Sunday, 20th March 2022
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PHIL COLLEN On Writing DEF LEPPARD's DIAMOND STAR HALOS Stadium Anthem KICK

Def Leppard 2022. Def Leppard 2022

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen has spoken about the writing process for new Diamond Star Halos song Kick.

'Diamond Star Halos' is the band's 12th studio album.

As announced on 17th March it will be released on Friday 27th May 2022.

Phil spoke during a band interview with Deezer and shared the story of how he wrote the single 'Kick' with songwriter/producer Dave Bassett.

Along with Joe, Sav and Vivian he also talked about various classic songs.

Stadium Anthem Kick

Phil talked about the song writing process and how the glam rock era influenced the album and gave it its title.

He also described working on the song with co-writer Dave Bassett who is one of two so far confirmed outside writrs on the album.

The other being fellow songwriter/producer Sam Hollander on upcoming single 'Fire It Up'.

Classic Songs

Joe recounted the (well told) stories of writing 'Photograph' and 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'.

Sav talked about 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak' aka BOTH, and gave some interesting insight into Steve Clark, Pete Willis and his own role in forming the song.

Vivian talked about 'We Belong' and it's individual band member lead vocals.

And Phil also talked about 'White Lightning' before going on to discuss new single 'Kick'.


Watch the full video below which was shot recently in London.


Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).


Def Leppard - March 2022 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

Def Leppard 2022.

Kick

Phil Collen - "Kick is a classic stadium anthem. They're kind of like the hardest songs to write because they can sound really contrived. And like you're trying too hard to write the rock stadium anthem."

Phil Collen - "The briefing was, I actually done this drum track. Like a basic drum track from a 70s style thing. A Glitter Band, Marc Bloan. It had this kind of thing about it."

Phil Collen - "And when I got with Dave (Bassett) I had the chorus. The Kick part. And obviously the riff. When we got together it started forming what the thing was about and it actually went full on 70s. '72/'73 era which is when we really got excited about music."

Phil Collen - "This kind of represented that and before we knew it the whole album had a theme and a thread that was around that time period. Again that's why Diamond Star Halos is the title. That's where it come from it was a Marc Bolan lyric. So very exciting. First single off the album. Last track written for the album and recorded and yeah we'll see."


Def Leppard 1981.

Bringin' On The Heartbreak

Rick Savage - "I remember Steve came into the rehearsal room and he had the idea for the jangle which is basically the main part of the verses. And it sounded great but we didn't have anywhere else for it to go."

Rick Savage - "And Pete Willis had this guitar idea which was a lead harmony guitar that again was a good idea but never went anywhere."

Rick Savage - "And I remember just thinking or saying to the guys take this and use this idea Pete's got. Use it as an intro and it naturally, 'cause it's in the same key, would flow into the verse part that Steve had come up with. It worked a treat."

Rick Savage - "And it's again another example of how we have different musical ideas. Sometimes from different times by different people and eventually they come together to create the song."


Def Leppard 1983.

Photograph

Joe Elliott - "I remember one day going into the studio in Battle in Hastings. It's a studio that used to be frequentd a lot by Wings. Paul McCartney and his boys would be working there. We were there in the summer of '82."

Joe Elliott - "And myself and a couple of the crew guys were just watching Cricket, as you do, when we heard this riff come roaring through the wall. And it's like whooah what is that?. I remember getting up and walking in and saying Hello!. And Mutt going well it got your attention it must be good."

Joe Elliott - "And it was the opening riff to Photograph. Which was something new that they'd come up with to glue on to the front of the orignal idea of the song. It ended up getting used pretty much all the way through the verses. Lyrically the song was kind of inspired by a poster in my bathroom. In my little basement appartment in London. Which was only strategically placed over a wall where there was a big hole that had been punched in it by the previous tennant."

Joe Elliott - "It was very Shawshank Redemption to be quite honest. And it was a poster of Marilyn Monroe. And Mutt had been kind of like singing just the word Photograph on the chorus. And I said why don't we do one where it's like the ultimate. As in it's a Photograph of somebody that you want but you can't have them 'cause they're not around anymore."

Joe Elliott - "And Marilyn Monroe not being around anymore inspired that thought. So as much as the video hints at the fact that the song's all about Marilyn it's actually not but she did inspire from a lyrical point of view the direction that this song went in."


Def Leppard 1987.

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Joe Elliott - "I just think it's -it's just one of those songs that when you've had a few tequila shots in a bar or a couple of beers. Song comes on - it's one of those songs that does not clear the dancefloor. It fills it up."

Joe Elliott - "I think the obvious choice is Sugar...Pour Some Sugar On Me purely because of it's birth. It's gestration and it's continuous life after it's been released. It's how we like to say it remained a hit all these years later. Yeah we'd got an 11 track album pretty much wrapped up. A few bits to do."

Joe Elliott - "And we took a break and while he was off making coffee or whatever I picked up this guitar in the control room and just started strumming the chords of the chorus. And whistling the melody maybe or humming it. And Mutt came back into the room and he just said what is that you're playing."

Joe Elliott - "I think he maybe thought it was a familiar tune that he just couldn't pin point. And I said it's just this idea that I've got kicking around."

Joe Elliott - "And he said is there a hook?. Yeah I've got a chorus. So I sang the chorus to him and he just went Oh that's the best hook I've heard for many a year. Play that again. And it turns out being the last thing on the album became arguably the most important song on the record. Because initially not a massive hit anywhere."

Joe Elliott - "It became a hit through stripclubs starting off in Florida and spreading like wildfire going to East to West all over the States in the Spring of 1988."

Joe Elliott - "While we were actually on a European tour. We came back in the summer of '88 to an album that sold three million copies while we were out of the country. And a song that was almost a Number One single by the time we got there and remains a very popular song to this day."


Def Leppard 1992.

White Lightning

Phil Collen - "White Lightning off of Adrenalize. We started the song, writing it actually with Steve Clark. You know we got the idea of it and everything with Steve. He passed away before we actually got a chance to record it."

Phil Collen - "So obviously it wasn't about him in the first place, but some songs do that. It kind of hinted at us that it was about Steve. It just reminded of him. Just his image and his hair being blonde and so he was the White Lightning."

Phil Collen - "And it became a song about him. We were so saddened obviously. Devasted actually by his loss that the song became about him. And even some of the melodies. Some of the guitar stuff. It was in the vein of what Steve would play."

Phil Collen - "You know I ended up having to play both my parts and Steve's parts on the album. So with that one it was kind of a tribute to Steve."


Def Leppard 2015.

We Belong

Vivian Campbell - "Joe had this great idea to have us all sing a line or two. Which was very unique, we'd never done that before. And, you know, so much of what we do as Def Leppard is so vocal intent. That's what sets us apart from a lot of other hard rock bands is that we all sing."

Vivian Campbell - "And this was the first time that we'd ever tried to showcase that on the individual level. And I think it came out really really well. And then we finally got around to including it in our live show when we did a Vegas residency in 2019."

Vivian Campbell - "And actually it was part of the little acoustic set that we did on a little satellite stage in Vegas and it was a very intimate part of the show. And highlighted the very intimate aspect of us all individually taking turns to be the lead singer of a song."


Def Leppard 2022.

Buy 'Diamond Star Halos' Online


Diamond Star Halos - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Total Time - 61mins
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022

Def Leppard 2022.

Diamond Star Halos (Deluxe) - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37

16 - Goodbye For Good This Time (Avant-Garde Mix)

17 - Lifeless (Joe Only version)


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022


Def Leppard / Latest Tour

Def Leppard World Tour 2022


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