Def Leppard’s ‘Rock of Ages’: How Gibberish Led To A Classic

As obvious as it sounds, Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages" is a song that was inspired by The Bible. The band has the music written, but lyrics were an issue.  A bible study group had used the same studio as Def Leppard had the day before. Singer Joe Elliott found a left-behind bible that was opened to the hymn "Rock of Ages." Joe began singing the phrase and their producer, Robert "Mutt" Lange, thought it was a great fit.  The rest of the lyrics followed from there, save one, the iconic opening: "Gunter Gleiben Glauchen Globen."

According to an interview with drummer Rick Allen, the opening lyrics of  Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages" were gibberish courtesy of Mutt Lange. "He (Lange) was getting so tired of saying '1,2,3,4' whenever we counted in. He wanted to inject a bit of humor in there." Do the words actually mean anything? It's not likely, but possible.  Rick Allen continued, "I wouldn't put it past Mutt because he actually speaks Dutch."

Mutt Lange produced Pyromania, as well as High 'n' Dry, Hysteria, and Adrenalize with Def Leppard.  Mutt also has co-writing credits on many of the band's songs.  One of the many talents that Mutt brought to the table was his ability to blend the latest technology with staples of classic rock.  The cowbell in "Rock of Ages" helps balance the luxe production and keeps the band sounding rooted, not over-produced.

Joe Elliot recalled the making of the video for "Rock of Ages" in the book, MTV Ruled the World. According to Joe, the video director, David Mallet, asked Joe to "walk down this drawbridge holding this sword." Joe said he argued with the director at first, saying he felt ridiculous.  However, eventually, Joe gave in.  Joe said, "I was young and dumb and went 'OK.' I look at that now, and I think 'What the hell was I thinking?'"

The giant sword is pretty hilarious. LOL, way to sell it, Joe! Read on to find out more about Joe Elliot of Def Leppard.

Joe Elliott celebrates his birthday on August 1. Decades after Def Leppard dropped their 1980 debut album On Through the Night, Elliott is still one of the enduring frontmen in rock.

Def Leppard continues to be a live draw. The acclaimed Stadium Tour with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts was a massive hit. In fact, the tour was the eighth highest-grossing tour in 2022. Per Billboard, the tour made $173.4 million.

He's showing no signs of slowing down, either. Even when Elliott suffered from altitude sickness before the band's show in Colombia in February 2023, he was quickly treated, and the show went on.

While he tends to be rather low-key, Elliott is also low-key one of rock's most interesting figures. You can tell he's still a fan at heart. When he talks about new music or the music that inspires him, that passion comes through. He still loves music as much as he did when he was in his formative years.

What else makes Joe Elliott interesting? Keep scrolling to learn five fun facts about the Def Leppard frontman.

Elliott took part in Spin's "5 Albums I Can't Live Without" feature. While his list devolved into basically naming entire catalogs, three specific albums he named were Mott The Hoople's Mott, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Ian Hunter's 1975 self-titled debut album.

Elliott notably has a side band called the Down 'n' Outz. The band currently features Paul Guerin, Guy Griffin, Keith Weir, Phil Martini and Share Ross. They initially formed to open for Mott the Hoople during a 2009 show in London, and the band has been a thing ever since. The group performs covers of Mott the Hoople and other artists related to the classic glam band.

Glam rock has a strong hold on Elliott from his love of Mott the Hoople to the first concert he ever attended. He shared with Rolling Stone in April 2019 that his first concert was T. Rex at the Sheffield City Hall in 1971 when he was 11 years old.

"I was absolutely shocked at the noise in this place and how big in 1971 Sheffield City Hall looked," recalled Elliott. "Cut to nine years later, [Def Leppard] played there, and when I went down for the sound check, I stood where Marc Bolan stood [on stage] and looked back at where I stood watching Bolan nine years previously, and I couldn't believe how small the place looked."

Elliott is a father of three now, but he and his second wife, Kristine, didn't have their first child, son Finlay, until 2009 when the Def Leppard frontman was 50. Since then, the couple welcomed two more children: Lyla, 7, and Harper, 3.

Elliott told Classic Rock about fatherhood, "It changes everything – and it comes at you like a f*cking express train! It’s not about me anymore. I was fifty when I had my first kid. While everybody else was having kids, I was having a jolly old time."

Elliott named "Gods of War" from 1987's Hysteria as Def Leppard's best song in a May 2022 interview with Vulture. It might be a surprising pick for some, but Elliott explains, " ... it was so different from anything else we’d ever done. From a musical point of view, the only note that isn’t in that song is an E-flat. It covers a lot of ground. It’s a great example of Steve Clark’s very angular and unique riff-writing."