Def Leppard’s ‘Pyromania’ Turns 40

It’s been 40 years since Def Leppard’s iconic album Pyromania dropped – and frontman Joe Elliott has commemorated the occasion by posting a special message to fans on social media.”So 40 years ago today, 20th of January 1983, we released Pyromania,” Elliott writes. “It was a breakthrough album for us in the U.S. and Canada, and a little bit in Japan. It was a hugely important record for our career, and in America, it broke us wide open. It became one of the biggest records of the year, only behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller in sales.” Bandmate Rick Savage adds, “It still sounds great to my ears, even 40 years later.”Pyromania, which featured such hit songs as “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages” and “Foolin,” peaked at number two on the U.S. album charts. After selling 6 million copies in 1983, it went on to rack up more than 10 million in sales.