Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Meaning of the song

The song became a hit because strippers in Florida started requesting it on the local radio station,” Collen recalls. “It had a second lease of life. Hysteria was all over bar the shouting, and then all of a sudden this song just got popular, and then the album went to Number One. It’s really funny how it suddenly became cool because it was a stripping song.

Joe can't always identify the specific influences, but the first record he bought was "Sugar, Sugar," which was a huge hit for the cartoon band The Archies in 1969. Near the end of that song, there is a line that goes "Pour a little sugar on me, baby," which Elliott says was at least subconscious inspiration for this song. The lyrics started out as phonetic sounds to fit the music, which they refined later into actual words. Joe says that this was done in the style of "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" by T. Rex, which contains vaguely lascivious lyrics that don't make any sense ("a hubcap, diamond star halo"?) but sound great.

The lyrics are clearly about sex - Elliott says "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is "the metaphor for whatever sexual preference you enjoy" - but they are shrouded in enough metaphors to make the song safe for radio and MTV. Def Leppard, with Mutt Lange producing, were one of the best-selling bands of the '80s, succeeding with a formula of polished songs perfect for pop radio but with enough rock swagger to keep guys interested - which is where lyrics about sex and drums and rock and roll come in. The massive commercial success for the band did not translate into credibility, but songwriters tend to write about life experiences, and lead singer Joe Elliott had no interest in writing about an assembly line. He explained:

"I used to work on the treadmill making knives and forks; it don't cross over into a lyric. There's nothing in Sheffield (England) to write songs about - you can't write, 'This is Steel City!' and mean it. It's come across like bloody heavy metal Hovis ad! It's a great place with great people, but in my upbringing there was a lack of community spirit. I'm an only child; I found my own entertainment. The whole idea of being in a band is to escape boredom, so you create escapism."

Pour some sugar on me - Lyrics

Step inside, walk this way You and me, babe Hey, hey Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon, get it on Livin' like a lover with a radar phone Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp Demolition woman, can I be your man? (Your man) Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light Television lover, baby, go all night Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet Little Missy Innocent, sugar me Yeah Yeah, uh, c'mon Take a bottle Shake it up Break the bubble Break it up Pour some sugar on me Ooh, in the name of love Pour some sugar on me C'mon, fire me up Pour your sugar on me I can't get enough I'm hot, sticky sweet From my head to my feet, yeah Listen Red light, yellow light, green light, go Crazy little woman in a one-man show Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up (Loosen up) Loosen up You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little, tease a little more Easy operator come a knockin' on my door Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet Little Missy Innocent, sugar me Yeah Yeah, give a little more Take a bottle Shake it up Break the bubble Break it up Pour some sugar on me Ooh, in the name of love Pour some sugar on me C'mon, fire me up Pour your sugar on me Oh, I can't get enough I'm hot, sticky sweet From my head to my feet, yeah You got the peaches, I got the cream Sweet to taste, saccharine Cause I'm hot (hot), say what, sticky sweet From my head, (head, head), my head to my feet Do you take sugar? One lump or two? Take a bottle (Take a bottle) Take it up (Shake it up) Break the bubble (Break it up) Break it up Pour some sugar on me Ooh, in the name of love Pour some sugar on me C'mon, fire me up Pour your sugar on me Oh, I can't get enough Pour some sugar on me Oh, in the name of love Pour some sugar on me Get it, come get it Pour your sugar on me Oh Pour some sugar on me Yeah, sugar me

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Live