"Rocket" is a song by Def Leppard. It was the second track on their 1987 album Hysteria, and was released as the seventh and final single from the album in January 1989.
Track listing[]
7": Bludgeon Riffola / LEP6 (UK)[]
- "Rocket [Edit]"
- "Release Me"
7": Mercury / 872 614-7 (US)[]
- "Rocket [Edit]"
- "Women [Live]"
12": Bludgeon Riffola / LEPX6 (UK)[]
- "Rocket [Lunar Mix]"
- "Release Me"
- "Rock of Ages [Live]"
12": Bludgeon Riffola / LEPXP6 (UK)[]
- "Rocket [Lunar Mix]"
- "Rocket [Radio Edit]"
- "Release Me"
- 12" picture disc
CD: Bludgeon Riffola / LEPCD6 (UK)[]
- "Rocket [Lunar Mix-edit]"
- "Rock of Ages [Live]"
- "Release Me"
CD: Vertigo / 872 614-2 (Can)[]
- "Rocket [Extended Lunar Mix]"
- "Women [Live]"
- "Rock of Ages [Live]"
- "Rocket [Lunar Mix]"
- only 5000 copies pressed
CDV: Bludgeon Riffola / 080 990-2 (UK)[]
- "Rocket [Lunar Mix-edit]" [Video]
- "Rocket [Edit]" [Audio]
- "Release Me" [Audio]
- "Rock of Ages [Live]" [Audio]
Lyrics[]
"Rocket"
Def Leppard
Ah ah, ooh ooh
Ah ah, ooh ooh
White lights, strange city
Mad music all around
Midnight, street magic
Crazy people, crazy sound
Ah ah, ooh ooh
Jack Flash, rocket man
Sergeant Pepper and the band
Ziggy, Benny and the Jets
I take a rocket, we just gotta fly
(I can take you through the center of the dark)
We're gonna fly
(On a collision course to crash into my heart)
I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
Rocket baby, c'mon
I'll be your satellite of love
Ooh ooh, ah ah
Ooh ooh, ah ah
Spotlight, magnetic
Razor rhythm, laser love
Guitar, drums, load up, stun
Ah ah, ooh ooh
Jet Black, Johnny B.
Jean Genie, Killer Queen
Dizzy Lizzy, Major Tom
So c'mon, we just gotta fly
(I can take you through the center of the dark)
We're gonna fly
(On a collision course to crash into my heart)
I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
Rocket baby, c'mon
We're gonna fly
Countdown commencing, fire one
Five, four, three, two, one, zero, we have liftoff
We just gotta fly
(I can take you through the center of the dark)
We're gonna fly
(On a collision course to crash into my heart)
I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
Guitar, drums, load up
We're gonna fly
(Rocket, yeah) satellite of love
We're gonna fly
(Rocket, yeah) yeah, satellite of love
Rocket, yeah
Length[]
- Album version: 6:34
- Extended Lunar Mix: 8:41
- Lunar Mix/Remix: 7:06
- Edit: 4:38
- Lunar Mix – single version: 4:25
- Video version: 4:10
- Visualize video edit/Vault version: 4:07
Personnel[]
- Joe Elliott – lead vocals
- Steve Clark – rhythm guitars, backing vocals
- Phil Collen – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Rick Allen – drums
Trivia[]
- The song was considered experimental for hard rock at the time. Most notably, producer Mutt Lange used backmasking effects to feature the line "We're fighting with the gods of war" (from "Gods of War", also on Hysteria) sung backward throughout the track. This sample was omitted from the single version of the song. The words "Love" and "Bites" (from "Love Bites") are also used as a sonic effect midway throughout the song, in order to replicate the sounds of a rocket launch through musical samples.
- For its lyrics, the names of classic rock artists, songs or albums are dropped as a tribute to the music of the band's youth.
- "Jack Flash" – The song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones, 1968
- "Rocket Man" – The song of the same name by Elton John, 1972
- "Sgt. Pepper & the Band" – The album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, 1967
- "Ziggy" – The track/character of "Ziggy Stardust" from David Bowie's album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, 1972
- "Bennie and the Jets" – The song of the same name by Elton John, 1973
- "Satellite of Love" – The song of the same name by Lou Reed, 1972
- "Laser Love" – The song of the same name by T.Rex, 1976
- "Jet" – The song of the same name by Paul McCartney & Wings, 1973
- "Black" – A reference to the song "Black Betty" by Ram Jam, 1977
- "Johnny B." – A reference to the song "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry, 1958
- "Jean Genie" – The song of the same name by David Bowie, 1973
- "Killer Queen" – The song of the same name by Queen, 1974
- "Dizzy Lizzy" – A reference to the song "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", made famous by the Beatles, 1965 (also a nod to Thin Lizzy)
- "Major Tom" – A reference to the song "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, 1969
- "Block Buster!" – song by Sweet, 1973
| Hysteria |
|---|
| Women, Rocket, Animal, Love Bites, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armageddon It, Gods of War, Don't Shoot Shotgun, Run Riot, Hysteria, Excitable, Love and Affection |