Many bands, or solo artist strive to be the best they can be. Artists try to make a name for themselves. Some artists say that they have peaked at their best when they get a number one hit released. Some artist say that they will peak and be the best when they start going on tour and selling out many concerts. The actual best artist end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That is where many amazing artist that have been recognized for their years of time, and memorable music. Legends like Queen, Elvis, The Beatles, and many more are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are rated by uniqueness, supporters, how they have changed the way music is portrayed, and even how famous the artist is. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is missing one band in their list of legends. Def Leppard deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Def Leppard is a British rock band that formed in the 1980’s. The original five members in the band Def Leppard which are Joe Elliot, Pete Willis, Steve Clarke, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen. There has been new members in the band due to some members losing their lives. The band members that are currently in Def Leppard are Rick Savage, Joe Elliot, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell. Def Leppard was one of the first British heavy metal bands, and they are still very popular to this day. Def Leppard is a very unique band for many reasons, but one is very outstanding. According to Britannica, “Def Leppard forged an accessible melodic version of heavy metal that was slower to catch on at home than in the United States, where a new British Invasion of pop-oriented heavy metal bands revived the fading genre.” Meaning Def Leppard altered the way heavy metal was portrayed, and made it grow again.
Of course there are some reasons why one of the best bands is not already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of the main reasons why I believe that Def Leppard is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is because Def Leppard has only one number one hit which is, “Love Bites”. Personally I had never heard this song before, but listening to it in modern times it is such a good song. Also when “Love Bites” was released it was unique, because all the members of the band did not play this song together at the same time. The band did a lot of different studio recording then mashed the song together to make it flow. Which I have never heard of before. Def Leppard does play this songs at their concerts, even though they had to learn how to. Although Def Leppard falls short on having number one hits I have four reasons that will make up the fact that they had the one number one hit.
Reason number one is at the beginning of 2018 Def Leppard’s album Hysteria managed to hit the top 40’s of Billboard’s top 200 albums again after 28 years. According to Caulfield “The Def Lep hit parade is led by their 1987 monster album Hysteria, as it re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 39 — its highest rank since June 17, 1989. The album, which spent six weeks at No. 1 in 1988” Which means Hysteria was a popular album back in 1989. It was in the number one spot for over a month and fans loved it. Some of Def Leppard’s most popular songs are on this album like, “Love Bites”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and “Animal”. Which gives sort of a clarification to see how popular this album really is. To this day fans still love this album, because earlier this year it was number 39 on Billboard’s top 200 albums. Which is crazy, because I have never heard anything like this before.
Reason number two is that Def Leppard still tours to this day. The band has been on 28 different tours, that will still sell out which is so amazing. Def Leppard has toured with other well known artist like Journey, which sold out immediately. That would have been an amazing concert to see. They also toured with KISS which was another huge tour for them. The fact that this band has not got tired from touring is shocking to me, but they still continue to do so. Def Leppard currently is on tour, and their next concert is December 1st. The members of this band are very passionate about what they do and it certainly shows.
Reason number three is that Def Leppard has brought their own unique factors to the table. For one Def Leppard’s drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car crash, and he still continued to play. Which shows people that the band Def Leppard is a very committed band. Rick Allen had to completely learn how to learn how to play drums again. Another reason Def Leppard is an unique is because they changed how heavy metal is portrayed. Adding a bit of pop is what makes Def Leppard’s music so great. It is not too much coming at you at once hile people listen. The songs are also very catchy, and just shows how Def Leppard is.
Reason number four is Def Leppard has influenced so many artist. There are tons of artist that has been inspired by Def Leppard like, Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Pray”, The Killer’s “Smile Like You Mean It”, Metallica’s “The Unforgiven”, and many more artist. Whether those artist were inspired to create music lyrics, the backup vocals, or the instrumental parts of their songs, Def Leppard has inspired many. Which is a quality all of the artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has.
Def Leppard is a band to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Def Leppard has managed to do so many things throughout the decade which is amazing. The band also faced challenges that the members had to overcome. Def Leppard has helped heavy metal stay alive in their own unique way, and inspired some of the greatest songs and amazing artist. Fans still support Def Leppard to this day, and I see why. Def Leppard inspired many artist which are some of the songs I love. Def Leppard is in fact nominated to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, and I do hope that this band gets in. Def Leppard is truly one of a kind.
