The song became a hit because strippers in Florida started requesting it on the local radio station. Guitarist Phil Collen remembers when the song made it big, and also shows appreciation for the ladies who love the song, in that same Louder Sound interview: Mercury Records didn’t even think to put “Pour Some Sugar On Me” out as a single, choosing instead to go with “Women” as the lead single followed by “Animal” and “Hysteria”, one of which had impressive results.Įventually, as one final effort to salvage sales on what was looking like a failed album, they dropped “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and MTV took the single to number two and launching the album to the top of the charts. The album was looking like a loss, and Def Leppard were about to become rock memories. Upon release, the Hysteria didn’t chart as well as they had hoped, and album sales weren’t high enough to cover those hefty production costs. Good thing they did, too, because it went on to be the best-selling single of their career. However, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” came together rather quickly, and Elliot recalls them having it finished in 10 days. There was some hesitation as the band was already burnt out from nearly three years of working on the album, and there were concerns that another song would add another six months to production time. We should absolutely do this song.’ And, of course, I was thinking there was no way the guys were gonna go for it.”
It came out of an acoustic guitar melody being strummed by Joe Elliot during some downtime, and producer Robert “Mutt” Lange insisted that they turn it into a song.Īccording to a 2016 interview with Louder Sound, Lange said: “‘That’s the best hook I’ve heard in five or 10 years. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” almost didn’t make the album, as it wasn’t initially written as part of the material for the album. Rick Allen’s accident wasn’t the only setback for the band, though, and a number of studio delays and false starts meant that they had sunk almost $5 million into Hysteria when it was all said and done. He managed to re-learn all the songs and record new material in the studio, and on top of that he still performs live to this day.
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Instead of giving up his career as a drummer, Allen famously taught himself how to play the drums with one arm. Rick Allen playing drums in October 1987. While “Pour Some Sugar On Me” feels like an effortless hit, Def Leppard went through a difficult period during the creation of Hysteria that almost led to the album being scrapped.įor one, their drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car wreck in 1984, just a few months after they wrapped up touring their successful 1983 album, Pyromania. “T elevision lover, baby, go all night,” he sings. I can’t get enough Chorus to “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard.Īll of the song’s verses contain sexual innuendos that imply this woman is a freak, and that Elliot has been waiting for the chance to take her home for quite some time. Sugar is sweet and lovable, and the idea is that this woman he is dancing with, and then going home to spend the night with, has these qualities, too. Thus we must assume that the lyrics are not meant to be taken literally, and the phrase “pour some sugar on me” is metaphorical for having a good time. However, there isn’t exactly a sexual act that involves pouring sugar on your lover, and even if there was, it wouldn’t be very enjoyable. The lyrics are clearly sexual, or at least written with sex on the mind. Today, the bombastic “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is seen as the quintessential Def Leppard song, and listeners have danced to it and debated its meaning for decades.
Appearing on the band’s 1987 album, Hysteria, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” was a massive hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped bring hysteria to the top of the charts in the USA. Photo by Ross Halfin.ĭef Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is one of the most iconic songs to come from the 80s hair metal craze.