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)
overture
Def Leppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I bring to you
A beacon of light
To see you through
For time is on our side
And a holy man
Does say to me
To always to be blind
It's not the way he planned it
Oh no
The time has come to gather up your thoughts
For you have said your piece
The lords of light will change this land
From famine into feast
The buildings that once stood tall
Have crumbled to the ground
The silver warriors who came in force
Are nowhere to be found
Time is the essence the priests do say
To restore your faith in man
For the job you do and the role you play
Will help rebuild this land
Through empty streets and dusty fields
We'll fight for what we need
Protected by our swords and shields
We can replant the seed
The roads ahead are long and winding
On which the bandits thrive
But we have the power of finding
Illusion to keep us alive
So through the valleys and over the hills
We'll march and sing in rhyme
We'll fight until we lose our will
For essence is our time
The sun the moon
The darkened sky
The morning dew
Reflecting in my eye
The rising mist
The dampened earth
Are just reminders of what life's worth
Whoah yeah
Whoah yeah
Whoah yeah
And with this message
That I bring to you
A beacon of light
To see you through
For time is on our side
For time is the essence
The lyrics for Def Leppard's song Overture are a message of hope and resilience. The song begins with the lead singer bringing a beacon of light to the listener, promising that time is on their side. The lyrics then mention a holy man who advises never to see and always be blind. This suggests that sometimes it’s better not to see the problems of the world and focus on one's life to make it a better one.
The middle part of the song speaks to the need to rebuild and restore faith in man. The imagery used in the lyrics conveys a forgotten world afflicted by famine and chaos, where once tall buildings have collapsed, and silver warriors have vanished. But, the priests declare it's time to restore faith, and this can be achieved if people play their role in rebuilding the land. This part of the song also mentions the power of finding illusions, which means the ability to maintain positivity in tough times.
The last part of the song is a reminder of the beauty of life- the sun, moon, morning dew, rising mist, and dampened earth. The song ends with the same words that it began, emphasizing the power of time, which is the essence to rebuild, to have faith, and embrace the beauty of life.
Overall, Overture is a classic rock song with a message of hope that still resonates with the listeners today. It talks about the resilience of humanity and how we can overcome challenges by having faith in oneself, and time heals everything.
Line by Line Meaning
And with this message
Starting off with a message that the singer wants to convey to the listeners.
That I bring to you
The message that the singer is conveying is for the listeners.
A beacon of light
The message is like a guiding light to help the listeners through any tough times.
To see you through
The message is meant to help the listeners overcome any difficulties they may be facing.
For time is on our side
The singer and the listeners have the luxury of time to work things out.
And a holy man
The singer is quoting a wise or holy man to emphasize the importance of his message.
Does say to me
The singer is telling the listeners what the holy man said to him.
To always to be blind
The holy man advises the singer to not be too judgmental and to give people the benefit of the doubt.
And never to see
The holy man's advice is to not be too quick to judge based on appearances or assumptions.
It's not the way he planned it
The singer acknowledges that things may not always go according to plan.
The time has come to gather up your thoughts
It's time for the listeners to start thinking and planning ahead.
For you have said your piece
The singer acknowledges that the listeners have expressed their opinions or ideas on something.
The lords of light will change this land
The people in power with good intentions will bring positive change to the land.
From famine into feast
The current state of lack and scarcity will be transformed into abundance and prosperity.
The buildings that once stood tall
The structures that were once sturdy and impressive are now in ruins.
Have crumbled to the ground
The buildings are completely destroyed and no longer stand upright.
The silver warriors who came in force
The powerful and strong fighters who previously came to assist are nowhere to be found.
Are nowhere to be found
The people who were supposed to help are currently unavailable or missing.
Time is the essence the priests do say
The priests believe that time is of the utmost importance to achieve their goals.
To restore your faith in man
The goal is to help the listeners regain their trust in humanity.
For the job you do and the role you play
The singers reminds the listeners that they have an important role to play in this process as well.
Will help rebuild this land
The listeners' contributions will be essential to rebuilding the land.
Through empty streets and dusty fields
The journey to rebuild will be challenging and difficult.
We'll fight for what we need
Despite the challenges, the listeners will continue to struggle and push forward.
Protected by our swords and shields
The listeners will have protection and defense as they fight for their cause.
We can replant the seed
The listeners can start anew and rebuild what was once destroyed.
The roads ahead are long and winding
The journey ahead won't be easy and straightforward.
On which the bandits thrive
There will be people who try to take advantage of their situation and profit from it.
But we have the power of finding
The listeners have the ability to find ways around these obstacles.
Illusion to keep us alive
The power to see beyond appearances and illusions will help them survive and thrive.
So through the valleys and over the hills
The journey will take them through various terrains and obstacles.
We'll march and sing in rhyme
The listeners will join together in unity and move forward, supported by music and rhythm.
We'll fight until we lose our will
The listeners are determined to keep fighting until they can't anymore.
For essence is our time
The listeners believe that time is precious and must be used wisely and efficiently.
The sun the moon
The singer points out the natural elements present in the world.
The darkened sky
He contrasts these elements with a negative and ominous feature.
The morning dew
He goes back to a positive and hopeful element.
Reflecting in my eye
The singer is taking in and observing the beauty of nature.
The rising mist
He goes on to describe more natural elements and their beauty.
The dampened earth
He further emphasizes the beauty and importance of nature.
Are just reminders of what life's worth
These natural elements and their beauty remind the listeners of the value and worth of life.
Whoah yeah
An exclamation of excitement or enthusiasm for the journey ahead.
Whoah yeah
Repeats the same feeling of excitement and enthusiasm.
Whoah yeah
Repeats the same feeling of excitement and enthusiasm.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind