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Rock of Ages (Def Leppard song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Rock of Ages
| cover = Def Leppard - Rock of Ages single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Def Leppard
| album = Pyromania
| B-side =
| released =
| recorded = 1982
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 4:09
| label =
| writer =
| producer = Robert John "Mutt" Lange
| prev_title = Photograph
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = Foolin'
| next_year = 1983
}}
"'Rock of Ages'" is a song by Def Leppard from their 1983 album 'Pyromania'. When issued as a single in the United States, the song reached #16 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart and #19 on the 'Cash Box' Top 100. It also hit #1 on the Top Tracks Rock chart.Whitburn, Joel (2004) for a single week. 'The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 170.
In 2012, the band re-recorded the song, along with "Pour Some Sugar on Me", under the title "Rock of Ages 2012". Both were released digitally on 4 June 2012.
Lyrics
The song begins with "Gunter glieben glauten globen", a German-like nonsense phrase introduced by Mutt Lange, who is of German descent. According to the official Def Leppard ,
As the song's melody begins, Elliott speaks the lines, "All right/I've got something to say/It's better to burn out/Than to fade away"; the second two lines are a reference to Neil Young's song "Hey Hey, My My (Out of the Blue)". Def Leppard's four-line version was quoted in the 1986 movie 'Highlander' by the film's villain, the Kurgan. Young's line would later become immortalized in rock history when it was used in the suicide note of grunge pioneer Kurt Cobain.
During the guitar solo, several vocal phrases were backmasked. When played forward the phrases "Fuck the Russians" and "Brezhnev's got herpes" can be heard.
Title
According to the liner notes of the compilation release 'Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection', the band was at a recording studio when lead vocalist Joe Elliott stumbled upon a hymn book left by a member of a children's choir that had just used the studio. In the book, he saw the words "Rock of Ages", which prompted him to write the lyrics of the song.
Reception
'Cash Box' described it as a powerful rock anthem that "pulls out just about every 'Long live rock n roll' cliche there is."
Music video
The music video was directed by David Mallet[http://www.deflepparduk.com/defvideo2.html Def Video 2 Pyromania 1983/High 'n' Dry 1984] , Def Leppard UK.com and shot on 8 December 1982 (Guitarist Phil Collen's 25th birthday), in Battersea, London, England. Former Def Leppard co-manager Peter Mensch appears in this video as one of the monks.
The song's video was placed on 'New York Times' list of the 15 Essential Hair-Metal Videos.
In popular culture
The song features in the climactic scene of the season 5 finale of 'Supernatural'.
The song also features in episode 10 of 'Deutschland 86' during the border crossing of Lenora Rauch and the children of Tina Fischer.
The song was featured in 2007 'Balls of Fury', starring Dan Fogler.
The phrase "Gunter Glieben Glauchen Globen" reappears as the title of a poem by the contemporary American poet Michael Robbins. It was first published in 'The New Yorker' and appears in his second collection of poems, 'The Second Sex' (Penguin Books, 2014). The same sample is used at the beginning of the song "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by the Offspring, from their 1998 album 'Americana'.
The song was also heard at the beginning of the 2012 comedy film 'That's My Boy', starring Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.
The song featured in fourth season trailer of Netflix series 'Cobra Kai'.
Track listing
7": Vertigo / VER6 (812 858-7) (UK)
# "Rock of Ages"# "Action! Not Words"
12": Vertigo / VERX6 (812 293-1) (UK)
# "Rock of Ages"# "Action! Not Words"
7": Mercury / 812 604-7 (US)
# "Rock Of Ages"# "Billy's Got A Gun"
Personnel
Def Leppard
*Joe Elliott lead vocals*Steve Clark rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*Pete Willis rhythm guitar
*Phil Collen lead guitar, backing vocals
*Rick Savage bass guitar, Moog bass synthesizer, backing vocals
*Rick Allen drums
*Vivian Campbell - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2012 re-recording)
Additional musicians
*Robert John "Mutt" Lange spoken word intro, backing vocals*Thomas Dolby keyboards
*Rocky Newton - backing vocals
Charts
See also
*List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
*List of glam metal albums and songs
References
Category:Def Leppard songs
Category:1983 singles
Category:Songs written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Category:Song recordings produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Category:1983 songs
Category:Songs written by Joe Elliott
Category:Songs written by Steve Clark
Category:Mercury Records singles
Category:Vertigo Records singles
Category:Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)
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