10 Albums Saved By Ridiculously Last Minute Changes
2. Def Leppard Writes "Pour Some Sugar On Me" At The 11th Hour - Hysteria
After coming off a truly blockbuster album with Pyromania, Def Leppard went through an arduous process trying to make their followup Hysteria. Over nearly 3 years, the band went through multiple producers and even had to delay production when drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident midway through recording.
Amid all the painful setbacks, the band seemed to see the light at the end of the tunnel by late 1986. With their record company chomping at the bit for the new record, singer Joe Elliott started messing around with an acoustic guitar and started putting together the beginnings of "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Even though the band were massively behind schedule to get the album finished, producer Mutt Lange insisted that they record the track.
Once the band finally had all the songs in the can, the promotional cycle started with the opening cut "Women" at the forefront, which stalled in its first few weeks. With the record company concerned that the record wouldn't take off, "Sugar" was unleashed and took over the radio airwaves nearly overnight. Suddenly, Def Leppard went from being just another great hair metal to one of the biggest names in rock thanks to the success of this last minute inclusion.