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)
Wasted
Def Leppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But a bottle of whiskey lies heavy obstructing my view
I've got a bottle of pills to give me my thrills
And I know I'm leading a life that kills
(Wasted)
I've wasted my time
(Wasted)
(Wasted)
I'm stuck in a hole
(Wasted)
I'm losing control
I've been meaning to call, I've been wanting to phone
You see I don't like the thought of leaving you here alone
Well I've seen things down here that are fit for a queen
I've seen things down here that should never be seen
(Wasted)
I've wasted my money
(Wasted)
I've wasted you honey
(Wasted)
I'm out of my brain
(Wasted)
I'm going insane
I'm running in thin air, there's nothingness everywhere
I've gotta get out
(Won't you help me?)
I've gotta get out
(Won't you help me?)
I've gotta get out, oh won't you help me get out?
Thought I saw you just the other day
But it couldn't be you 'cause you had nothing to say
He's going away, they told all my friends
Well now I'll be stuck in here 'til the misery ends
(Wasted)
I've wasted my time
(Wasted)
I'm shooting a line
(Wasted)
I'm out of my head
(Wasted)
I wish I was dead
The lyrics to Def Leppard's song "Wasted" seem to describe the thoughts and feelings of someone drowning in their problems and addictions. The singer of the song has been thinking about someone all night, but they can't see clearly due to the bottle of whiskey that's clouding their mind. They also have pills to give them their thrills, which implies they're struggling with substance abuse. They know they're leading a dangerous life, one that's killing them, but they're in too deep to stop.
The singer has been meaning to call the person they've been thinking about, but they're too preoccupied with their own problems. They've seen horrible things that they believe should never be seen, which suggests they're living a troubled existence. They've wasted their time, money and even the love of the person they care about. They feel like they're losing control and are out of their mind. They begging for help to get out of this situation, to stop being "Wasted," but they don't know how to.
The song's message seems to be about the destructive nature of addiction and the difficulty of breaking free from it. The singer is crying out for help, but they're too caught up in their problems to find a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've been lying awake all night just thinking of you
I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of you all night long.
But a bottle of whiskey lies heavy obstructing my view
I drank too much whiskey and now I can't see straight.
I've got a bottle of pills to give me my thrills
I take pills to feel good even if it's dangerous.
And I know I'm leading a life that kills
I am doing things that will ultimately harm me.
(Wasted)
I've wasted my time
I've spent my life doing things that have no benefit.
(Wasted)
I'm shooting a line
I am addicted to drugs and can't stop using them.
(Wasted)
I'm stuck in a hole
I am trapped in a situation that I cannot get out of.
(Wasted)
I'm losing control
My life is spiraling out of control.
I've been meaning to call, I've been wanting to phone
I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now.
You see I don't like the thought of leaving you here alone
I don't want to abandon you and leave you alone.
Well I've seen things down here that are fit for a queen
I've witnessed things that are amazing and would be perfect for a queen to see.
I've seen things down here that should never be seen
I've also witnessed things that are terrible and should never be seen.
(Wasted)
I've wasted my money
I've spent all my money on things that are not important.
(Wasted)
I've wasted you honey
I've wasted our relationship.
(Wasted)
I'm out of my brain
I am so messed up that I cannot think straight.
(Wasted)
I'm going insane
I think I am losing my mind.
I'm running in thin air, there's nothingness everywhere
I feel like I'm running and getting nowhere, like life has no meaning.
I've gotta get out
(Won't you help me?)
I need to escape, can you help me?
I've gotta get out
(Won't you help me?)
Please, I need your help to get out of this situation.
I've gotta get out, oh won't you help me get out?
I am pleading with you to help me escape this situation.
Thought I saw you just the other day
I thought I saw you recently.
But it couldn't be you 'cause you had nothing to say
I realized it wasn't you because the person I saw wasn't able to respond.
He's going away, they told all my friends
I heard from my friends that the person I care about is leaving.
Well now I'll be stuck in here 'til the misery ends
I'll be trapped in this current situation until things get better.
(Wasted)
I've wasted my time
I've spent my life doing things that have no benefit.
(Wasted)
I'm shooting a line
I am addicted to drugs and can't stop using them.
(Wasted)
I'm out of my head
I am so messed up that I cannot think straight.
(Wasted)
I wish I was dead
I feel like I'd be better off dead than living this life.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Peter Andrew Willis, Stephen Maynard Clark, Richard Savage, Richard John Cyril Allen, Joseph Thomas Elliott
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind