The rock song “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by the English band Def Leppard was released in 1988 on the album “Hysteria.” The song went on to become one of Def Leppard’s most well-known and cherished songs, and it was an immediate hit, ranking in the top ten in several countries. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” has stood the test of time because it has a catchy chorus and a happy beat.
Song Lyrics Meaning
The lyrics of the song mostly refer to feelings of sexual attraction and longing. Pour some sugar on me is a sexual metaphor. The lyrics are full of double innuendos. The remainder of the lyrics, which describe the speaker as feeling “hot” and “sticky sweet,” provide validity to this interpretation. They express a yearning for physical intimacy and sexual pleasure.
One of the song’s most distinctive features is the use of culinary imagery to depict people and their relationships. The chorus sings, “Pour some sugar on me,” as if the phrase were a request for a delectable condiment. The singer describes himself as “sticky sweet” and his target of affection as “peaches.” The song’s usage of food-related words emphasizes its sensual and pleasure-seeking elements.
Generally, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” is about how the singer feels an intense, lustful attraction to his or her lover. The song’s long-lasting popularity and status as a classic rock staple are likely due to its catchy hook and lively vibe.
In the third verse, the singer’s description of his crush as a “mirror queen” persists. The singer may think the woman is perfect, or a “mannequin” in his eyes. At the song’s climax, the singer restates the chorus to drive home the song’s central theme of sensual longing.
Inspiration Behind “Pour Some Sugar On Me”
Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard said that the band set out to write “Pour Some Sugar on Me” because they wanted to create a “sexy” song that would be “exciting” to perform live. It was written for the band’s 1987 album “Hysteria,” which also has the songs “Love Bites” and “Hysteria,” among others. Elliott also said that the band’s touring and live performance experiences served as inspiration for the song. The lyrics, which depict attraction, are indicative of Def Leppard’s tendency to write songs about romantic love and attraction. The upbeat, energizing beat of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” has made it a classic rock staple and made sure that the song will always be popular. In an interview with Howard Stern, the band said “it’s probably the quickest song we’ve ever recorded”
The song’s enduring success is proof that its themes aren’t going anywhere. The song gives an understanding of what it’s like to want companionship and affection, to wish for relief from the stresses of everyday existence, and to delight in the thrill of the present.
In speaking about the opening lines and the creation process, Joe Elliot said: “We hadn’t got any lyrics, so we were just making garbage noises, just phonetic sounds into these machines. Mutt got one and went to record in the corner of the studio, and I went into the other corner. We just literally garbled rubbish into the tape. Then we swapped tapes and tried to translate each other’s nonsense. The first thing he said sounded like, love is like a bomb, and I said, “That sounds like, love is like a bomb.” We both went, “That’s the first line.”
From an in depth expose about the song from Louder Sound, the band went into detail about how the iconic guitar riff came about. Allegedly, producer Robert “Mutt” Lange came back into the control room hearing the acoustic guitar riff from Joe Elliott and said: “That’s the best hook I’ve heard in about five or 10 years… We should absolutely do this song.”
Additional Context
According to guitarist Phil Collen on an interview with a local radio station, the song became a ‘stripping song’ because “..strippers in Florida started requesting it on the local radio station..”
Lyrics
Step inside
Walk this way
You and me babe
Hey hey
Love is like a bomb, baby, c’mon get it on
Livin’ like a lover with a radar phone
Lookin’ like a tramp, like a video vamp
Demolition woman, can I be your man? (your man)
Razzle ‘n’ a dazzle ‘n’ a flash a little light
Television lover, baby, go all night
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
Now c’mon, take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C’mon, fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
I can’t get enough
I’m hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah
Listen, red light, yellow light, green-a-light go
Crazy little woman in a one man show
Mirror queen, mannequine, rhythm of love
Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up (loosen up)
Loosen up
You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little
Tease a little more
Easy operator come a knockin’ on my door
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
Give a little more
Take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C’mon, fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
Oh, I can’t get enough
I’m hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah
You got the peaches, I got the cream
Sweet to taste, saccharine
‘Cause I’m hot (hot), say what, sticky sweet
From my head (head), my head, to my feet
Do you take sugar? One lump or two?
Take a bottle (take a bottle), shake it up (shake it up)
Break the bubble (break it up), break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C’mon fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
Oh, I can’t get enough
Pour some sugar on me
Oh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
Get it, come get it
Pour your sugar on me (oh-ooh)
Pour some sugar on me
Yeah, sugar me
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Joseph Elliott / Philip Kenneth Collen / Richard John Cyril Allen / Richard Savage / Robert John Lange / Stephen Maynard Clark
Pour Some Sugar on Me lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Listeners that enjoy this song about Love may also enjoy the song Take On Me by A-ha
Editor’s Note: This article was first published February 1st, 2023 and last updated April 20th, 2023.
