Love Bites (Def Leppard song) explained

Love Bites
Cover:Def Leppard - Love Bites.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Def Leppard
Album:Hysteria
B-Side:"Billy's Got a Gun" (live)
Released:4 July 1988
Genre:Glam metal
Length:5:46
Label:Mercury
Producer:Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Prev Title:Armageddon It
Prev Year:1988
Next Title:Rocket
Next Year:1989

"Love Bites" is a song by English glam metal band Def Leppard from their album Hysteria. The power ballad[1] is Def Leppard's only number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-10 hit in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. On the UK Singles Chart, the track peaked at number 11.

Song history and composition

When Robert John "Mutt" Lange originally brought the song to the band's attention, it was a country ballad, which the band thought sounded like nothing they had done before. The band then added power rock elements and emotive backing vocals similar to those used in R&B ballads at the time.[2] The title "Love Bites" was originally used for a very different song that was eventually re-titled "I Wanna Be Your Hero", and which appeared as a Hysteria B-side and later on the album Retro Active. Musically, the song has been described as glam metal,[3] [4] [5] and is considered a classic of the genre.[6]

Following the huge momentum generated by "Pour Some Sugar on Me", the song was released in August 1988 and peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week. The song also reached number eleven in the United Kingdom, number two in New Zealand, number three in Canada, and number seven in Ireland. The "Love Bites" 45 release in Canada and UK included limited edition gatefold with complete "Hysteria" lyrics. This was the only official release of the "Hysteria" lyrics.[7]

Track listings

"Billy's Got a Gun" was recorded at Tilburg, Netherlands, in 1987.[8]

7-inch: Bludgeon Riffola / Vertigo / Polygram / 830 675-1 (US)

  1. "Love Bites"
  2. "Billy's Got a Gun" (live)

12-inch and CD: Bludgeon Riffola / Vertigo / Polygram (US, UK)

  1. "Love Bites"
  2. "Billy's Got a Gun" (live)
  3. "Excitable" (Orgasmic mix)

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988–1989)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 3
Canada Retail Singles (RPM)[10] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 38
US Cash Box Top 100[12] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 51
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 25
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 30

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Top 8 Romantic Metal Songs to Make Love To. MetalSucks. 13 May 2019. 11 June 2021.
  2. Classic Albums: Def Leppard – The Making of Hysteria DVD
  3. Web site: Def Leppard Reflects on the 'Early Years' and Why Those Iron Maiden Comparisons Were 'Tiresome'. 11 February 2021. Billboard. en.
  4. Web site: Every Rose Has Its Thorn: A Tribute to the Syrupy-Sweet Sounds of '80s Hair-Metal Ballads. 11 June 2021. SPIN.
  5. Web site: Smith. Troy L.. Clevel. .com. 13 May 2021. Every No. 1 song of the 1980s ranked from worst to best. 2 July 2021. cleveland. en.
  6. Web site: Bernstein. Scott. THE B LIST: FAVORITE HAIR-METAL POWER BALLADS. 24 February 2021. Glidemagazine.com.
  7. Web site: Def Leppard Discography. Defleppardworld.info. 3 August 2024.
  8. notes on record label
  9. RPM 100 Singles – October 29, 1988. RPM. 49. 2. 6. 29 October 1988. 14 September 2020.
  10. RPM 30 Retail Singles – October 1, 1988. RPM. 48. 24. 1 October 1988. Library and Archives Canada. 352936026. 25 February 2017.
  11. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 5. 31. 18. 30 July 1988. 14 September 2020.
  12. Web site: U.S. Cash Box Charts. popmusichistory. 23 January 2022.
  13. Top 100 Singles of '88. RPM. 49. 10. 9. 24 December 1988. 14 September 2020.
  14. Web site: End of Year Charts 1988. Recorded Music NZ. 14 September 2020.
  15. 1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles. Billboard. 100. 52. Y-20. 24 December 1988.
  16. Web site: The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989. ARIA. Imgur. 29 July 2022.