Songs From The Sparkle Lounge

Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is the tenth studio album and 14th album overall from the English hard rock band Def Leppard. Released on April 25, 2008 in Europe and April 29 in North America, it was the band’s first album of brand new material since their 2002 album X.

In an Interview on Rockline Radio, two band members, Joe Elliott and Vivian Campbell stated that the title of their latest studio album would be Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, saying that “Until someone comes up with a better name this will be the final title upon release”. They also mentioned the possibility of previous Def Leppard album producer Mutt Lange being involved with a few songs for the album, but in the end this collaboration did not turn out to be possible due to scheduling conflicts. However, Joe Elliott has stated that the band and Mutt Lange still plan to finish off a couple songs together.

In an interview with Billboard.com, Joe Elliott stated that the album title is a reference to an area backstage of gigs, where the band would work on new material. “It was a mini (drum) kit, mini amps, a tape recorder and sparkly lights.” Elliott also stated that they would not be performing any previews of the songs, as they did not want them appearing on websites such as YouTube prior to the release of the album.

Members of the band have described the tracks from the album as written in the style of Hysteria, with the production style of High ‘n’ Dry. The album’s first single, “Nine Lives” features country singer Tim McGraw.