Some classic rock choruses are so insanely catchy that even listeners who weren’t alive when they dropped can sing them word-for-word. And some of those catchy choruses almost didn’t exist. In the case of the following three classic rock songs, their iconic chorus lines almost didn’t make it to the album. Let’s take a look, shall we?
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard
Hysteria is arguably Def Leppard’s most iconic album, and “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is by far the most memorable song from that very album. But believe it or not, this song, complete with its catchy chorus that anyone alive can sing, almost didn’t make it to the album.
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The story goes that Joe Elliott was just “goofing off” in the studio with the riff for the song. At the time, the album was basically finished and ready to release.
“[Producer] Mutt [Lange] sees Joe [Elliott] playing the acoustic guitar in the corridor,” said guitarist Phil Collen in an interview with Apple Music Hits’ Essentials Radio. “And he’s going [mumbles/sings: ‘pour some sugar on me…’] He goes, ‘What’s that?’ He goes, ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Then Mutt tells Joe to ‘just do that again’ and he does and then Mutt says ‘We need to record this song. This is going to be the most important song on the record’ and turns out that Mutt was right.”
“Rock And Roll All Nite” by KISS
This legendary KISS song is best remembered for its iconic chorus. And that chorus, apparently, only exists because Casablanca Records prez Neil Bogart pushed the band to put together an insanely catchy anthem. Paul Stanley went to his hotel and put together the chorus, melody, and lyrics of “Rock And Roll All Nite” in more or less one day. If it weren’t for some gentle pressure from their label, this insanely catchy chorus likely would have never seen the light of day.
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Like many of the greatest songs to ever grace the airwaves, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive was originally just a joke. Specifically, a joke between brothers. The song was meant to be recorded for Randy Bachman’s brother, Gary, and given only to Gary.
“We have this one song, but it’s a joke,” Bachman recalled. “I’m laughing at the end. I sang it on the first take. It’s sharp, it’s flat, I’m stuttering to do this thing for my brother.”
Charlie Fach of Mercury Records needed another “magic” single for the album, though, and asked to hear their “joke” recording. His response? “That’s the track.” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was added to Not Fragile and became a huge hit.
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