Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen recently spoke to Adam Graham of Detroit News about the NHL and C'mon C'mon.

Interview Excerpt

How did you guys get involved with the NHL?
"C'mon, C'mon" was the key to it, really. We've been trying to write a hockey anthem for awhile. Whenever you go to a hockey game, they always play "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" by Gary Glitter, and growing up in England in the '70s, we were very influenced by that kind of stuff. We had this song on (1999's) "Euphoria" album called "Back in Your Face," which was very much along those lines, but that didn't work out. But with "C'mon, C'mon" we started getting interest, and then the NHL asked us to do the kickoff of the season. We were like, "Wow, this is perfect."

How was "C'mon, C'mon" inspired by sports, more specifically, by hockey?
It's more of a crowd anthem. I think big, anthemic rock songs lend themselves to exciting sports. Again, in England, growing up and going to soccer games all the time, you have these huge crowds and it's kind of overwhelming, in a great way, when you hear everyone getting into a song. And huge rock anthems, it's kind of what we do anyway.

When did you know "C'mon, C'mon" was going to work like one of those sports arena anthems?

We were playing the song (in Eastern Europe) and they can't speak English, but they were singing all the words to it. It was like an instant thing, so that's always good.

With everything that's happened with Gary Glitter, I'm surprised they still play "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" at games. (Glitter was convicted of child sexual abuse charges in 2005.)
It's all a bit weird, isn't it? I think subconsciously we were like, "It's time for a new anthem."

What, to you, makes a great sports anthem?
It's primal. It's something that's immediate and exciting and passionate. That's what it's all about anyway, certainly for the fans. So you hope you can tap into that.

Are you a big sports fan?
I like exciting sports. I can't watch cricket, for example. We grew up on soccer, and hockey's almost like soccer on ice. I'm a big fan of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and boxing and stuff like that. I like basketball because, like hockey, it's non-stop. I try and get into the NFL every five years or so, and I understand that it's a great game, but my A.D.D. kicks in and I can't deal with all the starts and stops. I like something that's full-on, and hockey's like that.

Playing the big event, you'll probably get hooked up with some new Red Wings gear.

We've been playing Detroit for many years. Back in London I've got some old Red Wings stuff that I was given back in '83. We're due for some new stuff, though.

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Link -- Phil Collen Interviews