Def Leppard's 'Photograph' Named the Best Glam Metal Song by Ultimate Classic Rock
There's just something about glam metal, and no we're not talking about the hair and outlandish outfits, although those certainly add to the vibes. We're talking about the sheer electricity ... the guitar riffs, the squeals and screeches, and the lyrics. When it comes to what makes a glam metal song great, there is one that checks off every box.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, that song is Def Leppard's "Photograph" - the 1983 single from the diamond-selling album Pyromania that transformed the British hard rock band from promising upstarts into one of the biggest acts in the world.
The publication ranked it No. 1 on their list of the Top 40 Glam Metal Songs of all time, calling out its "indelible riffs and sugary melodies" as the twin engines that drove it into the Top 20 and kept it there in the cultural imagination for more than four decades.
The Song That Launched Def Leppard's Success
By 1983, Def Leppard had already shown what they were capable of. Their 1981 album High 'n' Dry had positioned them for the big leagues ... a raw, powerful record that hinted at something larger on the horizon. Pyromania delivered on every promise that album made, and "Photograph" was the moment the world noticed.
The single launched the band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal adjacent scene, where they had been celebrated but never mainstream, directly into Top 40 radio, MTV rotation and arenas. The transition was swift and total. Def Leppard were no longer a band with potential. They were superstars.
What Makes 'Photograph' So Great
Ultimate Classic Rock's case for "Photograph" rests on something more than chart positions. What makes the song the greatest glam metal track ever written, in their assessment, is what it represents about Def Leppard's approach to making music, and specifically their ability to deploy "muscle in service of melody."
Glam metal at its worst was excess for its own sake - volume and attitude without craft underneath. "Photograph" is the genre at its best: a song with real power and real softness, a guitar riff that hits hard and a chorus that opens up into something genuinely beautiful. Phil Collen's guitar solo, which Ultimate Classic Rock singles out as one of his finest moments, is a perfect expression of that balance. It's technically impressive but never gratuitous, always serving the song rather than showing off at its expense.
That philosophy, the publication argues, is what put Def Leppard at the top of the glam metal heap, and what has kept "Photograph" there long after most of its contemporaries have faded.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 11:03 PM.