Dave Meniketti has one of the most underrated voices in the history of heavy metal. That’s not even a debate; it’s just a fact for anyone who spent their nights in the 1980s huddled around a turntable or a car stereo. When Y&T released In Rock We Trust in 1984, they were already Bay Area legends, but they were chasing that elusive "big" radio hit that had stayed just out of reach while their peers in Mötley Crüe and Ratt were exploding onto MTV. Y&T Lipstick and Leather was supposed to be that bridge. It’s a song that perfectly captures the friction between the raw, bluesy hard rock the band was born for and the polished, anthemic demands of the mid-80s music industry.
If you’ve ever wondered why some 80s tracks feel like a time capsule and others feel like a living, breathing thing, you have to look at the production of this specific track. It’s gritty. It’s catchy. It’s undeniably Y&T.
The Sound of 1984: Breaking Down Y&T Lipstick and Leather
Most people forget that by 1984, the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" had already peaked and the American "Glam" scene was taking over the Sunset Strip. Y&T (formerly Yesterday & Today) was caught in the middle. They were too talented to be just another hair band, but they needed to sell records to a younger, flashier audience.
Lipstick and Leather is basically a mission statement. It’s a mid-tempo stomper. It relies on a heavy, driving beat from Leonard Haze—who, honestly, was one of the most powerful drummers in the business—and a riff that sticks in your head like glue. The lyrics aren’t trying to be Shakespeare. They’re about the lifestyle. It’s about the girls, the clubs, and the uniform of the era. You’ve got the contrast of the "lipstick" (the glam, the party, the excess) and the "leather" (the toughness, the rock and roll foundation).
The song peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. While it wasn't a Top 40 pop crossover, it became an anthem for the "hard and heavy" crowd. It was the kind of song that played in every rock club from London to Tokyo. If you listen closely to Meniketti’s solo in the middle, you realize he’s playing circles around most of the guitarists who were getting ten times the press at the time. He has this vibrato that sounds like it’s screaming. It’s soulful. It’s not just "shredding" for the sake of speed.
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Why the Production of Tom Allom Mattered
Tom Allom is a name that should ring bells for any metalhead. He’s the guy who produced the classic Judas Priest albums like British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance. When Y&T brought him in for In Rock We Trust, the goal was clear: make them sound massive.
Allom gave Y&T Lipstick and Leather a specific sheen. The drums are huge. The guitars are layered but clear. Some old-school fans felt the album was a bit too "slick" compared to Black Tiger or Mean Streak, but looking back, the production actually saved the song from sounding dated. It has a punch that still works on modern speakers. It doesn't sound "thin" like some of the budget recordings from that year.
The Music Video and the MTV Era
You can't talk about this song without mentioning the video. This was the peak of the MTV era. If you didn't have a video with smoke machines and leather-clad performers, did you even exist?
The video for Lipstick and Leather is a classic of the genre. It’s got the performance shots, the attitude, and the aesthetic that defined 1984. It helped the band reach a demographic that wasn't necessarily buying tickets to see them play clubs in San Francisco. It put Dave Meniketti’s face—and his iconic Gibson Les Paul—right in front of suburban kids across America.
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Critics at the time were sometimes harsh. They called it "generic." But they missed the point. Rock and roll, at its core, is about energy and hooks. This track has both in spades. It’s a song designed to be played loud. It’s a song for the highway.
The Lyrics: More Than Just Party Anthems?
Let’s be real: 1980s rock lyrics get a bad rap. People think it was all just nonsense. While Y&T Lipstick and Leather definitely leans into the tropes of the time, there’s an earnestness to Meniketti’s delivery. When he sings about the "girls in the front row," he’s not just being a rock star; he’s describing the actual environment the band lived in for a decade.
The band—consisting of Meniketti, Phil Kennemore on bass, Joey Alves on guitar, and Haze on drums—was a tight-knit unit. They’d been together since the mid-70s. This wasn't a manufactured group put together by a label. They were brothers. You can hear that chemistry in the rhythm section. Kennemore and Haze were locked in. That’s why the song feels so heavy even though it has a pop-friendly chorus. It’s built on a foundation of years of live shows.
The Legacy of In Rock We Trust
In Rock We Trust became Y&T's highest-charting album, reaching number 46 on the Billboard 200. It stayed on the charts for nearly half a year. Lipstick and Leather was the engine driving that success.
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It’s interesting to see how the song has aged. Today, if you go to a Y&T show—and Dave is still out there, carrying the torch after the tragic passing of the other original members—the crowd still goes wild for this track. It has become a nostalgic touchstone. It represents a time when rock music was the dominant cultural force.
Interestingly, the song has found a second life in the digital age. Younger fans, discovering the 80s through shows like Stranger Things or through Spotify algorithms, often gravitate toward this track. It has that "quintessential" sound. It’s the perfect introduction to the band.
Common Misconceptions About the Band
- They were a "Hair Band": Not really. They were a hard rock band that got marketed that way because of the timing. Their roots were in the blues-rock of the 70s.
- They were one-hit wonders: Hardly. While they didn't have a "Don't Stop Believin'," they had a string of hits like "Summertime Girls," "Mean Streak," and "Rescue Me."
- The song is about makeup: It’s a metaphor for the scene. The "lipstick" is the facade, the "leather" is the reality.
Honestly, Y&T is the "musician's band." Ask any famous rock guitarist from the 80s who their favorite player was, and there’s a high chance they’ll say Dave Meniketti. He had the tone. He had the soul.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Listener
If you’re just getting into Y&T or looking to revisit their catalog through the lens of Lipstick and Leather, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Listen to the 1984 Vinyl if possible: The digital remasters are okay, but the original vinyl pressing of In Rock We Trust has a warmth in the low end that makes Leonard Haze’s drumming sound much more natural.
- Compare it to "Summertime Girls": This was their biggest commercial hit. Compare the two and you’ll see the band's range—from the "pop" sensibilities of the later 80s to the harder edge of the early 80s.
- Watch Live at the San Francisco Civic (1984): There is footage of them playing this song live during the peak of the tour. The energy is ten times what you hear on the studio record. It shows why they were feared by other bands they opened for.
- Check out the Gear: For the guitar nerds, Meniketti’s tone on this track is a masterclass in using a Gibson Les Paul through a cranked Marshall amp. No fancy pedals, just pure tube saturation and technique.
- Explore the "Open Fire" Live Album: If you want to hear how Lipstick and Leather sounds without the studio "sheen," the Open Fire live record captures the band's raw power.
The reality is that Y&T never got the massive stadium-filling success of Def Leppard or Van Halen, but they stayed true to their sound. Lipstick and Leather remains a testament to a band that refused to quit and a frontman who could sing and play circles around the competition. It's a high-voltage slice of 1984 that still demands to be played at maximum volume.
To truly appreciate the era, look past the big names. Dig into the bands like Y&T who provided the actual backbone of the scene. Start with the "In Rock We Trust" album, pay close attention to the guitar harmonies in the bridge of "Lipstick and Leather," and you'll understand why this band is still touring to packed houses four decades later. There’s no substitute for authentic, blues-infused hard rock. Keep the volume up. Keep the spirit alive. It’s only rock and roll, but for Y&T, it was everything.