The band's greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. Their first album, 1980's On Through the Night, reached the Top 15 in the UK but received little notice elsewhere. Their second album, 1981's High 'n' Dry, was produced by Mutt Lange, who helped them begin to define their melodic hard rock style, and the album's most popular track "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" became one of the first rock videos played on MTV in 1982, but the album only reached the Top 30 and 40 in the UK and US. Def Leppard's next studio album, Pyromania, was released in January 1983, with "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" both topping the US Rock Tracks chart and reaching the top 20 of the Hot 100. Reaching No. 2 on the US album chart, Pyromania was certified Diamond in the US and 7× platinum in Canada and reached the top 20 in the UK but did not sell much elsewhere.
Def Leppard's fourth album, the more pop-oriented Hysteria (1987), topped the UK, US, New Zealand, Canadian, Australian and Norway charts. It also went to No. 2 in Sweden and No. 10 in Germany without any Top 50 singles in those countries. It has been certified 12× platinum for sales in the US and 13× platinum in Canada, selling over 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album spawned six Top 20 US singles, including the US Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 "Love Bites" (went Top 10 in several other countries including No. 2 in NZ), alongside "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (US No. 2), "Hysteria", "Armageddon It" (No. 2 in NZ), "Animal" (at No. 6, the biggest UK hit), and "Rocket" (a Top 15 hit in many countries). Hysteria had four Top 10 hits in New Zealand.
Their next studio album, Adrenalize (their first following the death of guitarist Steve Clark), reached No. 1 on the UK, US, NZ, Canadian and Australian charts in 1992, while going Top 10 in Sweden and Germany. It contained several hits, including the US Rock Tracks chart-topper, "Let's Get Rocked", which became their biggest hit in several countries, including No. 2 in the UK, No. 3 in Canada and Switzerland, and the Top 20 in Sweden and Germany. The third single, "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", was a Top 15 song in the US, UK and Canada. Adrenalize went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide. Their 1993 album, Retro Active, contained the acoustic Top 5 North American hit "Two Steps Behind". Their greatest hits album Vault, released in 1995, featured the UK No. 2 hit "When Love & Hate Collide" and reached the Top 10 in several countries, going 5× platinum in the US. Beginning with Slang, Def Leppard released five albums between 1996 and 2008, with most usually reaching the Top 15 in several countries, including the UK, US and Canada. Their self-titled album was released in 2015 and reached the Top 10 in several countries. The band's newest studio album, Diamond Star Halos was released in May 2022 and reached the Top 10 in the US, the UK and Australia.
As one of the world's best-selling music artists, Def Leppard have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and have two albums with RIAA diamond certification: Pyromania and Hysteria, making them one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling more than 10 million copies in the US. The band were ranked No. 31 in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and ranked No. 70 in "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Def Leppard were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Studio albums
On Through the Night (1980)
High 'n' Dry (1981)
Pyromania (1983)
Hysteria (1987)
Adrenalize (1992)
Slang (1996)
Euphoria (1999)
X (2002)
Yeah! (2006)
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
Def Leppard (2015)
Diamond Star Halos (2022)
Fractured Love
Def Leppard Lyrics
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Sometimes it ain't what it seems
I'm all in a daze
Can't find my way out of this maze
I'm looking for clues
And wanting a change in the rules
I'm locked in a cage
Acting out on the wrong stage
Don't want your sympathy
Don't need the third degree
Just got to break away and scream
I'm caught in a dream
I'm stood at the edge and I'm looking down
Caught in the danger zone
I feel like a king that has lost his crown
And now I stand here alone
Don't want your sympathy
Don't need the third degree
Just got to break away and scream
I'm caught in a dream!!!
Fractured love, fractured love
Iron fist in a velvet glove
Fractured love, fractured love
Cracks in the mirror of this fractured love
I don't care if you pull down the sky
Angry passion is a friend of mine
Reach out for the sky above
It's just a fractured love
Fractured love, fractured love
Iron fist in a velvet glove
Fractured love, fractured love
Cracks in the mirror of this fractured love
I'm caught in a dream
Why don't you set me free!
Don't want your sympathy
Don't want your third degree
Just got to break
Break away and scream!
I'm caught in a dream
Why don't you set me free
Fractured love, fractured love
Iron fist in a velvet glove
Fractured love, fractured love
Cracks in the mirror of this fractured love
Don't give me your fractured love!
The lyrics to Def Leppard's song Fractured Love express a feeling of being trapped in a situation and feeling powerless to escape. The singer is caught in a dream that is not as it seems and is searching for clues to help him find a way out of the maze that he is in. He expresses a desire for change in the rules that are keeping him locked in a cage, acting out on the wrong stage.
The chorus is a declaration that he does not want sympathy or the third degree, he just needs to break away and scream that he is caught in a dream. The second verse draws a comparison of the singer standing on the edge, caught in the danger zone feeling like a king who has lost his crown, and standing alone. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the sense of being trapped and needing to break free.
The title of the song, Fractured Love, refers to a love that is broken and unable to be fixed. The use of the phrase "iron fist in a velvet glove" suggests a high level of control where it appears gentle on the surface but is tyrannical once it is exposed. The song ends on an exasperated note, with the singer begging to be set free.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm caught in a dream
I am lost in my thoughts and desires
Sometimes it ain't what it seems
Things are not as clear as they appear to be
I'm all in a daze
I am in a state of confusion
Can't find my way out of this maze
I am struggling to escape from this difficult situation
I'm looking for clues
I am searching for answers and direction
And wanting a change in the rules
I desire a different approach or alternative options
I'm locked in a cage
I feel trapped and constrained
Acting out on the wrong stage
I am expressing myself in the wrong environment
Don't want your sympathy
I don't need your pity or compassion
Don't need the third degree
I don't want to be questioned or interrogated
Just got to break away and scream
I need to escape and express myself loudly
I'm stood at the edge and I'm looking down
I am at a critical point in my life
Caught in the danger zone
I am in a hazardous situation
I feel like a king that has lost his crown
I have lost my sense of power or control
And now I stand here alone
I am left to face my struggles by myself
Fractured love, fractured love
My love is broken and damaged
Iron fist in a velvet glove
My actions and intentions are harsh despite appearing gentle and kind
Cracks in the mirror of this fractured love
My relationships are flawed and struggling to hold together
I don't care if you pull down the sky
I am not concerned with the consequences of my actions
Angry passion is a friend of mine
I am fueled by my strong emotions
Reach out for the sky above
I am striving for something better and beyond my reach
It's just a fractured love
My love is damaged, but it's still love
Why don't you set me free!
I need help and support to break free from my current situation
Don't give me your fractured love!
I don't want a relationship that is already broken
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALLEN, CLARK, COLLEN, ELLIOTT, SAVAGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind