10 Great Songs Never Released As Singles
4. Def Leppard - Stagefright
Def Leppard was one of the foundational acts of the 1980's. While initially a hard-edged rock act, the band's use of pop hooks and stellar production helped them craft some of the best hair metal albums of the decade. Pyromania stands as one instance of the band perfectly marrying pop hooks with a harder rock approach.
Fans tend to sing the praises of songs like "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages," but the album cut "Stagefright" is a slight left turn for the band. The structure of a typical Leppard rocker is there for sure, but the chorus seems to hint more towards power pop than it does to hair metal. The way that vocalist Joe Elliott bounces off the backing vocals as he screams "on with the show" feels as if it's ripped out of Cheap Trick's playbook.
Coming towards the beginning of the record, this song does an incredible job at keeping the album's momentum going with a pulsing beat and an incredible guitar performance by late guitarist Steve Clark. The band would find new ways to incorporate pop into their sound down the road, but this track is a great middle ground for pop enthusiasts and metalheads like.