Joe Elliott Def Leppard: 'Taylor Swift bigger than Beatles and Rolling Stones combined' says Sheffield singer

US singer Taylor Swift is ‘bigger than the Beatles and Rolling Stones combined’, according to Sheffield rock icon and Def Leppard singer, Joe Elliott.

Former Tapton and King Edward VII school pupils Def Leppard performed with country star on American television in 2008, after she had said she was a fan of the Sheffield band, as was her mother.

In an interview with Billboard for the 40th anniversary edition of the Def Leppard album Pyromania, Joe recalled performing with Taylor Swift, where he sang parts of her song Love Story, describing her as really enthusiastic and obviously a big fan.

He described her as bigger than the Beatles and Rolling Stones combined, two groups often regarded as the biggest ever, and expressed the hope that they work together again in the future.

He added: “And we became fans of her. I think we’d all be lying if we said we knew she was going to become as big as she has because she’s actually become bigger than anything that’s ever been before. She’s probably bigger than The Beatles and The Stones combined, for her generation of fans. I’ll probably get lynched by some 75-year-old reading this, but it’s all relative.

“Today it’s all about the streaming numbers and all that kind of stuff.

“There’s been a lot of massively successful bands, but she’s taken success to a level that is unheard of.

“It’s absolutely mad. It’s success beyond anything that anybody could have ever dreamed of, probably her herself. I’ve seen the Eras film and it’s astonishing what she’s done. I hope she works with us again one day. “

Sign up for our free newsletters now

Def Leppard formed in Sheffield in the 1970s, and famously played their first gig at Crookes Working Men’s Club.

They also performed at The Limit Club on West Street in the 1980s on the same bill as The Human League. There was no admission charge to the show.

Last year they played high profile gigs at The Leadmill and Bramall Lane, as part of a world tour.