From Professor of Rock.
Coming up, we are covering one of the years that’s consistently called one of the 4 or 5 best years in rock history. In fact, it was so good there were dozens of incredible songs that missed the charts that were far better than any of the biggest hits of the last 15 years! It was a year full of major label gambles, such as one ballsy decision that nearly ruined one of the most anticipated albums of the Rock Era, Def Leppard’s Hysteria. When the label released a disastrous lead off single Women that tanked the record and took a miracle to course correct. But decades later, that song is better than you remember. Then there’s one of the catchiest songs of the decade Lips Like Sugar that the lead singer Ian McCulloch felt was below average at best, but it took the underground band to American radio. And an infamous rock song Rocket Queen by Guns N Roses that included the real, unedited sounds of a sexual act that took place right in the middle of the recording session, and it was nearly banned from being put in stores… and last but not least, the biggest waste of a hit song in history, The Replacements CAn’t Hardly Wait. It’s a song that was so catchy and cool, it’s actually a tragedy it wasn’t a hit… Let’s do it.
———————————————————————————————————————–
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Holly Hammet, Remnarc, Kevin riley, Paul Moore II, CharleyAnne
———————————————————————————————————————–
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: https://apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: https://bit.ly/444h8MO
———————————————————————————————————————–
Patreon: http://bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: https://professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com/
Instagram: https://bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #80srock #pinkfloyd
Hey Music Junkies Professor of Rock… Always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time, make sure to subscribe below. In the beginning, God made the land, then he made water, and creatures, then….according to the… anthropologists known as Def Leppard, he made “Women,” the title of song #10 on our countdown of the Top 10 Non Hits of 1987: "Women" by Def Leppard stands out as one of the riskiest first US singles ever released from a major album. It, of course, came from Hysteria, chosen as a setup track for that highly anticipated album, to showcase their hard-rock image. It’s also one of the first tracks drummer Rick Allen worked on after his near-fatal car accident in ‘84. The track was meant as a pro-woman anthem—more of a celebration than the usual over-the-top 80s rock bravado.
Although the band favored "Animal" as the lead, their US label pushed for "Women" to reassure American fans of their hard-rock identity after a long hiatus. Producer Mutt Lange started the tune with the goal of creating a celebration of women that avoids the typical misogynistic rock clichés, according to Def Leppard Tour History. For Rick Allen, it was a significant comeback track: the slower, groove-driven tempo helped him ease back into the studio to play the drums after losing his left arm. One of the things that I admire the most about Def Leppard is that the guys rallied around Rick, and kept him an integral part of the group, even though he was a ‘one armed drummer.’ he became a legend to all of us GEN XERS “Animal” was the first single in the UK off Hysteria, but “Women” came first in the U.S., and the plan nearly backfired on PolyGram Records: It almost leveled Hysteria before it got started.
The excitement around the release of Hysteria was everywhere; it was the talk of the industry, and radio really amped up the LP drop with album premiere parties and all kinds of on-air promotions. Then, when fans heard “Women” as their first sample of the much hyped record, they were underwhelmed to say the least. Rock stations gave it heavy airplay because of the palpable interest. Consequently, “Women” peaked at a respectable #7 on the Mainstream Rock chart, but died at #80 on the Hot 100. Fortunately, for Def Leppard, the album was so stacked that they were able to overcome an alarmingly slow start, even when Animal was slow as a 2nd single, but the Title Track and Pour Some Sugar on me saved it from total failure. And Hysteria eventually lived up to the hype, selling over 25 million copies- 12 million in the U.S. alone. By the way, that climactic moment at the end of “Women” was actually a “goof” with a key change during Phil Collen’s solo that they kept in the final edit.
At #9 on our countdown of the Top 10 Non-Hits of ‘87, we’re gonna take a ride with our best friend and spotlight- “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode.
