Liner Notes · No. 024
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard: the B-side
Quick hall pass: the afterthought that saved Hysteria got a Tom Cruise cover, a homemade forgery, a Taylor Swift duet and a Rock Hall night. Here's the B-side.
📰 FAST FACTS
- The US video was filmed live in the round on February 12-13, 1988, mostly at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, on the Hysteria tour. Every mullet in Colorado reported for duty. (Wikipedia)
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction happened on March 29, 2019, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the song was part of a five-song set. (Blabbermouth)
- In December 2023 the band released an official live video of the song, filmed at a stadium show in Sydney, Australia. Thirty-six years in, still filling stadiums on the other side of the planet. (WVLI)
On this record
TRACK 1 · The cameo
Tom Cruise, a forgery and 75 movie bands
Tom Cruise sang it in Rock of Ages. Def Leppard, fighting their label over royalties, re-recorded their own hit note for note.
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The movie: You saw the pop-up. Here's the fine print. In Rock of Ages (Warner Bros., 2012), Tom Cruise plays Stacee Jaxx, a burned-out rock star, and sings the song himself. His version was the first track released from the soundtrack, in May 2012. Def Leppard did not appear in the film. A movie about 80s hair metal, and the actual 80s hair metal band stayed home. Somewhere a can of Aqua Net shed a single tear.
The forgery: At the same time, Def Leppard was in a fight with Universal over royalties on digital downloads. Most of their catalog wasn't even on iTunes. So they re-recorded "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Rock of Ages" to sound exactly like the originals and released them to land with the movie. Joe Elliott called them forgeries. Most bands get covered by a tribute act. Def Leppard became their own.
The supercut: Then video editor Robert Jones stitched together 75 bands and performers from movies, Back to the Future and The Blues Brothers among them, all "playing" the song. Marty McFly, finally getting the crowd he deserved.
One more freebie before the gate:
When "Pour Some Sugar on Me" peaked at #2 on July 23, 1988, whose song was #1?
Freebie if you watched the pop-ups. No Googling. We'll know.
That's Side A. Flip the tape.
Side B is where it gets weird:
- The night an 18-year-old Taylor Swift traded verses with Joe Elliott.
- Acoustic, pop-punk, fellow hair metal and Tom Cruise: four covers, one battle.
- Where Def Leppard is in 2026: Vegas, Sheffield, a world tour and a new album on the way.
Free, every Tuesday. One song, the story you never heard, and a 10-minute hall pass from the doomscroll. Already subscribed? Enter your email to unlock.
▶ SIDE B
TRACK 2 · The live one
The night Taylor Swift took a verse
In 2008, an 18-year-old Taylor Swift traded verses with Def Leppard on CMT Crossroads. Both looked thrilled.
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The taping: October 6, 2008, Nashville's Acuff Theatre. Def Leppard taped CMT Crossroads with Taylor Swift: 11 songs in all, swapping lyrics on "Pour Some Sugar on Me" among others. It aired November 7, 2008. Swift was 18. The song was older than she was, which is a sentence that should make every reader here feel their knees.
Why it works: A British hair metal band and a teenage country singer, on the same stage, both clearly having the time of their lives. Nobody in 1987 predicted this crossover. Nobody in 1987 predicted a lot of things. Like the internet. Or that your acid-wash jacket would come back.
TRACK 3 · Cover watch
Acoustic, pop-punk, hair metal and Hollywood
Acoustic, pop-punk, fellow hair metal and Tom Cruise in character. Vote below.
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- 2001 · Emm Gryner. An acoustic version on her covers album Girl Versions. The stadium stomp, turned down to a quiet room. Same song, zero pyrotechnics. Bold.
- 2010 · The Maine. A pop-punk version for the Fearless Records compilation Punk Goes Classic Rock. Yes, the 80s are now "classic rock." Take a minute. We'll wait.
- 2010 · L.A. Guns. Fellow 80s hair metal survivors covered it on Covered in Guns. Hair metal covering hair metal. The hairspray industry thanks you for your service.
- 2012 · Tom Cruise (Rock of Ages). Sung in character as Stacee Jaxx; the lead single from the soundtrack. The pop-ups and Track 1 already gave him plenty of attention. He's used to it.
▶ WATCH THE CONTENDERS
Battle of the versions: which "Pour Some Sugar on Me" wins?
Cast your vote. Results in the next issue. Choose carefully: we're judging you.
TRACK 4 · Where are they now
Where Def Leppard is now
A new single, a third Caesars Palace residency, tour dates through November, and a 13th album now expected in 2027.
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The new one: On January 22, 2026, they released a new single, "Rejoice," ahead of their third Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, which opened February 3. Three residencies. At this point Caesars should just give them a parking spot.
The road: Summer 2026 meant European and UK arena dates with Extreme, including The O2 in London and a June 30 homecoming at Sheffield's Utilita Arena, their first gig in the city since the 2023 Bramall Lane stadium show. This fall they're booked for a one-off at Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on October 15, then Mexico, Central and South America with Extreme, through November 8 in Santiago, Chile.
The next album: Joe Elliott says the band has 17 or 18 songs written for its 13th studio album, now expected in 2027, and he's promised the fastest song they've ever done. The band that took three years on Hysteria, promising speed. We'll believe it when the stopwatch does.
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