Slang is the sixth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 14 May 1996. The album marked a musical departure from their signature sound; it was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe and was their first album since 1980 without involvement by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Slang is the first album with new material to feature new guitarist Vivian Campbell. It charted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It is also the only Def Leppard album that does not feature their recognisable font logo on the album cover, though all its singles still bore the classic logo.
"Amanda" is a power ballad by American rock band Boston written by Tom Scholz. The song was released as the first single from the band's third album, Third Stage, in 1986, six years after it was recorded.
"I Want You to Want Me" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick. It is originally from their second album In Color, released in September 1977. It was the first single released from that album, but it did not chart in the United States in its original studio version, which was influenced by music hall styles.
"Burden in My Hand" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Burden in My Hand" was released on September 18, 1996, as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent five weeks at number one. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
"Ghostbusters" is a song written by American musician Ray Parker Jr. as the theme to the 1984 film Ghostbusters, and included on its soundtrack. Debuting at number 68 on June 16, 1984, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, staying there for three weeks, and at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart on September 16, staying there for three weeks. The song reentered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008 at No. 49 and again on November 5, 2021, at No. 38.
"Missing" is a song by English musical duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by Watt and John Coxon. It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It initially did not achieve much success until it was remixed by Todd Terry and re-released in 1995, resulting in worldwide success, peaking at or near the top of the charts in many countries. The release of the remixed version of "Missing" gave an indication of the band's future experimentation with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums.
"All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" is a song by American rock band Heart. It was composed by veteran songwriter and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and released as the lead single from the band's tenth studio album, Brigade, in March 1990. The song was first recorded as "All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You" by Dobie Gray in 1979, though with different lyrics. The Heart version tells the story of a woman who sets out to seduce a hitchhiker in order to become pregnant because although there is a man in her life, he is infertile.
"Make Love Like a Man" is a 1992 single by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their multi-platinum album Adrenalize. The song reached No. 3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
"Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" is a song by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their fifth studio album, Adrenalize (1992). In the United States, the song reached number seven on the Album Rock Tracks charts and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, making the song the most successful single from the album in the US. The Acoustic Hippies from Hell, credited on the B-side tracks, was the name used by Def Leppard and the Hothouse Flowers performing together. The song was performed extensively during the Adrenalize and Slang tours but rarely after, most recently being done acoustically during the band's 2019 Vegas residency, and the 2022 Stadium Tour.
"Work It Out" is a 1996 song by the English hard rock band Def Leppard from their gold album Slang. It was written entirely by new guitarist Vivian Campbell. It was released as a single later that year, reaching number six on the US Mainstream Rock chart and number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Breathe a Sigh" is a 1996 song by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Slang. It peaked at #43 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The single was not accompanied with a music video.
"When Love & Hate Collide" is a song by English rock band Def Leppard from their 1995 greatest hits album Vault, written by Joe Elliott and Rick Savage. The power ballad was originally written and demoed for Adrenalize, but not finalized until 1995 for its inclusion on Vault. The demo version is much more heavily produced in the signature style of Hysteria and Adrenalize, and the final version is more stripped down, supposedly toward the style of the following studio album Slang. The original demo version contains the final recorded guitar solo by late original guitarist Steve Clark.
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by American pop rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 in the U.S. Written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry, and Tommy James, the song has appeared in various film and television works such as the Oliver Stone drama Heaven & Earth. It was also covered by English singer-songwriter Billy Idol in 1981. Idol's version, which took in more of a rock sound, became an international top 40 hit and additionally revived public interest in the original garage rock single. Idol recorded a live version in 1985 which was ultimately released in 1987 where it became an even bigger hit than the Shondells' 1968 original, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Slang" is a 1996 song by the English rock band Def Leppard and the title track from their album of the same name. It reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is the only one from its parent album to be played after the 1996–1997 Slang World Tour, with Def Leppard performing the song most recently during their concert residency of Las Vegas in 2019.
"Everything About You" is the debut single of American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe, originally from their 1991 EP, As Ugly as They Wanna Be. The song gained popularity after being featured in the 1992 hit film Wayne's World and was later included on the band's full-length debut album, America's Least Wanted, which was also released in 1992.
"Stay with Me" is a song by English rock band Faces, written jointly by lead singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. Released from the band's third studio album A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse (1971), it became their only major hit in the United States, although they had a further three Top 20 singles in the UK chart. The song has also appeared on various Faces compilations and on albums by both songwriters. The lyrics describe a woman named Rita, who has a face that she has "nothing to laugh about", and with whom the singer proposes a one-night stand, on the condition that she be gone when he wakes up.
"Rock On" is a song written by English singer David Essex. Recorded in 1973 and released as a single by Essex, it became an international hit. In 1989, American actor and singer Michael Damian recorded a cover version that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been recorded many times, including a 2006 version by the English hard rock group Def Leppard.
"I Believe" is a single by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls from their 1995 debut album, Home. Vocalist Eliot Sloan wrote the song after the father of his girlfriend "Lisa" forced her to stop dating Sloan because of his race. "I Believe" is the band's highest-charting single in the United States, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and it became a top-20 hit in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
"Everything You Want" is a song by American alternative rock band Vertical Horizon, the title track and second single from their third studio album. First released to alternative radio in October 1999, the single reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 on July 15, 2000, following a commercial release on June 27, 2000. It also peaked atop the Billboard Adult Top 40 and was Billboard's "Most Played Single" of 2000. It remains the band's most successful single.
"In the Meantime" is the debut single of English alternative rock band Spacehog, from their debut album, Resident Alien (1995). It samples the Penguin Cafe Orchestra song "Telephone and Rubber Band". Released in 1996, the single peaked atop the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and the UK Rock Chart. It additionally reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 29 on the UK Singles Chart while reaching the top 50 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden.
