10 Song Meanings EVERYONE Gets Wrong
3. White Lightning - Def Leppard
Most hair metal songs didn't really have to mean anything outside of songs about partying and getting laid.
After all, no one was looking to someone like Bret Michaels or Nikki Sixx to be on the same level as Bob Dylan or anything, right? Then again, some of the more heavy hitters of the genre did have the potential to tug on your heartstrings from time to time.
Being the longest song on the album Adrenalize, Def Leppard's White Lightning almost feels sleazy from the minute you hear it, as Joe Elliott delves into a lower register in the verses to set the tone.
For any casual fan, that would probably lead you to believe that the titular lightning might have something to do with drugs, maybe cocaine taking over your body. This isn't some narcotic though as much as it is a ghost from the past.
During the recording of the album, Leppard lost one of their own with Steve Clark, who was often called White Lightning because of his lightning fast guitar playing. Looking to finish the record off without him, this song is actually a tribute to Clark's legacy, even throwing in bits and pieces of in jokes at his expense during some of the verses.
Above all else, this was proof enough that hair metal could get a little more mature beyond just the odes to booze and screws.