Love Bites (Def Leppard song)
Encyclopedia
"Love Bites" is a power ballad recorded by British rock band Def Leppard
in 1987 on the album Hysteria. It is Def Leppard's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100
to date.
.
Following the huge momentum generated by "Pour Some Sugar on Me
", the song was released in August of 1988 and quickly shot to the top of the U.S. charts, dethroning Bobby McFerrin
's "Don't Worry Be Happy". It stayed there for one week before giving up the position to UB40
's "Red Red Wine
". The song also hit number eleven in the UK (their second best showing from the album).
"Love Bites" was ranked #8 on the list of "VH1
's 25 Greatest Power Ballads" and #52 on the list of "VH1
's 100 Greatest Love Songs".
about the song concerns the final seconds. After the line "If you've got love in your sights, watch out, love bites", what is seemingly heard is "Jesus of Nazareth, go to Hell". This rumour has been denied by the band, most notably on a Hysteria documentary. The line is in fact producer Mutt Lange rambling in a Yorkshire accent, to the effect of "Yes it does, bloody Hell", with the aid of a vocoder
.
The live track was recorded at Tilburg, Netherlands in 1987
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...
in 1987 on the album Hysteria. It is Def Leppard's only number-one single 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...
to date.
Song
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 ActiveRetro Active
Retro Active is an album by British hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions between 1984 and 1993...
.
Following the huge momentum generated by "Pour Some Sugar on Me
Pour Some Sugar on Me
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" is a song by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It reached number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
", the song was released in August of 1988 and quickly shot to the top of the U.S. charts, dethroning Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
's "Don't Worry Be Happy". It stayed there for one week before giving up the position to UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
's "Red Red Wine
Red Red Wine
"Red Red Wine" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. It has been covered by Tony Tribe, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and more famously by British reggae group UB40, whose version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts...
". The song also hit number eleven in the UK (their second best showing from the album).
"Love Bites" was ranked #8 on the list of "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 25 Greatest Power Ballads" and #52 on the list of "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Love Songs".
Ending of "Love Bites"
An urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
about the song concerns the final seconds. After the line "If you've got love in your sights, watch out, love bites", what is seemingly heard is "Jesus of Nazareth, go to Hell". This rumour has been denied by the band, most notably on a Hysteria documentary. The line is in fact producer Mutt Lange rambling in a Yorkshire accent, to the effect of "Yes it does, bloody Hell", with the aid of a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
.
7": Bludgeon Riffola / Vertigo / Polygram / 830 675-1 (USA)
- "Love Bites"
- "Billy's Got a Gun (Live)"
The live track was recorded at Tilburg, Netherlands in 1987
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988 (U.S.)
- Hysteria (Def Leppard album)