DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN On New Single 'Just Like 73': 'It's Got A Real Glam Rock Feel And A Vibe To It'

DEF LEPPARD has released a short video in which the five members of the band discuss their latest single, "Just Like 73". The track, which features a guest guitar solo from Tom Morello, can be heard below.

Bassist Rick Savage said: "'Just Like 73', I first heard it when it was a demo and it nearly got released for the 'Diamond Star Halos' album."

Guitarist Phil Collen added: "It's got a real glam rock feel and a vibe to it. We went for the [1970s producer] Mike Leander drum sound, which was really cool in the very early '70s and kind of mixed it with SLADE-type backing vocal, which is kind of really shouty, loud and aggressive, almost like football-hooligan kind of chant."

Singer Joe Elliott chimed in: "Because of it being based around that whole kind of '73 vibe — it was glammy, very British glam — I wanted to write a lyric that kind of reflected that."

Added guitarist Vivian Campbell: "When I first heard 'Just Like 73', I couldn't get it out of my head. It's a really, really catchy song."

Drummer Rick Allen said: "First time I heard the demo, at least, it conjured up everything that I heard from back in the day, back in '73."

Campbell added: "It's a good-time song. It's a celebration of what was an incredible era in music."

Collen said: "In a nutshell, it's when we got baptized into music."

"Just Like 73" arrives on seven-inch vinyl on August 2, 2024 and will be available in a special color variant only through the band's D2C store and in black at all retailers.

"Just Like 73" notably marks the first collaboration between the iconic rock titans and the legendary guitarist, sonic innovator and co-founder of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE. The single revolves around a classic DEF LEPPARD stomp fueled by a robust stadium-size beat, thick riffing, and a signature chant, "Rock with me, just like 73!" Meanwhile, a knockout gang vocal gives way to a signature fret-scorching solo from Morello. The instantly recognizable whammy bar wheezes as he shreds at lightspeed into one last head-nodding hook.

Of the collaboration, Elliott previously shared: "It encapsulates a time that burned deep into our DNA. We wanted to celebrate that very important and glorious time."

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen adds: "When I saw David Bowie on TV between 1972 and 1973, everything I thought I knew about music went from black and white to vivid Technicolor. Our song 'Just Like 73' represents that awakening."

Morello said: "I had a blast rocking a solo on 'Just Like 73'. I played 'Rock Of Ages' in my college cover band almost 40 years ago and here DEF LEPPARD are still killing it in stadiums with a brand new tune that's one of their best."

Next up, DEF LEPPARD will present a high-octane animated music video for "Just Like 73", premiering on June 20 at 16:00 BST. It features the band (and Morello) like you've never seen them before.

DEF LEPPARD teased "Just Like 73" on social media earlier this month, sharing an image with two different phone numbers for U.S. and U.K. fans to call.

"Light up the fuel. Just Like 73. Hotline Now Open," the band wrote in an accompanying caption.

Fans who called the phone numbers were able to hear Elliott singing lyrics from the song, which marks the band's first new original music since 2022's "Diamond Star Halos" album.

DEF LEPPARD's 23-city trek with JOURNEY is scheduled to begin on July 6 in St. Louis, Missouri and continue through September 8 in Denver, Colorado. Along the way, the two Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will bring their show to stadiums in major cities like Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. CHEAP TRICK will play two shows at the beginning of the tour and two concerts at the end of the trek, while STEVE MILLER BAND will join the bill for the majority of shows and HEART will appear on three dates.

Elliott previously shared that DEF LEPPARD's set on the 2024 tour will celebrate specific parts of the rockers' history. "We may even have a surprise or two up our sleeves," he said in a statement.

JOURNEY recently completed a number of dates as part of its 50th-anniversary "Freedom" tour.

The DEF LEPPARD/JOURNEY tour is being promoted by AEG Entertainment.

Both bands are offering VIP packages through their respective web sites.

DEF LEPPARD's VIP experiences include a premium seat, personal photo with the band, exclusive merchandise and more.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

DEF LEPPARD's 2022 stadium tour across North America with MÖTLEY CRÜE reportedly sold more than 1.3 million tickets.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin