The songs Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott wants played at his funeral
As the magnetic frontman of Sheffield band Def Leppard, Joe Elliott stands proud in rock history as one of the key voices of his generation. With a career spanning nearly five decades, Elliott has not only established himself as a driving force within the hard rock genre but also as a symbol of endurance and unwavering creativity.
Alongside guitarist Pete Willis and bassist Rick Savage, Elliott co-founded Def Leppard in 1976 under the initial handle Atomic Mass. After establishing themselves on a local level over the remainder of the 1970s, Def Leppard enjoyed runaway success through the ‘80s thanks to the impetus of their 1980 debut album, On Through the Night. With High ‘n’ Dry and the 1983 masterpiece Pyromania following up thick and fast, it wasn’t long before Leppard sealed their immortal legacy.
Indeed, Def Leppard’s legacy may well live forever, but I’m afraid to say that Elliott will not. I have no doubt the legend still has many years of entertainment left in his bones, but there comes a time for all of us when we must face the final curtain and make due arrangements.
Several years ago, Elliott appeared on the Music and Me podcast with host Kylie Olsson. During the conversation, the ‘Heaven Is’ singer was asked which songs he would want to be played at his funeral. It was immediately clear Elliott had given this some thorough thought already.
He said: “Well, I’ve already written it into my will that I want ‘Anthem’ by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band; ‘All the Young Dudes’, of course, by Mott the Hoople; and probably ‘Rest In Peace’ by Mott the Hoople, which is an obvious choice, but it’s just a great song. I might even record my own version and get them to play me doing it. [Laughs] Yeah, just play my own funeral.”
“It’s been overdone to play things [like] Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ because it’s been done,” he added, picking up on the fast fashion of funerals. “But I will probably throw in some ironic song that will make the ones that are sniffling burst into laughter. I’ve got to throw something mad in there; I don’t know what it is yet.”
Concluding, he said: “But ‘Dudes’ and ‘Anthem’, because they’re grand and they sound like… Well, ‘Dudes’ doesn’t sound like a death march, but ‘Anthem’ by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band has got the drum roll and the piano, and then the bagpipes come in and take you out. It’s almost like a New Year’s Eve song; it’s very Scottish. And it sounds like a great song to see my ashes blow off into the distance – hopefully in quite a few years’ time”.
Listen to Mott the Hoople’s ‘All the Young Dudes’ below.
