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)
Medicine Man
Def Leppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the healer, I could take you right back to the start
So if you wanna take the chance well you better be sure
Baby, I'm the medicine man, I've got the cure
I'm the medicine man
I will make you the kinda girl that feels no pain
So if you wanna jump on board well you better be sure
Baby, I'm the medicine man, I've got the cure
I'm the medicine man
That's what I am
Doing what I can
Cause I'm the medicine man
Listen, lady, don't make me drive you outta your mind
Cause together this remedy's not hard to find
So if you wanna take the chance and I'm damn sure that you do
Baby, I'm the medicine man
Now the rest's up to you
I'm the medicine man
That's what I am
Doing what I can
Cause I'm the medicine man
Medicine man, medicine man
The lyrics to Def Leppard's song "Medicine Man" suggest the singer is a capable and confident healer who can mend a broken heart and take his patient back to the start. He promises that if the listener takes the chance with him, he'll make her the kind of girl who feels no pain and can be put back together again. The singer assumes the role of the "medicine man," a figure who has been consistently associated with shamanism, healing, and spiritual practices in various cultures.
The song's lyrics are written in the form of a seductive invitation to come and receive his healing. The singer deploys the language of power and authority to create an atmosphere of trust and reliability, claiming that he has the cure, he knows what he's doing, and he can make her life better. The song's flirtatious tone underscores the sexual undertones inherent in its lyrics, suggesting that the "medicine man" also possesses the power to arouse feelings of desire and passion in his potential clients.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the doctor, I can mend your broken heart
I'm the person who is capable of fixing your emotional scars.
I'm the healer, I could take you right back to the start
I'm the person who can heal your traumas and make you feel like a renewed person.
So if you wanna take the chance well you better be sure
If you're thinking of accepting my offer, you better be certain of your decision.
Baby, I'm the medicine man, I've got the cure
Hey, just so you know, I'm the one who can heal your wounds.
I will make you the kinda girl that feels no pain
I'll help you become someone who isn't easily affected by emotional pain.
I can take you and put you back together again
I can help you feel whole again, even after experiencing heartbreak.
Listen, lady, don't make me drive you outta your mind
Don't let me make you go insane with my abilities.
Cause together this remedy's not hard to find
With both of our efforts combined, finding a solution won't be as difficult.
So if you wanna take the chance and I'm damn sure that you do
I know you want to take the opportunity in front of you.
Now the rest's up to you
The ball's in your court now, take the opportunity or leave it.
I'm the medicine man
I'm the one who can heal your wounds.
That's what I am
That's my role.
Doing what I can
I'm doing my best with my abilities.
Cause I'm the medicine man
Because I am the one who can help you.
Medicine man, medicine man
I'm the one who can heal your emotional wounds.
Contributed by Charlotte D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.