Song · Judas Priest
“Hell Bent for Leather” by Judas Priest
From the album Killing Machine (1978)
“Hell Bent for Leather” by Judas Priest appears on 7 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1990 and 2002. It was first released in 1978 on the album Killing Machine. Its best result is #196 on the Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #618 hard rock song of all time.
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"Hell Bent for Leather" is Glenn Tipton's song, words and music, from Killing Machine, the fifth Judas Priest album, released in 1978 and also known by this song's name. Rob Halford sings lead, Tipton and Kenneth Downing split the electric guitars, Ian Hill plays bass and Les Binks drums, on what turned out to be his last studio album with the band. James Guthrie produced and engineered, with the band as co-producers.
The title fits the moment. Priest were steering toward a more commercial sound without giving up the dark lyrical streak of their earlier records, and around the same time the whole band suited up in leather and studs, a look drawn from Halford's interest in leather culture.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 196 | Z-Rock | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) | 1000 |
| 1994 | 753 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) | 1000 |
| 1995 | 658 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) | 1000 |
| 1996 | 713 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) | 1000 |
| 1998 | 772 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) | 1000 |
| 1999 | 872 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) | 998 |
| 2002 | 612 | KISW | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) | 999 |
Also listed as: Hell Bent For Leather.
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