Photograph (Def Leppard song)

1983 single by Def Leppard

"Photograph"

Single by Def Leppard
from the album  Pyromania
B-side| "Action! Not Words"
Released| January 1983 (UK)[1]
Recorded| 1982
Studio|

* Park Gates (Battle, East Sussex)
* Battery (London)

Genre|

* Glam metal
* pop metal
* hard rock

Length|

* 4:12
* 3:55 (single edit)

Label|

* Vertigo
* Mercury

Songwriter(s)|

* Steve Clark
* Pete Willis
* Rick Savage
* Joe Elliott
* Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Producer(s)| Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Def Leppard singles chronology
| "Bringin' On the Heartbreak"
(1981)  | "Photograph"
(1983)  | "Rock of Ages"
(1983)

|
|

UK cover
Music video
"Photograph" on YouTube

"Photograph" is a song by the British hard rock band Def Leppard that was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The track served as the lead single from the band's third studio album, which was titled Pyromania and came out in 1983. Although it has frequently been described as being a tribute to the entertainer Marilyn Monroe, the group's lead vocalist, Joe Elliott, has described the song as broadly about "something you can't ever get your hands on".[2]

After its release as a single, the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks. It additionally reached No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.[3]

In 2008, they performed the song with Taylor Swift on CMT Crossroads. The performance was nominated for both Wide Open Country Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year at the 2009 CMT Music Awards.

In 2013, the song was featured in the Grand Theft Auto V video game, on the Los Santos Rock Radio station.[4] It was also released as downloadable content for Rock Band 3 in 2011.

## Musical style

[edit]

The song has been described as pop metal,[5][6][7][8] glam metal,[9] hard rock[10] and power pop.[11]

## Reception

[edit]

Cash Box called it "a well-crafted if typical hard-pop outing," praising the "incendiary metal guitar licks and deafening drumbeats."[12]

## Music video

[edit]

There are two slightly different versions of the music video. The uncensored version shows a knife scene at the beginning, and on the censored version of the video, it is almost the same except the knife scene is replaced with a stationary black cat among other minor bits removed.[citation needed] There are several appearances of a lookalike impersonating Marilyn Monroe in the video. Mutt Lange would later go on to say that the song wasn't about anyone in particular but more about expressing "young lust in an anthemic song."[13]

The music video was directed by David Mallet[14] and was shot on 2 December 1982 (bassist Rick Savage's 22nd birthday), in Battersea, London, England. It featured the video debut of their co-lead guitarist Phil Collen. The video aired in heavy rotation on MTV.

## Live performances

[edit]

"Photograph" has been performed at every Def Leppard concert tour since its release. The song is traditionally the final song of the concert, often used during the encore (as well as fellow Pyromania track "Rock of Ages").[citation needed]

## Legacy

[edit]

"Photograph" is widely considered one of Def Leppard's best songs and one of the best rock songs of all time. In 2009 it was named the 13th-greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[15] It was also listed as the 17th-greatest song of the past 25 years by VH1.[16] In 2015, Loudwire ranked the song number one on their list of the 10 greatest Def Leppard songs,[17] and in 2017, Billboard placed it number two on their list of the 15 best Def Leppard songs.[18]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Def Leppard

[edit]

* Joe Elliott – lead vocals
* Steve Clark – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Pete Willis – rhythm guitar
* Phil Collen – guitar solo, additional rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Rick Allen – drums, backing vocals

### Additional personnel

[edit]

* Thomas Dolby – keyboards

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Chart (1983)  | Peak
position

|

Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] | 32
UK Singles (OCC)[20] | 66
US Billboard Hot 100[21] | 12
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[22] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Chart (1983)  | Position

|

US Billboard Hot 100[23] | 90
Santana featuring Chris Daughtry  Chart (2011–2012)  | Position

|

US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[24] | 30
Chart (2019)  | Position

|

US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25] | 23

## See also

[edit]

* 1980s portal

* List of number-one mainstream rock hits during the 1980s (United States)
* List of glam metal albums and songs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 212\. ISBN 9780862415419.
2. ^ "Joe Elliott: We Didn't Start the Fire". Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 170.
4. ^ Martin, Matt (18 November 2014). "Here's all 162 new songs in the refreshed GTA 5 soundtrack". VG247. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
5. ^ "Photograph" at AllMusic
6. ^ Masley, Ed (8 July 2014). "Best '80s pop-metal songs, from Def Leppard to Poison". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
7. ^ "Def Leppard's "Photograph" is an '80s answer to those '60s coming-of-age songs". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 30 May 2021. "A picture may indeed be worth a thousand words, but sometimes all you need is four minutes and charge of pure, pop-metal perfection to really get the job done."
8. ^ "36 Essential '80s Pop Metal Tracks". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
9. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Best Hair Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
10. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (5 January 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. VH1. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
11. ^ "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2019. "pretty power-popper 'Photograph,'"
12. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 26 March 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
13. ^ SB (21 May 2020). "THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Photograph» by Def Leppard". Rocking In the Norselands. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
14. ^ "Def Video 2 Pyromania/HND 84". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
15. ^ "spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
16. ^ "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs". 11 February 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
17. ^ Cornell, Jeff (4 August 2015). "10 Best Def Leppard Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
18. ^ Titus, Christa (27 October 2017). "Def Leppard's 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6269." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
21. ^ "Def Leppard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
22. ^ "Def Leppard Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
23. ^ "Talent Almanac 1984" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52\. Billboard Publications, Inc. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
24. ^ "Santana – Chart history". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
25. ^ "Def Leppard Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 May 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Def Leppard

* Rick Savage
* Joe Elliott
* Rick Allen
* Phil Collen
* Vivian Campbell

* Pete Willis
* Steve Clark

Studio albums|

* On Through the Night
* High 'n' Dry
* Pyromania
* Hysteria
* Adrenalize
* Slang
* Euphoria
* X
* Yeah!
* Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
* Def Leppard
* Diamond Star Halos

Live albums|

* Mirror Ball – Live & More
* Viva! Hysteria
* And There Will Be a Next Time... Live from Detroit

Compilations|

* Retro Active
* Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995)
* Best of Def Leppard
* Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
* The Story So Far – The Best Of
* The Early Years 79–81
* Drastic Symphonies

EPs|

* The Def Leppard E.P.

Singles|

* "Wasted"
* "Hello America"
* "Let It Go"
* "Bringin' On the Heartbreak"
* "Photograph"
* "Rock of Ages"
* "Foolin'"
* "Too Late for Love"
* "Animal"
* "Women"
* "Pour Some Sugar on Me"
* "Hysteria"
* "Armageddon It"
* "Love Bites"
* "Rocket"
* "Let's Get Rocked"
* "Make Love Like a Man"
* "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad"
* "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)"
* "Heaven Is"
* "Tonight"
* "Two Steps Behind"
* "Desert Song"
* “Miss You in a Heartbeat”
* "Action"
* "When Love & Hate Collide"
* "Slang"
* "Work It Out"
* "All I Want Is Everything"
* "Breathe a Sigh"
* "Promises"
* "Paper Sun"
* "Goodbye"
* "Now"
* "Four Letter Word"
* "Long, Long Way to Go"
* "No Matter What"
* "Rock On"
* "20th Century Boy"
* "C'mon C'mon"
* "Undefeated"

Videography|

* Historia
* Live: In the Round, in Your Face
* Visualize
* Rock of Ages: The DVD Collection
* Mirror Ball – Live & More
* Viva! Hysteria
* And There Will Be a Next Time... Live from Detroit

Concert tours|

* Adrenalize World Tour
* Slang World Tour
* Viva! Hysteria
* Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour
* World Tour 2015
* Def Leppard & Journey 2018 Tour
* The Stadium Tour
* The World Tour

Related|

* Discography
* Members
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Cybernauts
* Man Raze
* Down 'n' Outz
* Gogmagog
* Jeff Rich
* Frank Noon

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Marilyn Monroe

* Performances and accolades
* Death

Songs|

* "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"
* "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
* "Heat Wave"
* "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"
* "That Old Black Magic"
* "You'd Be Surprised"

Clothes|

* Pink dress
* White dress
* John F. Kennedy birthday dress

Popular
culture|

* Marilyn Diptych (1962 painting)
* Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962 painting)
* Marilyn (1963 documentary)
* Shot Marilyns (1964 paintings)
* The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (1966 documentary)
* Marilyn Monroe portfolio (1967 prints)
* "Candle in the Wind" (1973 song)
* Goodbye, Norma Jean (1976 film)
* Marilyn (1980 opera)
* This Year's Blonde (1980 film)
* Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980 film)
* Insignificance (1985 film)
* Taxi (1988 pinball machine)
* Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn (1989 film)
* Marilyn and Me (1991 film)
* Calendar Girl (1993 film)
* Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996 film)
* Blonde (2001 film)
* Marilyn Forever Blonde (2007 play)
* Marilyn and Ella (2008 play)
* Forever Marilyn (2011 statue)
* My Week with Marilyn (2011 film)
* Love, Marilyn (2012 documentary)
* "Marilyn Monroe" (2012 song)
* Smash 2012 TV series
* Bombshell
* The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (2015 film)
* Norma Jeane Baker of Troy (2019 play)
* Blonde (2022 film)
* "Nxde" (2022 song)
* Smash (2025 musical)

Related|

* James Dougherty (first husband)
* Joe DiMaggio (second husband)
* Arthur Miller (third husband)
* Gladys Pearl Baker (mother)
* Berniece Baker Miracle (sister)
* John F. Kennedy document hoax
* The Last Sitting
* 12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work
* MusicBrainz release group

|

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