Hit Parade: Dancing With Himself Edition

Summary

Hit Parade: Dancing With Himself Edition

Podcast: Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: May 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode celebrates and scrutinizes the career and musical significance of Billy Idol, a recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Host Chris Molanphy explores Idol's unique position at the crossroads of punk, new wave, rock, dance, and mainstream pop—demonstrating how Idol became an archetype of 1980s rock stardom, blending genres, persona, and pop ambition to persist across decades and shifting musical trends.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

New Era for Hit Parade

• Format Updates: Starting with this episode (#101), Hit Parade will shift to single-topic, more frequent, and conversational episodes, while retaining meticulous chart analysis. (01:28)
  • “I’ll still be talking about the charts and combing through the nerdiest corners of pop music history.” — Chris Molanphy (01:31)

Introduction to Billy Idol

• Why Billy Idol?
  • Idol is newly inducted into the Rock Hall—prompting reflection on his broad, genre-crossing career.
  • Molanphy positions Idol as a rebel, icon, and chart fixture who embodies rock's "mongrel" nature. (03:33)
• Genre Spanning:
  • Idol traversed and fused punk, new wave, glam, hair metal, dance, rockabilly, and even pre-rock crooner styles. (03:33–07:19)
    • “You can attach this guy to more than half a dozen genres.” — Chris Molanphy (03:33)

Early Life and Punk Roots

• Formative Years:
  • Born William Broad in Stanmore, London (Nov 1955). Briefly lived in Long Island, USA, absorbing American pop. (07:19)
• The Bromley Contingent:
  • Upon returning to the UK, Idol became part of the influential punk scene circling the Sex Pistols and future legends like Siouxsie Sioux. (08:39–13:22)
    • “William Broad had legitimate early punk cred thanks to his association with the Bromley Contingent. So is Billy Idol a real punk? He kind of was.” — Chris Molanphy (13:22)

Generation X and the Birth of "Billy Idol"

• Band Formation:
  • Joins and quickly leaves Chelsea to form Generation X with Tony James and John Towe. (13:56)
• Name Origins:
  • “Billy Idol” is a play on a teacher’s comment, “William is idle,” modified to avoid confusion with Eric Idle of Monty Python. (15:52–16:16)
    • “I thought that was a great term for chemistry because I hated the hell out of it.” — Billy Idol (15:52)
• Early Success:
  • Generation X hits UK charts with catchy, non-political punk-pop hybrids—singles like “Your Generation” and “Ready Steady Go.” (16:32–18:24)
  • Idol emerges as visual and charismatic band focal point.

Solo Launch and Early MTV Era

• Dancing With Myself:
  • Spawned from the split with Generation X; the single’s 1981 music video (directed by Tobe Hooper) proved prescient for the MTV age. (22:08)
    • “It’s basically got an army of zombies climbing a building toward Billy Idol.” — Chris Molanphy (22:08)
• Breaking America:
  • Initial singles “Moany Moany” and “Hot in the City” (the latter cracking the U.S. Top 40). (23:03–25:28)
  • The iconic “White Wedding” video cements Idol’s image; single only charts after MTV-fueled buzz (top 40 by 1983). (25:28–26:41)
    • “He quite literally became a rock idol or you might argue a pop idol.” — Chris Molanphy (18:24)

The Rebel Yell and the 80s Apex

• Genre Fusion:
  • 1983’s “Rebel Yell” album melds new wave and hair metal; MTV and U.S. radio push Idol into the mainstream. (27:05–29:44)
• Signature Hits:
  • “Eyes Without a Face” (a spooky ballad inspired by a French horror film) becomes his crossover pop smash. (29:44–30:30)
    • “What’s fascinating about Eyes Without A Face as a song is that it’s a ballad that’s hybridized with a searing rock bridge.” — Chris Molanphy (29:54)
    • “Billy Idol is basically rapping on the bridge.” — Chris Molanphy (30:18)
• Further Hits:
  • Other singles—“Flesh for Fantasy,” “Catch My Fall”—showcase Idol’s stylistic reach, mixing funk, dance, and rock. (32:34)

The Hit Parade Rolls On: Late-80s Success

• Whiplash Smile (1986):
  • A platinum follow-up album, notable singles include a rockabilly remake (“To Be a Lover”) and the ballad “Sweet Sixteen,” inspired by the builder of Florida’s Coral Castle. (34:50–36:59)
• Number One with "Mony Mony" (Live):
  • 1987 live cover becomes Idol’s only U.S. #1, notably replacing another Tommy James cover at the top of the chart (Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”). (38:17–39:36)
    • “It became the first LP of dance remixes to crack the top 10.” — Chris Molanphy (39:36)

The 90s, Mishaps, and Persistence

• Charmed Life and Beyond:
  • “Cradle of Love” (1990) his last U.S. top 10; a serious motorcycle accident nearly derails him. (41:13–41:31)
• Cyberpunk (1993):
  • Idol morphs into a cyber-inspired rocker—embracing Internet aesthetics ahead of mainstream culture. (42:51–43:07)
    • “Cyberpunks are the true rebels… Information is power and currency.” — Billy Idol (42:51)
  • Critically panned at the time, though in retrospect noted for its prescience. (43:07–44:59)

Pop Culture Resurgence and Legacy

• Iconic Cameos and Public Image:

  • Late-90s pop culture revival via The Wedding Singer cameo (1998) and a candid Behind the Music episode (2001) repositioned Idol as a self-aware, decadent icon. (45:10–46:13)
    • “It was sex, drugs, and rock and roll…I mean, this is pre-AIDS. It was pure hedonism.” — Billy Idol (46:13)

• Environmental Advocacy:

  • Idol self-parodies in a NYC anti-idling campaign, highlighting his enduring pop presence. (46:30)
    • “If you’re not driving, shut your damn engine off. Idling is polluting. I mean, bollocks. Are you trying to choke us all?” — Billy Idol (46:30)

• Recent Honors:

  • Rock Hall tribute to Ozzy Osbourne (2024); finally honored himself as an inductee—a "living example" of rock’s eclectic roots. (47:33–48:23)
  • Recent documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, celebrates his numerous reinventions and survivals. (48:29)

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Memorable Quotes

• “He sits at the crossroads of various 70s, 80s, and 90s, let’s call them, micro genres. And he reminds us that attitude can be as important to rock and roll as the music.” — Chris Molanphy (03:33)
• “What I like about Billy Idol is he is all of these micro genres, and he’s unabashed about wanting pop hits…he’s kind of a perfect figure.” — Chris Molanphy (07:19)
• “I thought that was a great term for chemistry because I hated the hell out of it.” — Billy Idol (on his report card nickname, 15:52)
• “He quite literally became a rock idol or you might argue a pop idol.” — Chris Molanphy (18:24)
• “What’s fascinating about Eyes Without a Face…is that it’s a ballad hybridized with a searing rock bridge.” — Chris Molanphy (29:54)
• “Cyberpunks are the true rebels. Cyber culture is coming in under the radar of ordinary society…” — Billy Idol (42:51)
• “Idol has proved he has multiple lives.” — Chris Molanphy (48:29)

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Notable Timestamps

• 01:28 — Introduction to new Hit Parade format & show focus
• 03:33 — Introduction to Billy Idol and the genre discussion
• 07:19 — Early life in America, musical influences
• 08:39–13:22 — The Bromley Contingent and punk credentials
• 15:52–16:16 — Origin of the name "Billy Idol"
• 18:24 — Generation X’s chart success
• 22:08 — “Dancing With Myself” video and MTV launch
• 25:28 — “White Wedding” video and chart breakthrough
• 29:44–30:30 — “Eyes Without a Face” chart success and style analysis
• 34:50 — “Whiplash Smile” album and hit singles
• 39:36 — “Mony Mony” live at #1 and remix album milestone
• 41:13 — Idol's motorcycle accident and its impact
• 42:51–44:59 — “Cyberpunk” era and cultural context
• 45:41 — Cameo in The Wedding Singer, Behind the Music
• 46:30 — NYC anti-idling campaign feature
• 47:29–48:29 — Rock Hall tribute and legacy reflections

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Episode Tone and Takeaways

• Conversational and Detailed: Chris’s delivery is approachable but deeply informed, full of historical trivia and personal asides.
• Affectionately Nerdy: The show delights in Idol’s “chart nerdery” and unpacks pop culture’s changing tides with brisk humor and care.
• Celebratory, yet Analytical: Idol is praised for his adaptability, innovation, and charisma, but his misfires and changing fortunes are candidly covered.
• Big Picture: Idol is framed as embodying both the contradictions and possibilities of pop stardom—combining style, attitude, and musical omnivorousness.

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Conclusion

The episode frames Billy Idol not merely as a survivor or 1980s relic but as an enduring, shape-shifting emblem of rock’s genre-mixing potential. As Molanphy says, if rock is a mongrel art form, Billy Idol is its living proof.

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(End of content summary; ad and outro sections omitted.)

Transcript

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[Chris Melanvy]

Welcome to Hit Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate Magazine about the hits from coast to coast. I'm Chris Melanvy, chart analyst, pop critic and writer of Slate's why is this song number one series. As we kick off our 101st episode of hit Parade, we're doing things a little differently. I'll still be talking about the charts and combing through the nerdiest corners of pop music history. Here's what's different starting with this show. Instead of releasing two part episodes that stretch across a month, most of our shows will now be about a single topic. And we'll release them a little more frequently, generally every other week. And in the spirit of getting these episodes out more frequently, we're also going to record and produce them differently. So you'll notice my speaking tone is a bit more conversational. That said, for those who love the granular details and chart nerdery Hit Parade is known for, don't worry, we are still diving deep and plumbing the depths of pop. Still discussing the artists, producers, genres and chart phenomena that have shaped the way we consume our music. And speaking of artists, in this Hit Parade episode, we're talking about an icon of rock and a rebel of pop. You might say he was an idol who was never idle. We're here to talk about an artist who, while I was putting this episode together, was just announced as an Inductee for the rock and roll hall of fame, the man born William Broad, who is better known to the world as Billy Idol.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

It's a nice day to start again.

[Chris Melanvy]

Billy Idol's presence on the rock hall ballot this year got me thinking about how we define various genres. That's what makes Idol exceptional or unusual. He sits at the crossroads of various 70s, 80s, and 90s, let's call them, micro genres. And he reminds us that attitude can be as important to rock and roll as the music. He also scored a lot of pop chart hits. Here's one of the weirdest things about him. He broke on the charts with a ballad. We're going to talk about why Billy Idol is a rock hall inductee, where he started, how he wound up in a very bespoke solo career, where he came up with his biggest hit albums like rebel yell and whiplash smile, and how he has managed to remain on everyone's radar all these decades later. I think the reason that Billy idol wound up on the rock hall ballot and wound up getting inducted, I mean, you can attach this guy to more than half a dozen genres. For example, there's of course, punk, Which has the strictest true believer definition, But Billy idol has very specific connections to the original British punk scene. Then, of course, there's the offshoot of punk, which is known as new wave, That has a much looser definition and more porous boundaries. And Billy Idol kind of pivoted to new wave. There's dance music and funk music, which, of course is codified by black performers, mostly in America, But is heavily invoked by white rockers, Billy Idol included. There's glam rock, which was already rather passe when Idol started recording, but it was revived by rockers in the 1980s and basically converted into another genre, hard rock or hair metal. But wait, there's more. There are also genres that he recorded in and scored some of his biggest hits. Rockabilly, A formative influence for rock and roll dating back to the 40s and 50s. One of Idol's biggest hits was rockabill. And even pre rock crooners. You know, comics have poked fun at Idol's baritone voice, which strongly resembles pre rock singers like Bing Crosby.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

I was alone, I should have known you were temptation.

[Chris Melanvy]

What I like about Billy Idol is he is all of these micro genres, and he's unabashed about wanting pop hits, you know, for a chart show like ours. He's kind of a perfect figure. He's in a small way, the archetypal rock star of the 1980s, which was a decade of centrist pop, and he pulled from all of the areas and genres that were the source of hit music in the 80s. Billy Idol was born William Broad in the London suburb of Stanmore in November 1955 to an Irish mom and a Birmingham dad. He was not in that suburb for long. He actually moved with his family to the United States for a few years when very young. He even lived on Long island in the greater New York City area. And while living in America, he grew to love American music. In his memoir he talks about loving things like Frank Sinatra and Tex Ritter,

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

I Dreamed I Was There in Hillbilly Helen.

[Chris Melanvy]

And then at age 7, his family returned to the United Kingdom and they eventually settled in Bromley. This becomes important because in 1976, when the future Billy Idol is about 20 to 21 years old, he becomes part of what's called the Bromley Contingent. This is a group of proto punk hipsters who were following the first major UK punk act, the Sex Pistols Anarchy

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

Father UK it's coming sometime.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

I might be more in a moment.

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[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Nothing is everything.

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[Chris Melanvy]

The Sex Pistols were kind of the springboard for all of UK punk. And among the members of the so called Bromley Contingent, in fact, one of their most famous members, Siouxsie sue, the future leader of Susie and the Banshees, is immortalized in the Sex Pistols infamous TV interview with Bill Grundy.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

The new craze. They tell me they're heroes, not the nice clean Rolling Stones. You see, they are as drunk as I am. They are clean by comparison. They are a group called the Sex Pistols.

[Chris Melanvy]

Susie sue is not only one of these Sex Pistols fans standing behind the band in that interview, she's actually come on to by Bill Grundy.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Are you worried or are you just enjoying yourself?

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

Enjoying myself, are you?

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Yeah, that's what I thought you were doing.

[Chris Melanvy]

I always wanted to meet you.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Did you really? We'll meet afterwards, shall we?

[Chris Melanvy]

You dirty son.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

You dirty old men. Well, keep going. Keep going.

[Chris Melanvy]

In any case, William Broad had legitimate early punk cred thanks to his association with the Bromley Contingent. So is Billy Idol a real punk? He kind of was. He was there almost from the start and pretty soon he realized that he too could front a punk band. Because of course, what is the point of punk rock? It's that anyone can do it.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Oh,

[Chris Melanvy]

Billy Idol from the start looked like a punk, but he was never a nihilist. He basically combined the punk Aesthetic with pop star energy. His first band was a band called Chelsea, and in that band he played guitar, but he didn't sing. This one's called all the Downs. In fact, a little aside, Idol very nearly joined Susie and the Banshees, but he simply couldn't play in both bands at once. Picture a parallel universe where Billy Idol is a member of Susie and the Banshees. It's kind of a mind blower. In any case. Though Chelsea were later known for the great 1977 punk single right to Work, Idol didn't actually play on that single. He was out of Chelsea after just a few weeks when he and two other members of the band, the bassist Tony James and the drummer John to, left Chelsea to form the band Generation X. I said your generation down me

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

a thing to me I said your

[Chris Melanvy]

generation down means they tell me so about these names. Billy Idol is a name he started using around the time Generation X formed, and this story may be apocryphal, but reportedly the name was a riff on something written on young William Broad's school report card. There was a chemistry professor who wrote on his report card, william is idle. I d l e first of all,

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

of course, of idle. You know, idle because this chemistry teacher and I was at school, I got 8 out of 100 for chemistry. I hated chemistry. So he kind of. He broke William is Idol, right? So I. But I thought that was great term for chemistry because I hated the hell out of it. So that's why I thought it was worthwhile. I've been called ideol idea when choosing

[Chris Melanvy]

his name, Billy decided to riff on William is Idol, except he went with Idol I d o l reportedly to avoid confusion with the then famed Monty Python member Eric Idol. No to me, no to me.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

That's nudge, nudge, nudge.

[Chris Melanvy]

Know what I mean? Say no more now what I mean. As for Generation X, it wasn't named after the age cohort that I am a part of, having been born in the 70s. That wouldn't be coined until the Douglas Copeland novel. And instead it was taken from a 1964 paperback book on mod subcultures called Generation X. That's where Billy Idol and Tony James got the name of their band. Once he joined Generation X, Idol moved to lead vocals. He changed his look. He got the bottle blonde look that he's now well known for. And he and Tony James recorded their debut inspired by not only the Sex Pistols, but also by the Damned, who were coming up in the Brit punk scene right around the same time as Generation X. And Generation X hit the charts right away. Their first single, your Generation cracked the UK top 40 in 1977 reaching number 36. One other interesting thing about Generation X, unlike most punks, they were not haters of classic rock. Their single Ready Steady Go, which was a number 47 hit, celebrated the sound of 60s rock. Generation X were also one of the first to perform on Top of the Pops. They were very catchy and basically non political.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Generation X with your generation,

[Chris Melanvy]

Billy Idol was their visual focal point and it was at this moment that he became a version of the Billy Idol we now know. He quite literally became a rock idol or you might argue a pop idol. Generation X were only around for about four years. They released three albums. Their self titled debut Generation X, which reached number 29 on the UK album chart and contained Ready Steady Go. Then they pretty quickly followed that up with the 1979 album Valley of the Dolls that reached number 51 on the UK album chart. And it contained two actually slightly bigger hits. One called King Rocke. Reach number 11 on the UK singles chart and the title track from Valley of the Dolls which reached number 23 on the UK chart. But not long after Valley of the Dolls, the original lineup of Generation X started to splinter as Billy Idol had a falling out with guitarist Bob Andrews for, you might say the usual reasons bands fall out, drug use and creative differences. Then briefly, there was a new Gen X lineup literally called Gen X, not Generation X, this time with the Clash drummer Terry Chimes. And they recorded the album Kiss Me Deadly which was released in 1981. It didn't chart however. The most important thing about the Kiss Me Deadly album, it contained the original version of the song Dancing With Myself, which in its first incarnation was a number 62 UK hit. After Dancing With Myself broke on the charts, albeit not very high, Billy Idol connected with the manager of the band Kiss, a guy named Bill A Coin who encouraged Billy to move to New York City and launch a solo career. And the platform for that solo career was going to be a remix of Dancing With Myself. Billy Idol had producer Keith Forsey turn down the guitar slightly and remove a tambourine. The song was re released as Billy Idol and Gen X and the song, which by the way was co written by Idol and his bassist Tony James, launched Idol's solo career. One of the savviest moves in 1981, again under the auspices of his manager Bill A Coin, was to shoot a music video for the new version of Dancing With Myself, directed by Tobe Hooper, the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This turned out to be well timed for the launch of MTV in the summer of 1981. Once you know that this 1981 music video was directed by Tobe Hooper, you can't unsee it. It's basically got an army of zombies climbing a building toward Billy Idol who's standing on the roof holding a pair of electric conductors and shocking himself while the zombies climb toward him. It is like a zombie mini movie. While the video was pretty remarkable, the single didn't chart the very first time. But the EP it was on, called Don't Stop reached number 71 on the billboard album chart. And it would wind up spending over a year on that album chart. Billy Idol's solo career was on its way. That first Billy Idol EP also contained a cover of a hit song from 1968 called Moany Mooney by Tommy James and the Shondells

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Feel so Good.

[Chris Melanvy]

The Tommy James original had hit number three in 1968. Idol's cover was kind of a dance punk take on Mony Moani. That cover of Mony Moni would become Billy Idol's first hit in Billboard on any chart in the fall of 1981. It bubbled under the Hot 100 at number 107. And more impressively, it reached number seven on the Disco slash club play chart. By the way, hold that thought because Mony Mony is going to come back in the picture for Idol in a few more years. So by 1982, Billy Idol has recorded his self titled debut album, Billy Idol and he's poised to break as a real pop hitmaker. What's remarkable however, is that the song that breaks him in The American top 40 is not a terribly well remembered song today. It's Hot in the City, the lead single of Billy Idol, which cracks the top 40 and reaches number 23. Hot in the City did have a music video, but it was pretty low tech. This was not the video that was going to make Billy Idol an MTV icon. The song that would do that was the follow up White Wedding, which was much more image defining for Billy Idol. It was slower to break, but it was the debut of Billy Idol's trademark sneer. In case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing the White Wedding video, basically, in it, Idol stages a goth wedding with blood and coffins, leather and sex, and the video debut of his then girlfriend Perry Lister, who plays both the bride and one of his backup leather dancers.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Nice day for a white wedding It's a nice day to start again.

[Chris Melanvy]

White Wedding was slower to break on the charts, it took two tries. In 1982, on its initial release, it bubbled under the Hot 100 at number 108. But all through the fall and winter of 82 and 83, White Wedding was such a sensation on MTV as a music video that by 83, the label decided to reissue the single. This time it actually cracked the top 40, reaching number 36. Casey Kasem counted it down.

[Casey Kasem]

The number of British acts In the top 40 this week is 17 and the number of foreign acts is 23. And let me remind you that the top 40 hits each week are the choices of American record buyers and radio listeners. Now here's the new song by the artist whose debut this week establishes the two new records. He's Englishman Billy Idol and his song is White Wedding.

[Chris Melanvy]

By the way, the Billy Idol album is among his LPs, the sleeper hit. Though it only went gold and peaked at number 45 on the billboard album chart. It actually reached that peak a year after its release and wound up spending 104 weeks on the chart. Around this time, they actually did a reissue of the Dancing With Myself single and it finally made the charts barely. It bubbled under the Hot 100 at number 102. But it did help set up his breakthrough LP, which would be his second album. What made 1983's Rebel Yell the album that broke Idol into the big time was his ability to meld two forces that were taking over both MTV and the charts. New wave and hair metal. Billy Idol credibly sounded like both. Take the title track of Rapid Rebel Yell for example. It was aimed at rock radio, but because it had new wave vibes, it very nearly got him back into the top 40. It peaked at number 46 on the pop chart and number nine on Billboard's rock tracks chart. The Rebel Yell video was also definitive. It was a smoky live performance clip, an MTV smash that codified Idol's fist pumping plus sneer look. But the big breakthrough for Idol would come in the summer of 1984 when he released the song Eyes Without A Face. This would be the one that would make Idol an all out pop star. Eyes Without A Face was Inspired by the 1960 French horror film Les Yuses sans Visage. The film is about a plastic surgeon who was restoring the face of his daughter who'd been disfigured in a car crash. By the end, all that remains of her original face is her eyes, thus making her eyes without a face. Billy Idol watched this movie and he saw parallels between the film and and the moral decay he was experiencing living in New York city in the 1980s.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Eyes without a face. Eyes

[Chris Melanvy]

what's fascinating about Eyes Without A Face as a song is that it's a ballad that's hybridized with a searing rock bridge. Guitarist Steve Stevens came up with that rock bridge and most remarkably, Billy Idol is basically rapping on the bridge.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

When you hear the music, you make a dip into someone else pocket, then they can slip, steal a car and go to Las Vegas. Jigsaw

[Chris Melanvy]

Just a fun aside. Right around the same time Billy Idol was recording Eyes Without a Face, Phil Collins, who by the way is getting inducted into the Rock hall this year with Billy Idol, was also borrowing from rap for Genesis's hit Mama. Phil Collins later admitted he copped the Hahaha from Grandmaster Flashes. The message I'm trying not to lose my head. Eyes Without A Face was a massive hit. It reached number four on the pop chart in the summer of 84 and number five on the rock chart. As Eyes leapt into the top 10 on the Hot 100, so did the Rebel Yell LP on the Billboard album chart. It peaked at number six and went platinum. By early 1985, Rebel Yell would be two times platinum. And Rebel Yell just kept spinning off hits. It was deep with very eclectic sounding singles. For example, Flesh for Fantasy was fist pumping funk rock and it reached number 29 on the pop chart, number eight on the rock chart, And Catch My Fall was melodic sax drenched new wave, kind of like the Psychedelic Furs. It reached number 50 on the pop chart and number 24 on the rock chart. As I have said so many times on Hit Parade, including In our 1984 episode, 84 was the year of eclectic hits. Billy Idol picked the best moment to release a really eclectic album that touched on rock, new waves, funk dance and everything that was hitting the charts all at the same time. Stick around.

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[Chris Melanvy]

This is arguably Billy Idol's imperial moment, the instant when he can probably get away with anything. He takes three years to follow up the Rebel Yell album and he comes back with 1986's Whiplash Smile. As follow ups go, Whiplash Smile was a solid hit. It went platinum, peaked at number six on the album chart, the same peak as Rebel Yell. And it did that much quicker than Rebel Yell. It was also, if possible, an even more eclectic album than Rebel Yell. For example, let's talk about the lead single, To Be a Lover. It was a remake of a William Bell track which reached the top 10 on the R B chart back in 1969. Billy Idol turned it into rockabilly in hard rock clothing. Idol's version of To Be a Lover reached number six on the Hot 100. Then for the follow up, Don't Need a Gun, Idol crossed hair metal with electro flavored dance rock. That song reached number 37 on the pop chart,

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

I Don't Need a Gun,

[Chris Melanvy]

and perhaps most left field of all. The third single, Sweet sixteen, was Idol's straightest ballad and it had a fascinating lyrical backstory,

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Almost building and the brain rebuilding it.

[Chris Melanvy]

Idol was inspired to write Sweet Sixteen by the true story of a Latvian immigrant who single handedly built the Coral Castle in Florida. Idol wrote the song after watching an episode of the Leonard Nimoy hosted In Search of about the Coral Castle in Florida, the Pyramids, Stonehenge and Easter Island. A solution to these puzzles may be concealed in Florida's Coral Castle. This monumental structure was created by one man with his bare hands in the 20th century. Back in Latvia, he was set to marry a young girl, but she broke the engagement and, heartbroken, he immigrated to America and he built the Coral Castle in Florida as a dedication to his former bride, who he referred to as his sweet 16. Just three months after Sweet Sixteen peaked on the Hot 100, Idol released a single that would go all the way to the top and it was a fluke, a live version of Mony Monique. This was a single to promote a remix compilation called Vital Idol on the remix album. The LP had the studio version of Mony Moany, albeit remixed. But to promote it, Chrysalis released a live version to both MTV and record stores. On the Hot 100, Idol's Moni reached number one in November 1987. An interesting tidbit. When Mony moani reached number one on the Hot 100, it replaced another cover of a Tommy James and the Shondell song, Tiffany's version of I Think We're Alone. Now. The Vital Idol album reached number 10 on the album chart. And by the way, it became the first LP of dance remixes to crack the top 10. At this point, Billy Idol was kind of the all purpose 80s rock star. He touched on so many different Persona. Idol was a kind of clubhead. Right after his live version of Mony Mooney, he scored a minor follow up hit with an electro dance remix of his prior hit Hot in the City

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

for Me. Now.

[Chris Melanvy]

Idol was also kind of a metalhead. He appeared in Sam Kinison's raunchy 1988 video for a remake of the Trogs hit Wild Thing. In the video, Billy Idol is paired with hair metal stars like Slash, Tommy Lee, Richie Sambora and Playboy model Jessica Hoffman.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Burn you make my heart.

[Chris Melanvy]

And finally at the turn of the 90s, Billy Idol was even something of a baby boomer rocker. He was cast in Oliver Stone's 1991 movie the Doors as a friend of Jim Morrison's named Cat.

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

New image we can draw back slow quiet the beer the elder of the tribe.

[Chris Melanvy]

Unfortunately, Idol's role was a brief cameo because in 1990 in Hollywood, Billy Idol was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that nearly cost him a leg.

[News Reporter]

Singer Billy Idol was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles early yesterday morning when the Harley he was driving collided with another vehicle. Idol had reportedly just completed work on his long long delayed new album ironically titled Charmed Life and was driving home on a his bike in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the accident occurred.

[Chris Melanvy]

It's been said that Billy Idol has nine lives and the fact that he survived his motorcycle accident is further evidence of his persistence and survivability. So to recap, in the 80s Billy Idol had played new wave MTV icon, punk rocker, metalhead club Denizen and he would shape shift Even further in the 90s. The decade started very promisingly for him. He had a number two hit in the summer of 1990 with Cradle of Love, the lead single from his next lp, Charmed Life. The Charmed Life album just missed the top 10, peaking at number 11 and going platform platinum. However, Cradle of Love would be Idol's last US top 40 hit. His follow up single, a cover of The Doors song LA Woman, stiffed on the Hot 100 at number 70. And then we have have to talk about his 1993 album Cyberpunk.

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

Information is power and currency. The virtual world we inherited so mistrust authority. Cyberpunks are the true rebels. Cyber culture is coming in under the radar of ordinary society and an only

[Chris Melanvy]

alliance of the Idol's response to the grunge and alternative rock era was to turn himself into a spiky haired cyberpunk. On the album Cyberpunk, its lead single, Shock to the System, was a minor rock radio hit. It reached number seven on the mainstream rock chart and number 23 on the modern rock chart. The cyberpunk album showed up at a very interesting moment in the history of Internet culture, not long after the World Wide Web was invented and was barely even popularized. Idol was inspired by novelist William Gibson, who coined the term cyberspace in his novel Neuromancer. Idol was arguably on trend. He was even ahead of Hollywood, who wouldn't try to popularize Internet culture for another couple of years with movies like the Net and hackers. But the album Cyberpunk was panned and mocked, not least for Idol's crazy hair, which was even spikier than in his punk heyday. The album was a total flop, peaking at number 48 on the Billboard 200 album chart and disappearing in just seven weeks. In retrospect, critics have argued that it was ahead of its time. It was one of the first albums to make references to the Internet, email, virtual communities, and even take advantage of multimedia media software. But as ahead of the curve as Idol was at the time, Cyberpunk looked like a bandwagon jump by an aging rocker trying to remain current.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

It's the age of destruction and they had us Oblivion immol.

[Chris Melanvy]

This really could have been it for Billy Idol. He might have gone down as a footnote in rock history. What made it possible for Idol to survive his flop era was simply put, his persistence. He has a sense of humor about himself and when he is asked, he shows up. For example, in 1998 he made a cameo in the Adam Sandler movie the Wedding Singer. It brought Idol back into the public eye and helped kickstart the Overall revival of 1980s culture.

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

Yeah, Glenn doesn't deserve her. All he cares about, possessions, fancy cars, CD players, even women, are possessions to him.

[Chris Melanvy]

See, Billy Idol gets it. I don't know why she doesn't get it. Then in 2001, VH1 devoted a behind the Music episode to Idol's history, which was even more candid than most episodes of behind the Music. It made him seem dangerous but relatable. Critics saw someone who had become the dictionary definition of a decadent rock idol.

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

It was sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I mean, this is pre aids. It was pure hedonism.

[Chris Melanvy]

More recently, Billy Idol even volunteered for New York City Mayor bill de Blasio's 2020 environmental campaign. Billy never idols.

[Billy Idol (speaking/interview)]

Hey, New York, Billy idol here, Rock star and environmentalist. If you're not driving, shut your damn engine off. Idling is polluting. I mean, bollocks. Are you trying to choke us all?

[Chris Melanvy]

For those who don't live in New York City, idling vehicles is a serious environmental concern. And it was decided that Billy Idol should be the face of a campaign against idling vehicles. Then, in 2024, Idol took part in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame's tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. When Ozzy was being inducted as a solo artist, that performance by Idol likely engendered the goodwill that got him into the Rock hall himself a couple years later.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

No more tears.

[Chris Melanvy]

As Billy Idol prepares to be inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, it's worth considering that he is, to some degree, an archetypal rock star. If rock and roll is a mongrel art form that combines multiple genres into its DNA, Billy Idol is a living example of that mongrel art form. He touches on all the elements that make rock and rol. It is. And it's pretty hard to argue with a song like Rebel Yell, which Billy Idol, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of that album, recently performed live from the Empire State Building with his guitarist Steve Stevens.

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

Last night.

[Chris Melanvy]

Little dancer she came a dancing to

[Billy Idol (singing/quotes)]

my door last night.

[Chris Melanvy]

In the last year, Billy Idol has sat for a documentary on his career called Billy Idol should be Dead. Never has a rock doc had a more appropriate title. From his Bromley Contingent days to his 80s excesses, from his motorcycle accident to coming back from the cyberpunk embarrassment, Idol has proved he has multiple lives. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hit Parade. Our show was conceived, researched, and narrated by Chris Melanfi. That's me My producer is Kevin Bendis, our super producer is Joel Meyer, and the Executive producer of Slate Podcasts is Mia lobel. Check out Slate's roster of [e-mail] podcasts. You can subscribe to Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts, in addition to finding it in the Slate Culture feed. If you're subscribing on Apple Podcasts, please rate and review us while you're there. It helps other listeners find the show. Thanks for listening and I look forward to leading the Hit Parade back your way. We'll have a brand new episode for you in two weeks. Until then, keep on marching on the one I'm Chris Melanvy.

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