Billy Idol

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Image:Billy-idol-photo2.jpg Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad on November 30 1955 in Middlesex, England) is an English hard rock musician. Idol lived in Worthing before attending Sussex University for only a year before joining the Bromley Contingent of keen Sex Pistols fans. During this period, Idol decided to become a musician and formed a punk rock band called Generation X in 1976.

Generation X signed to Chrysalis Records and released three successful albums before breaking up. Idol moved to New York City and began working as a solo artist and working with Steve Stevens, soon becoming MTV staples with "White Wedding" (below right) and "Dancing with Myself," the latter of which had originally been recorded with Generation X. Idol's second LP, Rebel Yell (1984) was a blockbuster success, and established Idol's superstar status in the United States with singles like "Eyes Without A Face," "Flesh For Fantasy," and the title cut.

Idol did not release a new album until 1986; Whiplash Smile sold very well and proved to be a smash, including the hits "To Be A Lover," "Don't Need A Gun," and the Country-flavored "Sweet Sixteen." Stevens soon left for a solo career and Idol continued. A live cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony" (the studio version of which was an Idol staple from early on) did well on MTV, and Idol played Cousin Kevin in a performance of Tommy. Just before the release of Charmed Life in 1990, Idol was in a motorcycle accident in which he almost lost his leg. The album sold extremely well (led by "Cradle Of Love," from the Ford Fairlane film), but Idol decided to take a break and acted in The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone. The follow-up to Charmed Life was 1993's Cyberpunk, which was a flop in the States, and Idol sank into drug addiction, nearly dying of an overdose in 1994.

Image:Billy Idol - White Wedding 1982 single picture cover.jpg

Idol returned to the popular eye in 1998, when he played himself in The Wedding Singer, an Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, where "White Wedding" was used as the title track. Idol appeared on VH1 Storytellers and issued a wildly successful Greatest Hits CD in 2001.

Devil's Playground (album), which came out March 22 2005, is his first new studio album in nearly 12 years.

Contents

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Trivia

Idol was embarrassed when at the 2002 Australian National Rugby League grand final a power problem resulted in no one being able to hear him sing.

In the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the song "White Wedding" was included in the lineup of classic rock radio station K-DST.

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Discography

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Albums

  1. Don't Stop (EP) (1981) #71 US
  2. Billy Idol (1982) #45 US
  3. Rebel Yell (1984) #6 US, #36 UK
  4. Vital Idol (UK) (1985) #7 UK
  5. Whiplash Smile (1986) #6 US, #8 UK
  6. Vital Idol (US) (1987) #10 US
  7. Idol Songs: 11 of the Best (1988) #2 UK
  8. Charmed Life (1990) #11 US, #15 UK
  9. Cyberpunk (1993) #48 US, #20 UK
  10. Rebel Yell: Expanded (1999)
  11. Greatest Hits (2001) #74 US
  12. VH1's Storytellers (2002)
  13. Essential Billy Idol (2003)
  14. Devil's Playground (2005) #46 US
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Singles

Starting with the 1983 re-release of White Wedding, Chrysalis issued Billy's singles with an IDOL vanity catalogue numbering system. This lasted for roughly seven years and sixteen singles (including various re-issues) until the release of "Prodigal Blues" in 1990.

  1. "Dancing With Myself" (1/1981)
  2. "Mony Mony" (9/1981)
  3. "Hot In The City" (8/1982)
  4. "White Wedding" (10/1982)
  5. "White Wedding (re-release)" (9/1983 - IDOL 1)
  6. "Rebel Yell" (1/1984 - IDOL 2)
  7. "Eyes Without A Face" (6/1984 - IDOL 3)
  8. "Flesh For Fantasy" (9/1984 - IDOL 4)
  9. "White Wedding (Vital Idol re-release)" (6/1985 - IDOL 5)
  10. "Rebel Yell (re-release)" (9/1985 - IDOL 6)
  11. "To Be A Lover" (9/1986 - IDOL 8)
  12. "Don't Need A Gun" (2/1987 - IDOL 9)
  13. "Sweet Sixteen" (5/1987 - IDOL 10)
  14. "Mony Mony (Live)" (10/1987 - IDOL 11)
  15. "Hot In The City (Remix)" (1/1988 - IDOL 12)
  16. "Catch My Fall" (8/1988 - IDOL 13)
  17. "L.A. Woman" (8/1990 - IDOL 15)
  18. "Prodigal Blues" (1990 - IDOL 16)
  19. "Shock To The System" (1993)
  20. "Heroin" (1993)
  21. "Speed" (1994)
  22. "Grand Theft Anal" (2000)
  23. "Scream" (2005)


Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK
1982 "Hot In The City" #23 - #31 #58 Billy Idol
1983 "White Wedding" #36 - #4 #6 Billy Idol
1984 "Rebel Yell" #46 - - #6 Rebel Yell
1984 "Eyes Without A Face" #4 - - #18 Rebel Yell
1984 "Flesh For Fantasy" #29 - #8 #54 Rebel Yell
1984 "Catch My Fall" #50 - - #63 Rebel Yell
1986 "To Be A Lover" #6 - #2 #22 Whiplash Smile
1987 "Don't Need A Gun" #37 - #10 #26 Whiplash Smile
1987 "Sweet Sixteen" #20 - - #17 Whiplash Smile
1987 "Mony Mony" #1 - - #7 Vital Idol
1987 "Hot In The City" (rechart) #48 - - #13 Vital Idol
1990 "Cradle of Love" #2 #7 #1 #34 Charmed Life
1990 "L.A. Woman" #57 - #18 #70 Charmed Life
1990 "Prodigal Blues" - - #35 #47 Charmed Life
1993 "Shock To The System" - #23 #7 #30 Cyberpunk
1994 "Speed" - - #38 #47 (single)
2005 "Scream" - - #26 - Devil's Playground
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Quotes

  • "Everybody got it wrong. I said I was into porn again, not born again." [1] after being injured in a motorcycle incident.
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See also

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External links

nl:Billy Idol fr:Billy Idol sv:Billy Idol pl:Billy Idol ja:ビリー・アイドル zh:比利·爱多尔

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