Photograph (Def Leppard song)
| "Photograph" | ||||
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| Single by Def Leppard | ||||
| from the album Pyromania | ||||
| Released | February 1983 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1982 Park Gates Studios Battle, Sussex, England Battery Studios London, England |
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| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:12 3:55 (7") |
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| Label | Mercury | |||
| Writer(s) | Joe Elliott, Pete Willis, Steve Clark, Rick Savage, Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| Producer | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| Def Leppard singles chronology | ||||
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"Photograph" is a 1983 single by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Pyromania. It was written as a tribute to the late actress Marilyn Monroe, as singer Joe Elliott often stated before playing the song live onstage. When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.[1] In 2006 the song was used in promotional ads for the DVD release of Blades of Glory. In 2009 it was named the 13th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[2] It was also listed as the No. 17 greatest song by VH1.
The 1993 live recording of the song in Sheffield, England appeared in the music video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as part of a Def Leppard downloadable track pack, as did the 1993 live recording of "Rock of Ages". The song was also included in the tracklisting of the rhythm music video game Battle of the Bands. In 2008 they performed the song with country pop singer Taylor Swift on CMT Crossroads.
Joe Elliott commented on the Vault album that this song was a big hit in the US and that he felt disappointed that it didn't become a hit in the UK. Nationally syndicated sports talk show host Jim Rome commonly refers to "Photograph" as one of the all time great rock songs ever.
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[edit] Music video
There are two 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. There are several appearances by the late Marilyn Monroe in the video, as the song is actually about her and lead singer Joe Elliott's declaration that he doesn't just "want [her] photograph" but that that's all he has of her, and he must admire her from afar.
The music video was directed by David Mallet[3] and was shot on Thursday, 2 December 1982 (bassist Rick Savage's 22nd birthday), in Battersea, London, England. It featured the video debut of guitarist Phil Collen.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] 7": Vertigo / Phonogram Ltd / VER 5 (UK)
This version of the 7" single has a standard cover.
- "Photograph"
- "Bringin´on the Heartbreak"
[edit] 7": Vertigo / Phonogram Ltd / VERP 5 / Photograph pop-up cover (UK)
This version of the 7" single has a camera on the cover, that pops up and you can see a picture of Marilyn Monroe.
- "Photograph"
- "Bringin´on the Heartbreak"
[edit] 7": Vertigo / Phonogram / Ver 9 – 605 960-8 (UK)
This version of the 7" single resembles a wallet.
- "Photograph"
- "Bringin´on the Heartbreak"
[edit] 7": Mercury / PolyGram / 811-215-7 (US)
This is the US version. The front cover is the same as the UK version
- "Photograph"
- "Action! Not Words"
[edit] Cover versions
British band Oval recorded a cover of "Photograph" for their 1992 EP on Icerink Records.[4]
Jani Lane recorded a version of this song back in 2000 for a Def Leppard tribute album entitled Leppardmania.
The All-American Rejects performed a cover version of this song live on VH1 Rock Honors.[5]
The band Santana covered the song for their 2010 album Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time. The song features Daughtry frontman Chris Daughtry on lead vocals.
The Swedish/Greek Melodic Death Metal band Nightrage covered the song along with Firewind singer Apollo Papathanasio providing clean vocals. The song appears as the Japanese bonus track to their 2011 album Insidious.
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] Def Leppard
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 32 |
| UK Singles Chart | 66 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
[edit] Santana featuring Chris Daughtry
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 30 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 170.
- ^ "spreadit.org music". http://music.spreadit.org/vh1-top-100-hard-rock-songs/. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ ((( Def Leppard UK.com ))) :: Def Video 2 Pyromania 1983/High 'n' Dry 1984:
- ^ "Oval – Photograph". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/Oval-Photograph/master/42219. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ "Rock Honors 2006 Live Performances – All-American Rejects – Photograph". VH1 Classic. http://www.vh1classic.com/view/playlist/1533263/90056/Rock_Honors_2006_Live_Performances/All_American_Rejects_Photograph_Live_at_Rock_Honors_2006/index.jhtml. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
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