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)
Mirror Mirror
Def Leppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're just a fortune wheel with something that I want to ask
Mirror mirror got my fate lyin' in your hands
You're the fool, you're the juggler
Hangman lover, you're like no other
Take a look into my eyes, tell me what you see
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it true
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it me?
Is it really me?
Mirror mirror, gotta know just what you see
My crystal ball you're lookin' so sly and so sleazy
Mirror mirror, hangin' there with that crack in your eye
You make me stumble, make me blind
Time and time and line by line
Take a look into my eyes, tell me what you see
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it true
Take a look into my eyes, oh when I look at you
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it me?
Mirror mirror, oh tell me
You're the fool, you're the juggler
I ain't met a lover, you're like no other, so
Take a look into my eyes, tell me what you see
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it true
Take a look into my eyes, oh it just couldn't last
Take a look into my eyes, gonna have to smash the glass
Baby
The lyrics to Def Leppard's "Mirror Mirror" are written from the perspective of someone speaking to a mirror. The song suggests that the mirror is a symbol of fate and destiny, and that the person speaking is seeking answers about their future and their true identity. The mirror is portrayed as a "fortune wheel," which implies that it has the power to influence the person's fate. The singer wants to know if what the mirror is showing them is true, and they seem to be struggling with their sense of self and what their destiny might be.
The lines "Hangman lover, you're like no other" suggest that the mirror is both a source of inspiration and a source of fear. The "Hangman lover" may represent death or some other kind of catastrophic event that the singer feels may be lurking in their future. Despite this, the mirror remains a powerful force, and the singer seems to be drawn to it despite their fears.
Line by Line Meaning
Mirror mirror, just watchin; with your eye of glass
Addressing a mirror as a fortune-telling artifact
You're just a fortune wheel with something that I want to ask
Comparing the mirror to a fortune wheel, wanting to inquire about future events
Mirror mirror got my fate lyin' in your hands
Believing the mirror decides the fate of the person reflected in it
You're the fool, you're the juggler, Hangman lover, you're like no other
Labeling the mirror as a cunning, unpredictable, and unique entity
Take a look into my eyes, tell me what you see
Challenging the mirror to reflect the singer's true self
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it true
Asking the mirror to confirm whether what it sees is accurate
Take a look into my eyes, oh when I look at you
Noticing the reflection in the mirror
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it me?
Doubting whether the self in the reflection is truly who the singer is
Mirror mirror, gotta know just what you see
Requesting the mirror to provide a truthful reflection
My crystal ball you're lookin' so sly and so sleazy
Perceiving the mirror as deceitful and untrustworthy
Mirror mirror, hangin' there with that crack in your eye
Noticing a flaw in the mirror that may distort the reflection
You make me stumble, make me blind, Time and time and line by line
The mirror's depiction of the singer causes confusion and disorientation
Mirror mirror, oh tell me
Urging the mirror to provide answers
I ain't met a lover, you're like no other, so
Interestingly comparing the mirror to a passionate lover
Take a look into my eyes, tell me what you see
Repeating the challenge for a truthful reflection
Take a look into my eyes, tell me is it true
Repeating the request for confirmation
Take a look into my eyes, oh it just couldn't last
Realizing the relationship with the mirror is coming to an end
Take a look into my eyes, gonna have to smash the glass
Ending the relationship by breaking the mirror
Baby
A term of endearment, possibly to the mirror or a loved one
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stephen Maynard Clark, Peter Andrew Willis, Richard Savage, Joseph Thomas Elliott, Richard John Cyril Allen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind