In the early days of MTV, Def Leppard was inescapable. Their videos for "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" both spent quite a long time in heavy rotation.

For many people my age, this was our onramp to the band (and, in my case, harder rock).

Pyromania was released 40 years ago today, so it seems as good of an occasion as any to take a quick look back on the album that took the band to the heights of stardom.

Everyone in my neighborhood liked it. And we were a diverse lot that rarely agreed on anything, so that's saying something. This album also has the distinction of being the first one I ever got to call my own, having received it as a gift from a friend for my 8th birthday. And to age myself further, this was the era when having your party at Burger King was still a big deal.

So what makes this record still sound good after all these years?

We’ve always tied our songs into the melody and the power that comes from it as opposed to just bludgeoning people over their head with sound, which a lot of bands do. I’ve always thought that melody wins the battle at the end of the day because most people think they can sing because they do it in the shower or whatever. They don’t sit in the shower trying to play the guitar

~Lead singer Joe Elliot

If anything, I think that's a huge part of the record's staying power. Sure the music itself is great, but the melodies are what keep us coming back. All these years later, I know I'm not the only one who can sing along to several tracks.

And we're all popstars in the shower, aren't we?