The Def Leppard song Joe Elliott intentionally tried to “overproduce”
Heavy metal, as a genre, is far more diverse than it is often given credit for. What began as moody, post-industrial hard rock during the late 1960s, with groups like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin leading the charge, quickly spread off into countless different directions. During the 1980s, metal went pretty mainstream, with bands like Def Leppard dominating the rock charts and popularising a look and sound which would be derogatorily referred to as ‘hair metal’.
Hair metal was a far cry from the moody origins of the heavy metal genre, favouring brash overproduction and flamboyant performances. Sheffield outfit Def Leppard were essential in fostering this new wave of heavy metal, particularly within the United Kingdom. Formed in 1976, when British rock was largely concerned with the exciting new sounds of punk and new wave, Leppard always favoured the colossal sounds of American rock, taking on the inspiration of groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as more traditional British rock outfits like Mott The Hoople.
Def Leppard hit their commercial peak during the mid-1980s, as hair metal began to dominate the mainstream rock charts. Many of the groups that rose to the forefront during this time had been influenced by the early work of the Sheffield outfit and, in turn, dedicated themselves to loud, brash rock and roll music. For many music listeners, the hair metal scene reeked of corporate influence, soulless arena tours, and an unhealthy prevalence of misogyny, too. In contrast to many of the bands that made up this scene, however, Def Leppard were always self-aware.
The group were rarely ones to revel in their own self-importance, but that did not stop them from becoming branded with the same derogatory ‘hair metal’ label that had befallen so many of their contemporaries. Part of what makes the band so appealing to fans is the innate sense of humour that has been a part of Def Leppard since its very inception. As such, it was only a matter of time before the band had their own satirical sideswipe at perceptions of the 1980s metal scene.
On a surface level, the band’s 1992 single ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ is a fairly standard heavy metal affair, complete with vast overproduction and self-aggrandising musical performance. However, if you scratch beneath the surface of the song, you will find that the entire composition was created as something of an inside joke. During an interview with Kaos 2000 Magazine, Leppard’s frontman Joe Elliott shared, “They missed the point that it’s supposed to be funny.”
In essence, the band took all the criticisms that were usually lauded against their take on metal and used them to their own advantage – ironically creating one of the most popular hair metal tracks of all time in the process. According to Elliott, though, the origins of the song are far from metal. “Strip all of your negative things away and listen to it,” he shared, “and tell me that Prince couldn’t have done that. I would say, ‘You’re lying.’ to anyone who says he couldn’t have. […] I don’t see it a million miles from ‘When Doves Cry’ or ‘Little Red Corvette.’”
The inherent difference, according to the songwriter, is that Def Leppard purposefully chose to overproduce the track. “It’s just that our drums and bass were a million times bigger than Prince’s,” he said, “It was way more bombastic. I think that is the shield that most journalists can’t get through. They just see this over-produced, big, massive sound. In fact, that was exactly what we were trying to achieve.”
Prince might have been an unlikely influence on the metal icons Def Leppard, but it seems the pioneering songwriting of the pop icon helped the Sheffield band to land upon one of their most iconic songs. Upon its release, many people missed the satirical nature of ‘Let’s Get Rocked’, but the fact that it managed to reach number two in the UK singles charts probably helped to soften the blow for Elliott and the group.
