Armageddon It
| "Armageddon It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Def Leppard | ||||
| from the album Hysteria | ||||
| B-side |
Ring of Fire (UK) Release Me (US) | |||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Format |
7" 12" CD CDV | |||
| Recorded | June 1985-August 1985, November 1986-January 1987 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, pop metal | |||
| Length |
5:20 (album version) 7:39 (The Nuclear Mix) | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Writer(s) | Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Phil Collen, Steve Clark, Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| Producer(s) | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| Def Leppard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Armageddon It" is a song by the English hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It was released as a single in 1988 and went to No. 3 in the U.S. (their fourth U.S. Top Ten hit).
The actual line of "Armageddon It" is meant to be a word play on the line "I'm A Gettin' It," thought up by the band during the recording sessions for the Hysteria album. The vocal style of the song is described as "T.Rex meets Eddie Cochran with backing vocals", according to lead singer Joe Elliott in the liner notes for Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995).
The video for the song was the second to feature Def Leppard in a live arena setting. On 12–13 February 1988, the band recorded two shows at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado for a future live film release. However, a month later, "Armageddon It" was set to be released as the sixth single off the popular Hysteria album and a promo video clip was urgently needed.
From the band's end, there was hesitation to film another concept video. Although they were happy with the results for "Hysteria" and "Animal", they were very unsatisfied with the way "Pour Some Sugar on Me" had turned out for its concept.
Therefore, an idea was pitched to quickly create a video edited from the Denver footage. It was another hit in the UK, reaching the Top 20. Months later, it was released in the United States and was even more successful, reaching the Top 3.
However, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" was the first song used there for the "live" concept (in fact, many of the scenes are the same in the two), but instead of filming a different video, slight changes were made using footage filmed in October at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.
There are two mixes of the song that appeared in the single: "The Atomic Mix," which is the album version, and "The Nuclear Mix," which is an extended version.
Trivia
- On the recorded version (and during the Hysteria tour), the solo is preceded by Joe Elliott's call to Steve Clark "C'mon Steve, get it". Following Clark's death in 1991, this line was either replaced by "C'mon, boys" or simply removed during concerts.
- The b-side to the US release of "Armageddon It" contains a cherished rarity for Def Leppard fans: a cover of Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me" but sung by guitar tech (and later tour manager) Malvin Mortimer under the alias of "Stumpus Maximus". Def Leppard is credited with background vocals as "The Good Ol' Boys". The song is remembered for its off-key bombast and humor and turned Mortimer into an unofficial member of the band. The track is included on the "deluxe edition" 2006 re-issue of Hysteria.
Track listing
CD: Bludgeon Riffola / LEPCD4 (UK) / 870 239-2 (INT)
- "Armageddon It"
- "Ring of Fire"
- "Animal"
- "Pour Some Sugar on Me"
7": Bludgeon Riffola / Vertigo / 872 692-7P (CANADA) / Picture Disc
- "Armageddon It"
- "Release Me"
7": Bludgeon Riffola / Polygram Records / Mercury / 872 692-7 (INT)
- "Armageddon It"
- "Release Me"