Batlord, I have analyzed your analysis of my analysis, and I have concluded that your view is partly correct. Many Def Leppard lyrics *are* intended to create fun music for fun times. (You're also correct that I do derive pleasure from giving thought to Def Leppard lyrics.
)
Your post made me curious about Def Leppard's view of their own lyrics and music. I found what I feel is an excellent and amusing interview with Joe Elliott:
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott Can’t Explain the Lyrics to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” | MTV Hive.
The interview shows that Def Leppard
were mostly trying to make fun songs for fun times...but they also had some serious songs, such as "From the Inside" about addiction. Joe Elliott also didn't want to
tell people the exact meanings of their lyrics: "That ruins the fun of it. It’s like playing hide and seek and telling them where you’re hiding. It’s pointless." They wanted people to use their imagination when interpreting lyrics. Isn't that nice?
Reading this Def Leppard interview, I
also learned (and this was even
more surprising to me than the fact that drummer Rick Allen has only one arm) that...
Def Leppard has two and a half vegans!!!
I never knew that Phil Collen and one-armed drummer Rick Allen are vegans, while Vivian Campbell is a "lactopescovegetarian" (he eats fish but no red meat). Joe Elliott comments about their backstage vegetarian cuisine: "Yeah. Rock and roll, right? [Laughs.] We’re born to be mild." <-- Cute.
Perhaps Phil Collen's vegetarianism provided a little inspiration for writing the song "Animal" back in the '80s. My view is that there are always reasons for something. We can't always identify the reasons, but I like to try.
* * *
Yes, "Animal" uses many metaphors relating to animals (circus, running wolf) to represent passion and desire. I don't find the lyrics irritating because they stretch my mind a little. My favorite line, though, is "such a lust for life" because that broadens the song's topic to more than just physical lust. The line makes me ask myself if it describes the singer or the person lusted after (I always assumed the latter). My point is that the lyrics at least make me think.
I also appreciate how the message of excitement is supported by the powerful, energized sound of the music. Def Leppard's sound from the '80s and early '90s was very distinctive to me. Joe Elliott writes, "We absolutely apply the science of rock in the recording studio to make our records sound massive and bombastic."
Your post made me realize I've never heard any of the songs off the "Slang" album or learned how Def Leppard changed their sound in the '90s. I listened to the song "Slang" and the starts of a few others off the album. They aren't bad but they didn't grip me as much as their earlier songs.
I also learned that Def Leppard consider themselves a "British rock band" and not heavy metal or a hair band. I thought you'd appreciate this quote, since it has to do with hair
:
Joe Elliott: "We’re rock. It’s a vast difference [from metal]. AC/DC are metal, Van Halen aren’t metal. And neither are they a hair band, but they’ve got hair. If it’s the difference between being a hair band and a bald band, yes, we’re a hair band. But musically, we’re a British rock band, end of story."
If it's the difference between being a hair band and a bald band, then they're a hair band!
I like these Def Leppard guys.