His most iconic songs were probably White wedding, the beautiful Eyes without a face, Hot in the City...I was a teenager in the 80's, this was my music! Thanks for your reactions!
I grew up with Billy Idol and I'd say Rebel Yell is as iconic as it gets. Also you left out Dancing with Myself which, along with White Wedding, is probably his most famous song.
He's on my list of favorite underrated guitarists, along with Elliot Easton (The Cars), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Neil Giraldo (Pat Benatar), Glenn Buxton (Alice Cooper) and Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot).
Younger reviewer saying it's nothing but an average pop song is delusional. I sense some jealousy there for obvious reasons. This song and Billy himself are iconic in the best way possible.
The guy has a point. Billy Idol’s image is an industry take-off from London punk, which was much more brash and noisy. It’s pop in that way, but it’s still a damn good song.
I think the fact that this was the EARLY 80s demonstrates the reverse - rather than recycling other artists’ material, Billy Idol was one of the trendsetters that OTHER artists copied/were influenced by.
As a musician and listener, this song is fire. The raw energy is enough to make anyone bob their head. If it doesn't make you move at least a finger, then you're probably suffering from some kind of nerve damage. But then again, this one's for us, the ancient ones. My second daughter was two when this came out. Long live the 80s.
Back then (and maybe still) the US did it differently than most countries. They counted radio plays, for instance, and the record companies manipulated the radio play. I remember wandering the US in the 80s and most commercial stations only played a few songs - the same ones over and over and over and over. My country, and probably most back then, counted actual sales. Period.
Yay!! Bill Idol is still touring huge venues, he's amazing. He's got a very deep catalogue, too, not a one hit wonder at all. He started out in the UK punk scene then evolved into his own thing. Yes, he was so good in The Wedding Singer!! His videos were on constant rotation on MTV in the 80s, was so fun.
My mom's currently 73, but back then...she LOVED Billie Idol! At first she wouldn't let my younger sisters get MTV, but between Lionel Ritchie, Neil Diamond and Billie Idol, she was lured into it ;0) Mom has the album this track is on. Too bad he didn't make it to ourvarea to take her to a concert. Oh, yea....we're black ;0)
Legendary Steve Stevens. He notably thought of using a 60's space laser as a guitar tool. I've been listening to it since it came out when I was 10, and I still love that laser sound. He also has a raw, sexy solo in 'Eyes without a face'.
Still sounds great after all these years. Rebel Yell album was huge back then. All of Billy Idols videos were all over MTV. Majority of his songs from the 80’s still get major rotation and they hold up. Another artist that didn’t sound like anyone else. It’s a sound and voice all it’s own. I can’t think of single artist being played on the radio during the 80’s or after that sounded like Billy Idol. So not the same old formula. It was original. Just like The Police. No one sounded like them.
It’s a freaking jam bro! This is a driving song. When this comes on at night in the car watch The speedometer go up. Or if you were with your lady other things will go up because this song is a workout song in more ways than one! With a rebel yell she cried more more more! Hell yeah!
Nice reaction, guys. That's the amazing Judy Dozier on keyboard. A few years later, she was in the show band for Legends in Concert and played behind me there several times. Fans would look for her at the Meet and Greet after each show!
I don't think i ever met anyone not liking this song. No matter what genre they listen to primarily. But overall, White Wedding is still my favourite song by him.
Billy Idol in 1983, with his spiked, blonde hair, and his Rebel attitude was fire…I graduated in 1985, and me and my friends would sing this song, cruising on the weekends…absolutely loved this punk rock genre. Another song I loved, is “Eyes Without A Face”, a lot different and slower. “White Wedding”, is another great one.
He came up with that song after seeing the classic French horror movie “Eyes without a face” . It’s a creepy movie that everyone should see at least once.
I used to listen to Casey Kasem's Top 40 on the radio every Sunday evening and this song was in the top 10 and in the top 40 for weeks. His top 40 included radio airplay from across the nation and it was definitely played a lot on the radio out here in Nebraska. I still have this record. When I was young it was Billboard who?
Years ago, I went to see Faith No More and ended up getting to see Billy Idol he was the second band here in Sacramento, CA. it was a very great surprise. So, I got to see Billy live in concert at the ARERO Arena Somebody from my day job gave me tickets. Thanks for the memories.
All the punk awesome looks aside, his voice is AMAZING. He hits the lower register like butta,(Butter). He could be a crooner, you know like those old school Bing crosby if he wanted. Deal is...He's old now, AND STILL IS AMAZING. He is a Grampa...I mean check out his concerts with Iheart where he partners with Mylie Cyrus and they sing this song together. Perfect match and amazing. He's grown into a very awesome human being. His kids, grandkids changed his life for the better, I have much respect for this man.
While the single failed to break into the top 40, the album went to number six in the charts. I was in high school when it dropped and we used to crank up that album all the time in the car. "Rebel Yell" confirmed for us that his debut album wasn't a flash in the pan. Beyond this and "White Wedding", check out "Dancing with Myself", "Hot in the City", "Eyes Without a Face", and "Flesh For Fantasy" along with his other tunes. Beyond that, here's a list of songs from that era -- 82,83,84 -- that are more or less in the same sonic ballpark. YMMV. Missing Persons "Walking in L.A.", "Words", "Mental Hopscotch"; INXS "The One Thing", "Don't Change"; Big Country "In a Big Country"; U2 "New Year's Day", "Two Hearts Beat as One", "I Will Follow (Live)"; The Fixx "One Thing Leads to Another", "Red Skies"; Duran Duran "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Rio"; Tears for Fears "Pale Shelter", "Mad World"; Oingo Boingo "Who Do You Want to Be", "Grey Matter"; Echo & the Bunnymen "Never Stop", "The Killing Moon"; Ratt "Round and Round"; Yes "Owner of a Lonely Heart"; ZZ Top "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man"; ...
Interesting thing about Billy Idol is that he was the real deal in his personal life. Drugs sex and Rock n Roll seriously. But he fell to the softer New Wave genre than the real punk world he came from. Made millions and slept with millions of girls did millions dollars worth of drugs and his body is paying for it now. My favorite song of his is "Dancin With Myself". Good reaction 😊...
This song was actually inspired by a night when Billy Idol was drinking at a bar in New City with The Rolling Stones and they were drinking the Whiskey Brand Rebel Yell and Billy had never heard of it,so they have a night of drinking Rebel Yell and Billy probably went home with a girl that night and then he wrote this song
So I dont see this fact added yet.... Steve Stephens 🎸 LOVES old classic toys. He would go through all the shops & buy the classics. He found an oldtime "alien ray gun" that made that sound. HE USED IT in this track 👏 thats the sound you hear! Cool as shit! Also, the "breakdown" you called it in the song is 32 bars built in for dance mixes. Billy knew his music was used in clubs & purposely used that many bars so DJ could mix.
He never played the local clubs in New York but yeah he can sing live. He had swag! We Metal Heads accepted him even though he was more punkish. He bent gundrers punk metal and rock even pop.
People can worry a little too much about where a song rose to in the charts. Once upon a time you would walk into a record store and on the wall there were columns of albums below a number ranking. You could know nothing and walk out with your purchase, feeling like you were buying the most popular stuff that your friends also were listening to. I once asked my friend who worked at one of these stores "How do they decide what their rankings are for the wall?" and her illuminating answer was "Number one is the album we have the most stock of in the back of the store" There are lots of greats songs and albums that were never pushed in America or elsewhere. You can only push so much music on customers. If I have a backroom full of unsold albums, I'm not going to push a new artist's music instead, sacrificing sales on the old stuff unless I'm damned sure that the new artist has a bright future.
Billy was Punk Rock then ss they say became commercialized and of course the punk rock community called him a sellout. He lasted longer than punk rock. 😎
The first time I heard this song was in den 90s, but it wasn't the version of Billy Idol, but from the german techno band "Scooter" ... later I found out, that this is a BI song as I saw him performing this song at "VH1 Storytellers". It was an epic version as the VH1 series in "Unplugged" and so it was only him and his guitar player! Imagine this solo on an acoustic guitar! Outstanding! It's actually the version of the song I like most as the original has these 80s vibes, kind of. Anyway - BI is great! :)
He helped bring an end to the Disco era. Try "Cradle of Love" a later hit of his. Michael Jackson definitely shined bright and artists like Billy Idol got overlooked.
Great reaction guys, Billy was my teenage crush and i still love him to this day. Id love it if you would react to Sweet 16 which shows just how beautiful his voice really is
His most iconic songs were probably White wedding, the beautiful Eyes without a face, Hot in the City...I was a teenager in the 80's, this was my music! Thanks for your reactions!
Gen x yes!
I think you forgot about Dancing With Myself, which was one of his biggest hits. I'm an 80's guy also, and Billy Idol was a staple of the 80's.
I grew up with Billy Idol and I'd say Rebel Yell is as iconic as it gets. Also you left out Dancing with Myself which, along with White Wedding, is probably his most famous song.
Rebel Yell & Mony Mony are the most catchy.
Epic guitar playing by the legend, Steve Stevens.
He's on my list of favorite underrated guitarists, along with Elliot Easton (The Cars), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Neil Giraldo (Pat Benatar), Glenn Buxton (Alice Cooper) and Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot).
Steve is great live too.
Is he the guitarist in MJ video Dirty Diana?
@@angelcharms7297 I believe he did.
@@janmorrill9184 I thought so. Thanks
Younger reviewer saying it's nothing but an average pop song is delusional. I sense some jealousy there for obvious reasons. This song and Billy himself are iconic in the best way possible.
Agree 100%
The guy has a point. Billy Idol’s image is an industry take-off from London punk, which was much more brash and noisy. It’s pop in that way, but it’s still a damn good song.
"you're just jealous" is the most immature response ever 😄
@@Darling_Nicci Who posted that?
@@Mk1Male it's in the original comment, "I sense some jealousy"...
And 40 years later he's still putting out good music.
He collaborated on a Miley Cyrus song called "Night Crawling" from her 2020 Plastic Hearts album. It's pretty good.
I think the fact that this was the EARLY 80s demonstrates the reverse - rather than recycling other artists’ material, Billy Idol was one of the trendsetters that OTHER artists copied/were influenced by.
How can you sit still listening to this man ??? Nothing average about it.
The younger one has no idea a about real good music. Not surprised his reaction and jealous too secretly of sexy Billie Idol!!
Got a free ticket to see him in an outdoor concert. He was 50 years old and absolutely shredded. And he killed it. He has a fun catalogue.
I saw him with Platinum Blonde last week. It was an awesome show.
I still love this 40 years later. One of my favourites to dance to at discos in the early 80's.
As a musician and listener, this song is fire. The raw energy is enough to make anyone bob their head. If it doesn't make you move at least a finger, then you're probably suffering from some kind of nerve damage. But then again, this one's for us, the ancient ones. My second daughter was two when this came out. Long live the 80s.
I'm shocked it only got to 46 in the US? I was 19 when this came out and we LOVED this song! So fun and energetic!
But, it has staying power. It looks great after over 40 years.
Back then (and maybe still) the US did it differently than most countries. They counted radio plays, for instance, and the record companies manipulated the radio play. I remember wandering the US in the 80s and most commercial stations only played a few songs - the same ones over and over and over and over. My country, and probably most back then, counted actual sales. Period.
Yay!! Bill Idol is still touring huge venues, he's amazing. He's got a very deep catalogue, too, not a one hit wonder at all. He started out in the UK punk scene then evolved into his own thing. Yes, he was so good in The Wedding Singer!! His videos were on constant rotation on MTV in the 80s, was so fun.
Eyes without a face, one of my favourites of his
I love eyes without a face!!!
Billy Idol - "Rock The Cradle Of Love"
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Rebel Yell is what we call a perfect song.
The guitar player Steve Stevens played on Michael Jackson’s song “ Dirty Diana “ !!!! ❤😂
He sounds even better live. His performances are fantastic he give it his all.
‘White Wedding’ and ‘Eyes Without A Face’ all by themselves put Billy in the pantheon of pop rock.
This was a banger. Love the 80's
My mom's currently 73, but back then...she LOVED Billie Idol! At first she wouldn't let my younger sisters get MTV, but between Lionel Ritchie, Neil Diamond and Billie Idol, she was lured into it ;0) Mom has the album this track is on. Too bad he didn't make it to ourvarea to take her to a concert. Oh, yea....we're black ;0)
His guitar player doesn’t get enough credit.
Legendary Steve Stevens. He notably thought of using a 60's space laser as a guitar tool. I've been listening to it since it came out when I was 10, and I still love that laser sound. He also has a raw, sexy solo in 'Eyes without a face'.
I grew up in the 80’s and loved him and his music. All the ladies thought he was hot and the music was so awesomely punk!
80' golden age of music.Today nothing.
Handsome man I have to say
Billy Idol is actually from England originally 🏴 ❤
I LOVE Billy's voice
Id sell my soul for you babe, for money to burn with you. Thats one of the coldest lines ever.
Still sounds great after all these years. Rebel Yell album was huge back then. All of Billy Idols videos were all over MTV. Majority of his songs from the 80’s still get major rotation and they hold up. Another artist that didn’t sound like anyone else. It’s a sound and voice all it’s own. I can’t think of single artist being played on the radio during the 80’s or after that sounded like Billy Idol. So not the same old formula. It was original. Just like The Police. No one sounded like them.
It’s a freaking jam bro! This is a driving song. When this comes on at night in the car watch The speedometer go up. Or if you were with your lady other things will go up because this song is a workout song in more ways than one! With a rebel yell she cried more more more! Hell yeah!
This is one of those perfect rock songs
Nice reaction, guys. That's the amazing Judy Dozier on keyboard. A few years later, she was in the show band for Legends in Concert and played behind me there several times. Fans would look for her at the Meet and Greet after each show!
I don't think i ever met anyone not liking this song. No matter what genre they listen to primarily. But overall, White Wedding is still my favourite song by him.
This is up there with the great's ! Fire, wild energy, primal.💥
My favorite in the 80s. Much appreciated fellas ❤❤❤
THIS song was HUGE in the day. Heavy rotation on radio & MTV. GREAT SONG!
Billy idol is pure genius
Thats still a Rockin Ass Kickin Banger!
Billy Idol in 1983, with his spiked, blonde hair, and his Rebel attitude was fire…I graduated in 1985, and me and my friends would sing this song, cruising on the weekends…absolutely loved this punk rock genre. Another song I loved, is “Eyes Without A Face”, a lot different and slower. “White Wedding”, is another great one.
Man, don't you miss cruising?? Having a car/truck full of booze with the windows down & the music up. Those were the days...
"Hey little sister, shotgun!"... 😆 I graduated in 1985 too.
He came up with that song after seeing the classic French horror movie “Eyes without a face” . It’s a creepy movie that everyone should see at least once.
Billy !! 🤙🏻
I used to listen to Casey Kasem's Top 40 on the radio every Sunday evening and this song was in the top 10 and in the top 40 for weeks. His top 40 included radio airplay from across the nation and it was definitely played a lot on the radio out here in Nebraska. I still have this record. When I was young it was Billboard who?
That entire Rebel Yell album is fire, no cap.
This song hit #9 on the Mainstream Rock list.
That dude has stage presence.
This song is a classic and your boy is tripping 🎉
Eyes without A face is my FAVORITE Billy Idol song.
Love this song and Steve Stevens was awesome on guitar!!!
Very iconic singer and song 🎵 💖💖💖
He appealed to a niche audience of Punk & New Wave. He was Huge in that scene. Billboard can kiss my backside
Years ago, I went to see Faith No More and ended up getting to see Billy Idol he was the second band
here in Sacramento, CA. it was a very great surprise. So, I got to see Billy live in concert at the ARERO Arena Somebody from my day job gave me tickets. Thanks for the memories.
All the punk awesome looks aside, his voice is AMAZING. He hits the lower register like butta,(Butter). He could be a crooner, you know like those old school Bing crosby if he wanted. Deal is...He's old now, AND STILL IS AMAZING. He is a Grampa...I mean check out his concerts with Iheart where he partners with Mylie Cyrus and they sing this song together. Perfect match and amazing. He's grown into a very awesome human being. His kids, grandkids changed his life for the better, I have much respect for this man.
Saw him live twice. This video perfectly reflects what the shows were like.
What a powerful voice!
Edgy song of my youth. Gen X loves Billy Idol because he was the bad boy of our generation.
Average, are you insane? This is one of my favorite songs. Definitely not average…..✌
Billy Idol is a legend
What a performance! Wowza!!!!!❤
One of the best songs....see Billy Idol gets it
such awesome guitar work too!!! I always thought the intro was a keyboard, but it's Steve. bad ass. oh yeah, and Billy is so under-rated.
While the single failed to break into the top 40, the album went to number six in the charts. I was in high school when it dropped and we used to crank up that album all the time in the car. "Rebel Yell" confirmed for us that his debut album wasn't a flash in the pan. Beyond this and "White Wedding", check out "Dancing with Myself", "Hot in the City", "Eyes Without a Face", and "Flesh For Fantasy" along with his other tunes. Beyond that, here's a list of songs from that era -- 82,83,84 -- that are more or less in the same sonic ballpark. YMMV. Missing Persons "Walking in L.A.", "Words", "Mental Hopscotch"; INXS "The One Thing", "Don't Change"; Big Country "In a Big Country"; U2 "New Year's Day", "Two Hearts Beat as One", "I Will Follow (Live)"; The Fixx "One Thing Leads to Another", "Red Skies"; Duran Duran "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Rio"; Tears for Fears "Pale Shelter", "Mad World"; Oingo Boingo "Who Do You Want to Be", "Grey Matter"; Echo & the Bunnymen "Never Stop", "The Killing Moon"; Ratt "Round and Round"; Yes "Owner of a Lonely Heart"; ZZ Top "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man"; ...
LOVE Flesh for Fantasy,
Love me some Billy Idol.❤
Killer tune!!
Interesting thing about Billy Idol is that he was the real deal in his personal life. Drugs sex and Rock n Roll seriously. But he fell to the softer New Wave genre than the real punk world he came from. Made millions and slept with millions of girls did millions dollars worth of drugs and his body is paying for it now. My favorite song of his is "Dancin With Myself". Good reaction 😊...
He’s almost 70 and still looks pretty good
Love Billy Idol ❤😊
80s was fun.
I'm going to see Billy AGAIN in Vegas next month. He's still great in concert, and we're both old farts now. 😂😂
My mom would bleach and spike my hair for me. Such good times, may she rest in peace.
Early punk man cool tune
I still listen to him
It is a groovy song for sure!! And Steve Stevens on the amazing guitar!!😍
Billy's lead guitar player worked with M.J too, he's the guitar player in the video for his song Dirty Diana.
Eyes without a face… his best imo
This song was actually inspired by a night when Billy Idol was drinking at a bar in New City with The Rolling Stones and they were drinking the Whiskey Brand Rebel Yell and Billy had never heard of it,so they have a night of drinking Rebel Yell and Billy probably went home with a girl that night and then he wrote this song
I think hes always been underrated. And sexy.
Billy did an acoustic version of this tune that shreds...
I was 17 when this song came out, and I still love this song
The guitarist Steve Stevens is the same guitarist on Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana
So I dont see this fact added yet....
Steve Stephens 🎸 LOVES old classic toys. He would go through all the shops & buy the classics. He found an oldtime "alien ray gun" that made that sound. HE USED IT in this track 👏 thats the sound you hear! Cool as shit!
Also, the "breakdown" you called it in the song is 32 bars built in for dance mixes. Billy knew his music was used in clubs & purposely used that many bars so DJ could mix.
Dope
what you on about Alien Ray Gun, its synths sizer pushed through an electric guitar , clever.
CoreyRoy, loved your reaction especially, your energy. And I gotta say, you have one of THE finest beards EVER.
He never played the local clubs in New York but yeah he can sing live. He had swag!
We Metal Heads accepted him even though he was more punkish. He bent gundrers punk metal and rock even pop.
People can worry a little too much about where a song rose to in the charts. Once upon a time you would walk into a record store and on the wall there were columns of albums below a number ranking. You could know nothing and walk out with your purchase, feeling like you were buying the most popular stuff that your friends also were listening to. I once asked my friend who worked at one of these stores "How do they decide what their rankings are for the wall?" and her illuminating answer was "Number one is the album we have the most stock of in the back of the store"
There are lots of greats songs and albums that were never pushed in America or elsewhere. You can only push so much music on customers. If I have a backroom full of unsold albums, I'm not going to push a new artist's music instead, sacrificing sales on the old stuff unless I'm damned sure that the new artist has a bright future.
Average?? Absolutely not! Go for a drive and rip this up! And really listen to the lyrics, mannnn so hot 🥵 It's my fav 80s song.
It's still on rotation in my phone 😊
Man bringing back all those High School memories...the music from the 70s & 80s were & still is the best.
Always loved Bill Idol.
Loved watching this with you guys
Love Billy!
Dancing With Myself, is my favorite
Great reaction! Billy idol is still perfect 80ies rock n roll!
Truth .. guys on left and middle could do without negative vibes on most every reaction from the right.
Hes been my idol since 1987😍😍😍
Steve Stevens ( guitar ) also played with Vince Neil ( Mötley Crüe ) on his solo album " EXPOSED ". ;)
I love Billy Idol
Billy was Punk Rock then ss they say became commercialized and of course the punk rock community called him a sellout.
He lasted longer than punk rock. 😎
This song was on constant rotation on MTV when it came out. 46? Nah. That had to have at least hit top 10.
Billy Idol with streaming STEVE STEVENS.
I looove Billy ❤
The first time I heard this song was in den 90s, but it wasn't the version of Billy Idol, but from the german techno band "Scooter" ... later I found out, that this is a BI song as I saw him performing this song at "VH1 Storytellers". It was an epic version as the VH1 series in "Unplugged" and so it was only him and his guitar player! Imagine this solo on an acoustic guitar! Outstanding! It's actually the version of the song I like most as the original has these 80s vibes, kind of. Anyway - BI is great! :)
This song is best played in your car, all windows down, stereo cranked, on the interstate, going 90+ at 2am…
He helped bring an end to the Disco era. Try "Cradle of Love" a later hit of his. Michael Jackson definitely shined bright and artists like Billy Idol got overlooked.
A suggrstion if I may; One fine morning by a group called Lighthouse. Released July 1971. Cheers.
Great reaction guys, Billy was my teenage crush and i still love him to this day. Id love it if you would react to Sweet 16 which shows just how beautiful his voice really is