10 Rock Songs That Were A Nightmare To Make

Whenever you're faced with following up a massive album, most bands tend to take a little more time to refine their approach. Given that the pressure is on you from the label to reach the top of the mountain again, some bands refuse to put the record out until it's something that they think is classic. In Def Leppard's case though, weeks became months, and months became years.

Despite being released in 1986, the basis of Animal was actually started almost 3 years prior, with most of the band cutting demos of it in the meantime. By the time they got into the studio though, their collaborator and production wizard Mutt Lange abruptly left the project due to scheduling conflicts, which absolutely mortified the rest of the band. Even with bringing in other rock luminaries like Jim Steinman, Leppard were always second guessing every move they made, looking for making the most perfect rock song they could muster.

Once Rick Allen suffered a massive car accident which severed his arm, Lange was available to re-enter the fold, providing the trademark layered vocal sound that became synonymous with the track. This also marked the first British hit Leppard had, which set up the album to take over the charts once further singles like Love Bites and Pour Some Sugar on Me came out. For as fresh as it still sounds today, the longevity of Animal goes back a lot further than you might expect.