In 1983, Def Leppard pursued a bombastic, unwieldy metal sound, and they turned to the Bible for supporting lyrics. That year, they released the album “Pyromania,” featuring their hit song “Rock of Ages,” an over-the-top rock anthem heavy on cowbell (shout out to Will Ferrell fans), per VH1.
In an interview with VH1, Joe Elliott recalled having the music prepared but no lyrics. He explained, “We let somebody use the studio the night before, and they held a Bible study session. A Bible was left in the studio open to the hymn ‘Rock of Ages.’ So, I picked it up and started singing.” The rest would be history. Elliott’s bandmates heard him singing and realized he had the chorus for their next metal anthem.
Besides the Biblical verses in the song, “Rock of Ages” gave birth to one of the great mysteries of headbanger music thanks to the song’s intro, “Gunter glieben glauten globen.” (Offspring fans should also be familiar with this bit of Germanic blather as it opens “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”). Although people have long wondered what these words mean, Ultimate Classic Rock reports the answer is both whimsical and frustratingly simple. According to drummer Rick Allen, their producer Mutt Lange had grown tired of counting off “one, two, three, four” during recording sessions. To change things up, he invented the alternative gibberish you hear at the beginning of the recording.
