For My Sunday Song #151, we are now going to spend the next 10 weeks exploring some of my favorite Def Leppard songs.  These won’t be the hits you have heard on the radio or in concert (okay, some may have been played live, and one might be a single but that is it).  These will be songs that I think are some of their best deep cuts and something I think is worth checking out if you want to get a better understanding of what the band is about.

The first song is off the 1993 album, ‘Retroactive’ and it was the B-Side to the song “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” off ‘Adrenalize’ from 1992.  The song is called “From the Inside” and was written by Joe Elliott.

The song is one of the darkest songs they have ever written or performed.  The theme of the song is about drugs and addiction and the point of view of the song is actually from the drugs.  The drugs describe to the user what it will do them and how it will take them up high and drag them to their lowest of lows.  With lyrics such as…

And I’ll laugh while you’re up there 
And I’ll laugh when you’re down 
Though your screams break the silence 
Oh, they won’t make a sound 

…it is quite disturbing and sadly, so true.  Written around the time I think Steve Clark died, my guess is that Joe was inspired by what happened with Steve write this track.

The song is an acoustic piece and is credited to be played by the Acoustic Hippies from Hell who are actually various Def Leppard members and the several members form the band the Hothouse Flowers.  It came about during a 3 hour jam session they had. The Hothouse Flowers added some different instrumentation and I am not sure it is a flute or some other unusual wind instrument, but it adds a creepy effect to the song.  There was also a haunting piano interlude and the acoustic guitar playing that all blended together for a quite beautiful, but depressing song.  It is one of my all-time favorite Def Leppard songs!!

Check it out and let me know what you think.  It isn’t like any other Def Leppard song and shows that they are more than the songs on the radio.  I hope you enjoy and have a Happy Sunday which might hard after hearing this.

“From The Inside”