The classic rock CD Hysteria was released by Def Leppard in 1987, some twenty years ago. Hysteria is a classic rock CD by Def Leppard that’s one of my favorites to play, because I can listen to roughly a solid hour of really good energetic music. I will do a song by song review of the classic rock CD Hysteria by Def Leppard in the following article, which includes comments on all 12 rock songs. Seven of these 12 songs were hit singles in the USA, and helped to make this CD release one of the biggest sellers of all time, with well over 15 million copies sold worldwide!
1. Women was the first rock single release for Hysteria in the USA, and runs close to 6 minutes. It begins with a Bible-like message that is ironically immersed in ominous sounding music:
In the beginning God made the land
Then He made the water and creatures
Then He made man…
The lyrics to this Def Leppard classic rock song go on to basically praise God for making women, especially because of the pleasure they give to men as the refrain stresses:
Women, women, lots of pretty women…
This classic rock song really borders on being really sexist in lyrics, though I never really paid much attention to the lyrics to this CD until writing this article. I never realized just how hedonistic this CD’s message really is because I was so caught up in the powerful and intense music of Hysteria as a whole.
2. The music in Rocket really gives me the feeling of being on a hard rock rocket ship going through space. Rocket is the longest track on Hysteria by Def Leppard. Joe Elliott sings rather slowly during many parts of the song, and some of the lyrics honor past songs that allude to space like David Bowie’s Space Oddity work via the mention of Major Tom. Rocket is like a hard rock symphony that flows slowly on.
3. The classic rock music of Animal really rivets the soul with its fast and hypnotic pace and discusses man’s animal instincts to the max. Did you know that Hysteria was purported to be named Animal Instincts initially? Def Leppard wouldn’t have gone wrong with that title for this classic rock CD.
4. Hysteria does have a pure rock ballad in Love Bites. Love Bites is my least favorite song on the CD because it’s got a rather whiny tone, and the song’s lack of energy interrupts a normally pulsating CD. It’s rather hypocritical in lyrics because this time Def Leppard moans about feeling used in the “romantic” act, when much of the rest of the CD is mostly about the glories of living loosely.
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me is one of those classic rock songs that late 1980’s hipsters used to dance to in the clubs. There’s a strong dance beat throughout the verses of this Def Leppard tune which pulsates with real energy.
6. Armageddon It is another Def Leppard Hysteria song that’s easy to get into, given its inviting music and singing by Joe Elliott. The lyrics for this, which again go back to the Bible for inspiration, makes a play on words for getting “you know what”:
Yeah, but are you gettin’ it?
Armageddon it
Ooh, really gettin’ it?
Yes armageddon it
Hysteria’s music and energy are so alluring despite its hedonistic attitude. I knew a devout Jehovah’s Witnesses woman who said that Hysteria by Def Leppard was her favorite CD of all time. So if the pious are drawn to this work, what does this say about the power of this band’s music?
7. Gods of War has always been my favorite classic rock song in this CD, but it was never released in the USA on radio. This anti-war song by Def Leppard is about the only classic rock song which breaks from the normally hedonistic lyrics of the other songs on Hysteria. The intensity is riveting from the very get go and you can feel the anger by Joe Elliott as he rips the idea of being involved in war….
I don’t wanna be there
I don’t wanna be anywhere…
One of my favorite lyrics of all time goes…
On a countdown to zero
Take a ride on a nightmare machine
There ain’t gonna be heroes
There ain’t gonna be anything…
The intense anti-war feeling in Gods of War is highlighted by the words of both Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan toward the end of the song, along with battle action. Really intense drum playing throughout makes this song quite memorable.
8. Don’t Shoot Shotgun is my second favorite classic rock tune from this Def Leppard CD. To me, this sounds as good on a turned up quality stereo as any song out there. Don’t Shoot Shotgun’s pace is fast and really friendly all the way through. But upon closer examination of the lyrics, it’s another one of those type of classic rock songs that glorifies “women of fantasy”.
9. Run Riot may be the classic rock song that best exemplifies the concept name of Hysteria. The lyrics that are about living a life without limits to the point of breaking the law are sung in non-stop shouts. The drum work throughout the verses puts quite an exclamation on it, as if there’s no way to calm Def Leppard down. Its ending ends all too quickly like a sudden crash.
10. Hysteria is a “semi classic rock ballad” of which the CD is named for. To me, this song isn’t that notable except that it brings a sense of calm after many intense songs preceding it. Elliott’s tribute to a woman who makes him feel rather vulnerable has a good flow to it, but its begging tone reduces it to only being tolerable enough to listen to before the next song Excitable, which is the most hedonistic song of them all, in my view….
11. Excitable is a CD song that’s almost as maddening in sound as Run Riot. Once again, a lot of yelling and screaming dominate the singing. The drum bangin’ throughout this Hysteria rock song really stands out, which is probably done on purpose for symbolic effect as it’s easy to catch on to the tune’s message by Def Leppard.
12. Love And Affection is the perfect way to end Hysteria. This classic rock song is an excellent blend of moderate pace in music. To my ears, it’s rather folksy sounding hard rock in which lead singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard really stresses the lyrics strongly but also subtly in attitude! Its message reinforces the hedonistic message of the CD as a whole, because Love And Affection is all about a non-committal one night stand…
You’re just another girl, I’m just another man
It’s just another night….
Reference:
- Def Leppard website: www.defleppard.com
