Def Leppard's fourth studio album, Hysteria, was made amid a string of setbacks that could have derailed the record entirely, yet it went on to become the band's most successful release. The album's troubled creation is notable because it involved drummer Rick Allen losing an arm in a car accident and having to relearn his instrument, illustrating the perseverance behind one of rock's most enduring 1980s albums.

Beyond Allen's accident, producer Robert "Mutt" Lange was injured in a separate car crash, singer Joe Elliott contracted mumps affecting his voice, and the band had already lost time after Lange initially stepped away and a replacement producer failed to work out. Despite these delays, Hysteria was released in August 1987, topping both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart and reaching the Top 10 worldwide, with hit singles including "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Women" cementing its lasting popularity.