Euphoria (Def Leppard album)

Euphoria
Studio album by Def Leppard
Released 8 June 1999 (US)
Recorded May 1998 – March 1999
Studio Joe's Garage, Studios 1 and 2, Dublin, Ireland
Genre
Length 51:07
Label Mercury
Producer
Def Leppard chronology
Slang
(1996)		 Euphoria
(1999)		 X
(2002)
Singles from Euphoria
  1. "Promises"/"Back in Your Face"
    Released: 12 July 1999 (UK)
  2. "Goodbye"
    Released: 27 September 1999 (UK)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]
Q[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Euphoria is the seventh studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 8 June 1999 in the United States and on 14 June 1999 in the United Kingdom by Mercury Records. The album aimed to return to their signature sound made famous by the band in the 1980s. It was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe. The album charted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 and No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. The album is also known for including the song "Promises", which hit the number one spot on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Overview

Following Slang, the band was initially unsure of which direction to take for their next release upon reconvening in April 1998.

The band would enlist the aid of former producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange for four days in a more limited role. Three songs were co-written with Lange, who lent background vocals (as he had on other albums): "It's Only Love", "All Night" and "Promises".

A song first recorded by Vivian Campbell's side band Clock, "To Be Alive", received a Leppard makeover. For the first time since 1981's High 'n' Dry, an instrumental was included (Phil Collen's "Disintegrate"). This instrumental was known before as "Spanish Sky", a ballad that evolved into this track.

1996 Formula One racing champion Damon Hill, a neighbour of Rick Savage, would contribute a guitar solo to the track "Demolition Man".

In its first week of release, Euphoria sold over 98,000 units in the US and just missed the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, reaching No. 11. First single "Promises" topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in June 1999, a spot the band had not held in six years.

Euphoria would later be certified gold in the US, Canada and Japan. The album-supporting tour stretched from May 1999 to September 2000.

Upon the album's ten-year anniversary in June 2009, The Record Review noted that "the band has yet to match it with any release since (despite the stiff competition of 2002's X) and it still stands between leaders Hysteria and Pyromania as the band's best album."[5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Demolition Man"Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell, Joe Elliott3:24
2."Promises"Collen, Robert John "Mutt" Lange4:00
3."Back in Your Face"Elliott, Collen3:20
4."Goodbye"Rick Savage3:36
5."All Night"Collen, Lange3:38
6."Paper Sun"Collen, Campbell, Elliott, Savage, Pete Woodroffe5:27
7."It's Only Love"Elliott, Lange, Savage, Campbell4:06
8."21st Century Sha La La La Girl"Collen, Elliott, Savage4:07
9."To Be Alive"Campbell, P.J. Smith3:53
10."Disintegrate"Collen2:51
11."Guilty"Collen, Savage, Elliott, Campbell, Woodroffe3:47
12."Day After Day"Collen, Elliott, Campbell4:36
13."Kings of Oblivion"Elliott, Collen, Savage4:22
Total length:51:07

Personnel

Def Leppard

Additional musicians

  • Robert John "Mutt" Lange – additional vocals (on "Promises" and "All Night"), additional guitars (on "All Night")
  • Damon "Demon" Hill – end guitar solo (on "Demolition Man")
  • Ciaran McGoldrick – hey's & claps (on "Back in Your Face")
  • Gary Sullivan – hey's & claps (on "Back in Your Face")
  • Ricky Warwick – hey's & claps (on "Back in Your Face")

Technical personnel

  • Pete Woodroffe – producer, engineer, mixing engineer (at The Townhouse, London)
  • Ronan McHugh – engineer
  • Ger McDonnell – engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer (at Gateway Mastering, Portland, Maine)
  • Andie Airfix – artwork
  • Andy Earl – photography

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 48
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] 32
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 16
French Albums (SNEP)[9] 63
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 14
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 14
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 11
US Billboard 200[15] 11

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Def Leppard: Euphoria > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. ↑ Lanham, Tom (11 June 1999). "Review: Euphoria". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Blake, Mark (July 1999). "Review: Euphoria". Q. No. 154. EMAP. p. 106.
  4. ↑ Kot, Greg (8 July 1999). "Review: Euphoria". Rolling Stone. New York City: Jann Wenner. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Ian Rice (6 August 2009). "Ten Years Later: Def Leppard". Recordreview.wordpress.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Def Leppard – Euphoria" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8176". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Def Leppard: Euphoria" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Def Leppard – Euphoria" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Def Leppard | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Def Leppard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Music Canada.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Def Leppard – Euphoria". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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