I was in the car one day with my friend, and ‘Eyes Without A Face’ came on. He turned to me and said “oh this is such an Emma-Jane song”.

If you know me, you know I love Billy Idol, not only was he a voice of a generation, no pun intended, but he is also such an interesting and charming character. I think a lot of young people were first introduced to him when they heard ‘Dancing with Myself’ by Generation X. Or perhaps ‘Eyes Without A Face’ or ‘White Wedding - Pt. 1’. But also, maybe you know him from edits made on TikTok, I’m guilty of having reposted my fair share of favourites.

Billy Idol was the lead singer of the British punk band, Generation X. It is important to note that they were “one of the few who believed you could embrace pop sensibility and still sound authentically punk” says Mark Deming. This is what we call “genre blending”. This notion essentially is the combination of elements across two or more distinct music styles or sounds, that when mixed together creates a new hybrid sound and energy. His sound was new, different, and found a spot amongst a multitude of music listeners due to the sheer variety the album had to offer. Furthermore, the rise of MTV most definitely aided his rise to fame in America. With his infamous bleach blonde look, there was no doubt he had plans to make it big.

Let’s break apart some of my favourites on Rebel Yell. To set the scene, the year is 1983, and the album has just come out. It’s November. Maybe you’ve bought the album, or a couple tunes come on in the car, or your friend is ecstatic when she hears it on the radio during your Friday night sleepover. Whatever it was, there was no denying his charming-camera-friendly-face on the front cover of the record.