The Def Leppard song that began as a country tune
By the mid-1980s, nothing would get in the way of Def Leppard becoming one of the biggest bands in the world. Although they may have seen success beyond their wildest expectations with Pyromania, they would go on to double it with the release of Hysteria, bringing together mammoth riffs and singalong choruses that would leave an indelible mark on the 1980s hair metal scene. Although the band were willing to experiment with whatever they could in the studio, their producer had the idea to infuse a bit of twang into their style.
Then again, Leppard’s go-to producer, Mutt Lange, almost didn’t sign on to produce the album at first. While the band had been rearing to go with new material, Lange had initially opted out due to a commitment with another project. Once Rick Allen had a tragic car accident that resulted in him losing one of his limbs, though, Lange knew that he needed to see the album through at the helm.
While the working sketches for songs like ‘Animal’ were fine for what they were, they became something else entirely in Lange’s hands, employing his signature wall of harmonies. Although Leppard often worked with Lange to sketch out song arrangements, one of their signature ballads came from Lange’s ideas.
When playing the beginnings of ‘Love Bites’, though, guitarist Phil Collen remembered the song sounding closer to a country song than anything else, telling Classic Albums, “When we brought it in, it was pure country. It definitely had a twang to it and stuff. Actually, it sounded more like Don Henley or something. We worked on it, obviously, and then it ended up being very guitar-y.”
Rather than the cascading solos that populated most hair metal ballads, the key to the song is space in the mix, with Collen and Steve Clarke only playing gentle arpeggios throughout the verse before the walls of vocals come crashing in on the chorus. Although the song started in country music, the band would take the piss by putting their unique spin on the vocals.
When singing the final version of the song, Joe Elliott remembered putting tiny squeals at the end of every syllable in an attempt to mock what Simon Le Bon was known for doing in Duran Duran. The song would also go on to be one of the band’s most universally loved ballads, as Elliot explained, “It covered all bases. It’s my mom and dad’s favourite song, and these guys grew up with Sinatra and Nat King Cole. But it’s also my goddaughter’s favourite song, and she’s 11.”
Regardless of the lack of sonic teeth, ‘Love Bites’ would go on to become one of the biggest songs of Leppard’s songs, going on to become one of their only number-one singles in America. Even after working with Leppard to create their masterpiece, Lange would also move into the world of country music, working with his wife Shania Twain to make her blockbuster albums like Come On Over. Although Leppard may have been wearing slightly different skin, nothing got in the way of a good hook when they entered the studio.
