Album
On Through the Night
On Through the Night is the debut studio album by Def Leppard, released on 14 March 1980 on Vertigo. Tom Allom produced it, and it reached No. 15 in the UK and No. 51 on the Billboard 200. It later went gold in the US in November 1983 and platinum in May 1989.
It captures the Sheffield band before the glossy records that followed, with "Rocks Off" and "Overture" re-recorded from their independent debut EP, alongside reworked early demos. "Wasted", "Hello America" and "Rock Brigade" came out as singles, though the single versions of "Wasted" and "Hello America" differ from the album takes. Listen for the spoken intro to "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down", delivered by Dave Cousins of Strawbs in what he describes as his best Laurence Olivier impression.
On Through the Night: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 43:03Tracklist
- 1Rock BrigadeClark, Elliott, Savage3:10
- 2Hello AmericaAllen, Clark, Elliott, Savage, Willis3:20
- 3Sorrow Is a WomanClark, Elliott, Savage, Willis3:50
- 4It Could Be YouJoe Elliott and Pete Willis2:33
- 5SatelliteClark, Elliott, Savage, Willis4:10
- 6When the Walls Came Tumbling DownClark, Elliott, Smith4:30
- 7WastedSteve Clark and Joe Elliott3:40
- 8Rocks OffClark, Elliott, Savage, Willis3:35
- 9It Don’t MatterClark, Elliott, Willis3:20
- 10Answer to the MasterAllen, Clark, Elliott, Savage, Willis3:10
- 11OvertureClark, Elliott, Savage, Willis7:45
- Produced by
- Tom Allom
- Recorded at
- Startling (Ascot, Berkshire)
- Recorded
- December 1979
- Engineered by
- Louis Austin, Dick Plant
- Label
- Vertigo
- Length
- 43:03
Line-up
- Rick Allen · drums (drum set)
- Steve Clark · guitar
- Rick Savage · bass guitar
- Pete Willis · guitar
- Def Leppard · guest
- Joe Elliott · vocals
- Chris Hughes · synthesizer · guest
Singles
- “Wasted” · 2 November 1979
- “Hello America” · 8 February 1980
- “Rock Brigade” · 14 May 1980 (US)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980 | 15 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1980 | 51 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2020 | 4 |
| Scottish Albums · 2020 | 55 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1980 | 98 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1991 | Platinum |
| United States · 1989 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
50.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.2k
ListenBrainz listeners
97k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
6.5k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 14 March
Every year →
More from Def Leppard
Full discography →
The Def Leppard E.P.
1978
High ’n’ Dry
1981
Pyromania
1983
Hysteria
1987
Adrenalize
1992
Retro Active
1993
Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980–1995
1995
Slang
1996
Euphoria
1999
X
2002
Best Of
2004
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
2005
Yeah!
2006
Songs From the Sparkle Lounge
2008
Mirror Ball: Live & More
2011
Viva! Hysteria: Live at The Joint, Las Vegas
2013
Def Leppard
2015
Live at Abbey Road Studios
2018
The Story So Far: The Best of Def Leppard
2018
The Early Years 79–81
2020
Electric Warriors
2021
Deep Cuts
2021
Old School Leppard
2021
Let There Be Drums
2021
The Two Arm Years
2021
Leppard on the Loose
2021
Diamond Star Halos
2022
Pour Some Sugar on Me
2023
The best of 1980
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…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
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Metallica · 2008
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Metallica · 2003
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Metallica · 1996
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Pyromania
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Sabotage
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Mob Rules
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 March 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 March 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 14 March 1980 | |
| US release | 14 March 1980 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 March 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
20 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | NL | Vertigo | other | |
| 14 March 1980 | US | Mercury Records | original | |
| 14 March 1980 | GB | Vertigo | original | |
| 14 March 1980 | US | Mercury Records | original | |
| 1986 | GB | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 5 March 1988 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011310669 | other |
| 21 November 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 21 November 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 21 November 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 1999 | DE | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
| 30 April 2008 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005509536 | other |
| 19 January 2018 | DZ | Bludgeon Riffola | 602567157519 | other |
| 19 January 2018 | US | Bludgeon Riffola | 602567157526 | other |
| 20 March 2020 | US | Mercury Records | 602577793257 | other |
| 20 March 2020 | XW | Universal UMC | 602508263903 | remaster |
| 13 December 2021 | XE | UMC | 602577793264 | other |
| 25 October 2023 | JP | UMC | 4988031597521 | other |
| — | — | Mercury Records | other | |
| — | — | Mercury Records | 042282253323 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |