Rock of Ages (Def Leppard song)
Encyclopedia
"Rock of Ages" is a song by Def Leppard
from their 1983 album Pyromania
. It takes its name from the hymn Rock of Ages. When released as a single in the United States, the song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and number one on the Top Tracks rock chart.
It begins with a German
-like nonsense phrase, "Gunter glieben glauben globen", which was later sampled in "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
" by The Offspring
as well as "Call Me What You Like (If You Like Rock-N-Roll)
" by Puffy AmiYumi
. This was also sampled in a parody
of the song, "Rape Rock of Ages," by self-proclaimed "rape rock" band The Mentors
.http://www.myspace.com/thementors|1 According to the official Def Leppard FAQ,
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.
The song is featured in the video game Brütal Legend
and the downloadable "Def Leppard Pack" for the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
.
The song is also available for download for the game Rock Band 3
, either alone or part of the Def Leppard Pack 01.
was directed by David Mallet
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.
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
from their 1983 album Pyromania
Pyromania (album)
Pyromania is the third studio album by British rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983. It featured new guitarist Phil Collen and was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the UK Albums Chart.The album was partially recorded with...
. It takes its name from the hymn Rock of Ages. When released as a single in the United States, the song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and number one on the Top Tracks rock chart.
It begins with a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-like nonsense phrase, "Gunter glieben glauben globen", which was later sampled in "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
-Australia CD Maxi:-Europe CD Maxi:-Composition and lyrics:Beginning with a sample of the pseudo-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauchen globen" from Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages," chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a...
" by The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
as well as "Call Me What You Like (If You Like Rock-N-Roll)
Splurge (Puffy album)
Splurge is an album by PUFFY that was released on June 28, 2006 in Japan. It was released in the US on July 25, 2006, after their East Coast Tour. The album is no longer available on the iTunes Store. The album peaked at #19 in Japan. The CD went discontinued in the U.S...
" by Puffy AmiYumi
Puffy AmiYumi
or Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese rock duo that is currently signed with Sony Music Japan. The group continues to go by the moniker of PUFFY in Japan, but in order to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, it has adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi outside of Japan...
. This was also sampled in a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the song, "Rape Rock of Ages," by self-proclaimed "rape rock" band The Mentors
The Mentors
The Mentors are an American heavy metal band noted for its deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.They formed in 1977 in Seattle, Washington and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1979, where their irreverent attitude aligned them with the city's punk rock scene. Their music has developed...
.http://www.myspace.com/thementors|1 According to the official Def Leppard FAQ,
These four words that you hear at the start of "Rock of Ages", mean nothing, though the band sometimes jokingly claims it means "running through the forest silently". It's actually just German sounding gibberish, said by producer Mutt Lange during one of the later takes of the song. Lange was a perfectionist and would often do dozens & dozens of takes, and after repeatedly beginning so many with the standard count, "One, two, three, four" he simply started saying nonsense words instead, the band liking this one so much that they included it on the album.
According to the liner notes of the compilation release Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection is the North American version of the second compilation by British rock band Def Leppard. The 2-Disc anthology featuring 35 hit songs by the band and was released in North America on May 17, 2005.The album charted at #10 on The Billboard 200.Its worldwide...
, the band was at a recording studio when lead vocalist Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...
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.
The song is featured in the video game Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...
and the downloadable "Def Leppard Pack" for the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
.
The song is also available for download for the game Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
, either alone or part of the Def Leppard Pack 01.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by David Mallet
David Mallet (director)
David Mallet is a British director particularly noted for his work on music videos, including David Bowie's innovative "Ashes to Ashes", Rush's "Distant Early Warning, and Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" videos. He has also served as a producer on television programmes including...
and shot on 8 December 1982 (Guitarist Phil Collen
Phil Collen
Philip Kenneth "Phil" Collen is the co-lead guitarist and one of the backing vocalists for English rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis.-Early years:...
's 25th birthday), in Battersea, London, England.
Former Def Leppard co-manager Peter Mensch appears in this video as one of the monks.
See also
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)