British band Def Leppard had broken through in America big time with the release of 1983 album, Pyromania. But that success would pale in comparison to the response to the follow-up, Hysteria. Released in August 1987, the album pumped out seven hit singles as it marched up the charts.
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It was the week of July 23, 1988, when Hysteria finally grabbed the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart, holding the spot for two weeks straight. Guns 'N Roses' Appetite for Destruction snatched the #1 spot for the week of August 6, 1988, but Hysteria snatched it right back on the following week's chart.
Steve Winwood's Roll with It became the #1 album on August 19, replaced by Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut on August 26. When September 2 rolled around, however, Def Leppard and Hysteria were back in the #1 position. It held the top spot for two more weeks straight after that.
The singles did just as well. "Animal" peaked at #19, followed by "Women," which conked out at #80 on the Hot 100. Monster hit "Pour Some Sugar on Me" got all the way to #2 for the week of July 23, 1988, but Richard Marx and "Hold Onto the Nights" kept it from #1.
The title track peaked at #10, followed by "Armageddon It," which got as high as #3. The next single, "Love Bites," was Def Leppard's one and only #1 on the Hot 100 to date, grabbing the top spot for the single week of October 8, 1988.
The last single from Hysteria, "Rocket," was yet another hit, scoring a peak position of #12 for the week of April 30, 1989. The #1 song in America that week: Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
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