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)
Truth
Def Leppard Lyrics
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And dousing the flames
I feel the whiplash
Of the backlash on my face
I melt to sleep at night
But I wake to trip the day
Never for you never for me
Would I kiss your feet of clay
I'm still alive and so should I
Soak up the wave of compromise
Am I the victim of youth
Is this the truth
Why don't you tell me
Why don't you tell me
There's no conscience
In charity or shame
The voice deceives me
But believe me it's the same
I see the black in white
And the color in the gray
Better for me better for you
Gonna bleach it all away
I'm still alive and so should I
Soak up the wave of compromise
Am I the victim of youth
Is this the truth
Why don't you tell me
Why don't you tell me
Left hand gives
And the right hand takes away
Why don't you tell me
Why don't you tell me
I'm still alive and so should I
Soak up the wave of compromise
I see the scars, I hear the lies
So what's the truth
Why don't you tell me
In Def Leppard's song "The Truth," the lyrics are filled with metaphors and symbolism that provoke contemplation. The song is about struggling with the truth, questioning reality, and searching for honesty. The opening lines "I've been burning and dousing the flames, I feel the whiplash of the backlash on my face" suggest a cycle of hope and disappointment that the singer has been unsuccessful in breaking. They are confronted with painful and conflicting emotions and, despite their efforts, cannot seem to escape them. The lyric "I see the black in white and the color in gray" acknowledges that everything is not as it seems at face value.
The lyric "Left hand gives and the right hand takes away" suggests the duality of all things. It means that what one gains from one hand, they may just as easily lose from the other. Likewise, the lyric "There's no conscience in charity or shame" means that there may be hidden motivations behind a good deed, and that guilt and pride can both motivate actions. Moreover, the line "Better for me better for you, gonna bleach it all away" speaks of the desire to remove the impurities of life, to seek purity within and without.
Overall, the song is about questioning the truth in life, whether it be in personal relationships, beliefs, or society as a whole. It is a call for honesty and a struggle to reconcile the discrepancies of life. In the end, the singer is left asking, "Why don't you tell me?," showing that they are searching for answers and a sense of understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been burning
I have been experiencing intense emotions
And dousing the flames
Trying to control my emotions
I feel the whiplash
Feeling the consequences of my actions
Of the backlash on my face
Facing the criticism of others
I melt to sleep at night
Letting go of my emotions at the end of the day
But I wake to trip the day
Starting each day with difficulty
Never for you never for me
Not doing something for anyone else
Would I kiss your feet of clay
I will not blindly worship or follow someone
I'm still alive and so should I
I am alive and should continue living
Soak up the wave of compromise
Adapt to the changes or compromises of life
Am I the victim of youth
Am I being influenced or affected by my youth?
Is this the truth
Is this the reality?
Why don't you tell me
Tell me the truth
There's no conscience
There is no guilt or remorse
In charity or shame
Feelings of generosity or embarrassment don't matter
The voice deceives me
My own thoughts trick me
But believe me it's the same
Despite the deception, the result is the same
I see the black in white
Seeing things very clearly
And the color in the gray
Accepting the complexities of life
Better for me better for you
Doing what's best for everyone
Gonna bleach it all away
Erase or cleanse past problems
Left hand gives
My giving side
And the right hand takes away
My taking side
I see the scars, I hear the lies
Acknowledging the past hurt and deception
So what's the truth
What is the reality?
Why don't you tell me
Please be honest with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PHILIP KENNETH COLLEN, JOSEPH ELLIOTT, VIVIAN CAMPBELL, RICHARD SAVAGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind