"Turbo Lover" is a song by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

heavy metal group

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

that the band released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their album ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

''. Both came out in 1986. Unlike the album, which reviewed mixed and often critical responses, most of the reception for this song has been positive, and it has been praised as a Judas Priest classic by

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. The song's

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

alludes to

motorcycle riding A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle steered by a handlebar from a saddle-style seat. Motorcycle designs var ...

, and it broadly features an aggressive, sexual

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, with frontman

Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Perform ...

having described the single as embodying "

escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism also may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general s ...

". Musically, it incorporates a synthesizer-based sound to the band's traditional type of

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal band ...

; one music magazine has compared the particular style of "Turbo Lover" to that of

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

Lyrics

The song's

have been described as being about "

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eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

. An article by the musical publication ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...

'' remarked that the track succeeded by " lebrating the band's connection with motorcycle culture and everything leather". Frontman

has said: "I just liked the analogy of the motorcycle as a euphemism for love. And 'I'm your turbo lover, Tell me there's no other.' It's got kind of a sexual undertone to it – which is fine. It's been done many times in rock n' roll: to use a machine, car, or motorcycle. It's just a fun bit of escapism more than anything else."

Reception

The

music journalist Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

Steve Huey, writing for the service

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, praised the track as "a successful reimagining of the Priest formula" and otherwise stated in his review of the song's parent album, ''

'', that he viewed it "easily the best song on the record". A piece published by ''Decibel Magazine'' described the single as "one of the classiest songs in udas Priest's discography. As well, the musical publication ''

'' ranked the song at number ten on its list of the "10 Best Judas Priest Songs".

Track listing

;7" single ;European 12" single ;US 12" single

Charts

References

{{Judas Priest 1985 songs 1986 singles Columbia Records singles Judas Priest songs Songs written by K. K. Downing Songs written by Rob Halford Songs written by Glenn Tipton Music videos directed by Wayne Isham

Lyrics

Reception

Track listing

Charts

See also

References