"Animal" by Def Leppard

Song#:  3293
Date:  10/10/1987
Debut:  84
Peak:  19
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  Def Leppard's long-awaited album Hysteria didn't get off to a great start. Its first single, "Women," stalled at a very minor #80 on the Pop chart. It did better at Rock getting to #7, but even that seemed weak coming off of a multi-platinum album (Pyromania) that featured two #1 and two Top 10 Rock tracks. They definitely needed something to do better in the mainstream arena to keep interest in the album going. This next single was released and while it wasn't a major hit, it did far better in kicking off the album. The tune would reach #5 at Rock while becoming the band's third Pop Top 20. It was a solid showing, but things would only get better over the course of the album's next three singles.

ReduxReview:  This was the first single everywhere else except the US and Canada. It should have been the first one here. Had it been, it might have cracked the Top 10. The anticipation built up for a new Def Leppard song might have pushed it further. Instead, we got the far less appealing "Women" to start things and when that song tanked, DJs and programmers were probably not as excited about this song and were slow to get onboard. Luckily, the song was strong enough to break out on its own and it found a home in the Pop Top 20. It was a solid arena rock song and it certainly caught my attention.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Def Leppard was a British band, but they didn't have a lot of luck on the charts at home. Although their first three albums would make the UK Top 30, none of their singles would do better than #41. The story was different across the pond with the band's big arena rock sound a better fit for US hard rock listeners. Their first album went platinum, their second double-platinum, and their third, Pyromania, became a massive success selling over 10 million copies. It also spawned a pair of Pop Top 20 hits and another Top 30 entry. Finally, this single broke the band through to the masses in the UK. The song would become their first Top 10 entry hitting #6. With the band finally established, they would go on to have more hits in their homeland.

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