightCan’t stop this feelin’

Can’t stop this fire

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteriaOh, can you feel it? (Oh, can you feel it?)Do you believe it? (Do you believe it?)It’s such a magical mysteriaWhen you get that feelin’ (when you get that feelin’)Better start believin’ (better start believin’)‘Cause it’s a miracleOh, say you will, ooh, babeHysteria when you’re near

Out of me, into you, yeahYou can’t hide, it’s just a one-way streetOh, I believe I’m in you, yeahOpen wide, that’s rightDream me off my feetOh, believe in me

I gotta know tonightIf you’re alone tonightCan’t stop this feelingCan’t stop this fire

C’mon

I gotta know tonightIf you’re alone tonightCan’t stop this feelingCan’t stop this fire

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria(When you get that feelin’) You better believe itBetter start believin’ (better start believin’)God, it’s a miracleOh, say you will, ooh babeSay you will

Get closer to meGet closer, baby (oh)BabyCloser (get closer)Closer (get closer)Closer to me

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Robert John Lange / Stephen Clark / Richard John Cyril Allen / Richard Savage / Joseph Elliott / Philip Kenneth Collen

Hysteria was Def Leppard’s fourth album, released in August 1987, and it topped the charts in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It was a phenomenal success, selling more than 20m copies worldwide, including 12m in the US (12x Platinum), 1m in Canada (Diamond), and 600k in the UK (2x platinum). Seven of its twelve tracks were released as singles: this was the fourth, in November 1987 in the UK and January 1988 in the US, and it peaked at #9 in the US and #26 in the UK. Nevertheless, it still went Silver in the UK for more than 200k sales. This was their first album since drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash on New Year’s Eve 1984, following which the band – who were close friends – stuck by him and continued with suitable adjustments to accommodate him. That’s friendship at its best, for me. You may have noticed that the video says “long version” – that is because this is the full length song from the album, clocking in at 5’54”, which was cut down to 3’50” for the single. You get your full money’s worth with me!

I’m playing another from that record, which has long been a favourite album of mine. This is one of the other singles:

Love Bites was the sixth single from the album, released in July 1988, peaking at #11 in the UK but making #1 in the US and also on the Canadian Retail Singles chart. It backs up my love for this album: there isn’t a duff track among its twelve, and the whole thing comes in at over 62 minutes. It brings back memories for me: our older daughter was just a year old and, because of a gastric problem, we were still having to part bottle feed her. She was also sleeping very poorly, so we got into a routine of giving her the final bottle of the day, after we had eaten, and I would then do all the washing up and sterilising for the next day, whilst trying to be as quiet as possible. I had a Sony Walkman – remember them? – and had this album on cassette. It was played a lot while I was doing my church mouse act: I just had to remember not to sing along with it!

Pyromania didn’t do as well in the charts as its successor, but still achieved some respectable placings. It was released in January 1983, and peaked at #18 in the UK. It did far better across the pond, though, making #2 in the US and #4 in Canada. It sold more than 10m copies in the US, being certified Diamond, and went 7x Platinum in Canada for 700k sales, and even made Silver in the UK for 60k. We took a little longer to appreciate them! Four of the album’s ten tracks were released as singles: this was the first, at the same time the album came out, peaking at #66 in the UK, #32 in Canada, and #12 in the US, though it did get to #1 on the US Mainstream Radio Play chart. As I said, we were a bit slow on the uptake here, but this was the one where we began to take notice: I remember it getting a fair bit of airplay at the time.