Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Mercury Records. It is the band's best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, and spawning seven hit singles. The album charted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Hysteria was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The title of the album was thought up by drummer Rick Allen, relating to his experiences during the time of his auto accident, and the worldwide media coverage that followed. It is also the last album to feature guitarist Steve Clark, due to his death, but their next album, Adrenalize is the last to feature his songwriting.
The album is the follow-up to the band's 1983 breakthrough Pyromania. Its creation process took over three years having been plagued by many trials, such as the 31 December 1984 car accident that cost Allen his left arm. Subsequent to the album's release, Def Leppard published a book entitled Animal Instinct: The Def Leppard Story, written by Rolling Stone magazine Senior Editor David Fricke on the recording process of Hysteria over the three+ years it took to record the album and the tough times the band went through.
Hysteria has earned critical acclaim from a number of sources. In 1988 Q magazine readers voted it as the 98th Greatest Album of All Time, while in 2004, the album was ranked at #472 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.