Taylor Swift, reigning as one of the most successful music stars of the 2020s, is currently basking in the triumph of her Eras tour and the buzz surrounding her new single, Patient Zero. However, even the biggest pop icons need support along the way, and in Swift’s case, that came from none other than the iconic rock band, Def Leppard.
A Chance Encounter in 2008
Def Leppard’s frontman, Joe Elliott, recalls a moment back in 2008 when he was in the band’s dressing room, preparing for their tour promoting the album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. Someone presented him with a laptop and insisted he watch a particular video.
“It’s Taylor Swift,” Elliott recounted in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2018. “She’s doing this interview, and she said there was only one band that she would ever do a Crossroads with, and it was Def Leppard.”
Crossroads, a popular CMT show that paired country artists with musicians from other genres, provided a unique platform for artists to collaborate. At the time, Swift was a rising star, fresh off the success of her self-titled debut album that had skyrocketed to the top of the Country Charts.
Def Leppard’s Influence on Swift
Interestingly, although Swift’s early work did not resonate with the hard rock sound for which Def Leppard is known, her roots in their music ran deep. Elliott noted that Swift’s mother, Andrea, was a huge Def Leppard fan, and the classic 1987 album Hysteria played frequently in their household.
Elliott delightedly quipped, “Taylor Swift’s [2014 album] 1989 is called 1989 because that was the year she was born. Throughout 1988, she heard our music in her mother’s womb, non-stop.”
The Collaboration Takes Shape
Leppard was eager to accept Swift’s invitation. “We’ve always been that poke-noses-out-of-joint kind of band,” Elliott told Rolling Stone. They saw the collaboration as a chance to do something unconventional, one that would either intrigue audiences or provoke a reaction. “If you’re gonna do collaborations, I don’t see the point in us doing a song with Bon Jovi,” he added.
Soon after, Def Leppard’s team reached out to Swift’s camp, aided by the fact that drummer Rick Allen’s brother was her tour manager at the time. This connection led to rehearsals where they began to prepare for the Crossroads taping. Some lyrical adjustments were necessary, particularly on Leppard’s classic Pour Some Sugar On Me, as Swift felt certain lines were too risqué for her age.
“Me and Taylor sat down, and she says, ‘I can’t sing that line,’” Elliott explained. “So we’d swap things around.” It was a creative exchange, especially given that Elliott sometimes sang from the male perspective in Swift’s songs, including her hit Love Story.
A Memorable Performance
The Crossroads episode was filmed over two shows at Nashville’s Acuff Theater in October 2008 and aired on November 8, just days before the release of Swift’s second album, Fearless. The episode featured 11 collaborative songs from both artists. Swift’s band provided additional instrumentation, enhancing the performance with acoustic guitar and fiddle.
The show kicked off with a duet on Leppard’s 1983 single Photograph, where Swift added her youthful flair to the classic. The setlist was a balanced mix, showcasing fan favorites from both parties, including Swift’s Picture To Burn and Teardrops On My Guitar, alongside Leppard’s storied hits like Hysteria and a vibrant rendition of Pour Some Sugar On Me.
Impact and Legacy
Upon its release, the Crossroads episode drew an impressive 4.5 million viewers and significantly expanded both artists’ audiences. For Swift, it provided exposure to rock fans who may not have been familiar with her work. Meanwhile, Elliott reflected that it helped reintroduce Def Leppard’s music to a newer generation.
Guitarist Phil Collen later acknowledged this benefit, remarking, “The Taylor Swift thing probably did expand our audience. It was great mixing those genres of music.”
The collaboration was so well-received that in 2009, Swift joined Def Leppard again to perform Pour Some Sugar On Me at the CMT Music Awards. Elliott fondly remembered the initial surprise at their partnership, stating, “People were looking at us like we had three heads when we announced we were going to do this TV show with Taylor Swift. The point is to get two extremely opposite artists performing on it… We just saw it as an opportunity to do something different.”
In retrospect, the unlikely duet not only enriched the careers of both artists but also showcased the joy of musical collaboration, proving that boundaries between genres can indeed blur, leading to innovative and entertaining performances.
