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ALBUM ANALYSIS

BILLY IDOL'S REBEL YELL, 1983

RATING: 4.5/5

SYNOPSIS: In this complex, sexual album, the listener goes through a journey of independence from a stifling,outdated lifestyle.

HISTORY/INFLUENCE: Released towards the end of 1983, Rebel Yell took the world by storm. Harboring a couple of Idol's essential listening tracks, it's obvious that this album would go on to be a double platinum record. It significantly skyrocketed Idol's fame, especially in the Americas, resonating with the avid sexual awakening going on during that time in contrast to the satanic panic of the early 80's as well. The record, of course, came with it's own buzz (as was the case with many alternative albums released during the early 80s), especially from those who felt targeted by the direct criticism of uptight, conservative American ideals.

MY FAVORITE THINGS:

the marrying of synth-pop and classic rock? genius.

my favorite tracks are Eyes Without A Face and Flesh for Fantasy

i love the message and the overall story/journey of the album

KEYWORDS: hypnotic, sexual, love, independence, queer-coded

PSA: this is MY interpretation of the album in its most general sense, however I believe that many of the themes can be applied to different storylines or concepts. Also, when I say "he" I am not referring to Idol, I am just talking about the narrator that I have envisioned- it makes it easier to form coherent sentences about the dynamics and themes in the album without getting overly wordy (I'm already wordy enough) and creating a sense of familiarity between writer and character because I think in certain ways he is projecting.

p.s you should listen to the album while reading to ensure understanding lol <3

SONG BY SONG:

track i: REBEL YELL 4.5/5

"SHE WANT MORE"

intense instrumental married with dancy, rhythmic melody

love song? nah more like fwb anthem

describes an unserious but intense connection that has a lot of emotion but no real commitment

the song is dramatic and bold, even hypnotic in a way

the queer undertones start early with "she came pumping on my floor", if you were to add a comma between came and pumping, the sentence would make more sense

overall starts the story with describing a taboo yet emotionally enduring relationship with a sex worker

track ii: DAYTIME DRAMA 4/5

"LOVE TO FILL A VOID/YOU'RE MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE"

hypnotic synth

describes a relationship where one of them is taking advantage of the other in order to further themselves or make them more "controversial" but yet the other, while knowing, almost uses this fact as a libido boost

"beautiful star" feels like a slightly bitter, patronizing nickname which further illustrates the tension between the two characters in this story

he seems to be putting the person he's describing below him while expressing how desperately he wants them

serves the purpose of describing who he's in this relationship/situation with and how they make him feel rather than describing their dynamic (as seen in Rebel Yell)

track iii: EYES WITHOUT A FACE 5/5

"IT'S EASY TO DECIEVE/ITS EASY TO TEASE/BUT HARD TO GET RELEASE"

I would say its the most important song on the record story-wise

shows a moment of collapse or turning point

melancholic and hypnotic snyth

loosely based off of french horror novel from the 1960's, Les Yuex San Visage

the story is about a deranged facial surgeon who kills women to "fix" his daughter's facial mutations. He uses a mask to hide her face thus "les yeux sans visage" or "eyes without a face"

there is a direct contrast in the film and novel between the surgeon, his assistant, and Christiane. The surgeon and the assistant are depicted as having dark shadows around their eyes and with their cold, inhumane natures it's almost like they are faces without eyes; physically human but emotionless. While on the other hand, Christiane is the opposite, she is eyes without a face, barely human physically but emotional.

this theme of face without eyes vs. eyes without face is obviously prevalent in the story of this song as he goes on to relate it to his situation, further explaining how he is navigating giving everything he has to something cold and unforgiving

the bridge is like...bridge-ing

the melody goes from this synth foreground, to that of rock, mirroring the sound of Rebel Yell

the sound has a more casual feel than before

"when you hear the music, you make a dip/ into someone else's pocket, then make a slip/ steal a car and go to Las Vegas/ooh gigolo pool"

describes a journey the person he's been having this situationship with is going through... it seems less of a journey and more of a habit (shown in a later line)

more themes of using people for their money and status (Daytime Drama)

then more queer-coding with mentioning gigolos, specifies what type of sex worker this person is (another slight nod to Rebel Yell)

"hanging out by the state line/turning holy water into wine"

the person he's at a stand still with is at an in between in their life and is using anything they can to develop a feeling of normalcy

the stagnancy of hanging by a threshold and prolonging the act of crossing it by indulging in less productive tendencies (i.e. getting drunk and using influential people for money and status)

he calls this person out on being stuck in a specific pattern and wasting a life to indulge in sin (not the gay thing, the sex working and scandalizing thing), turning something that has all this vitality to it (water) into something that is less useful and in a desperate situation, harmful (wine)

"I'm on a bus, on a psychedelic trip"

perspective change to show the difference of their situations

he's in motion, he's going on this journey while the other person in this story is stuck in a toxic, stagnancy creating cycle

An allusion to Ken Kasey & the Merry Pranksters bus, 1960 so its still a little macabre and not very healthy

he is not in control of what he does or where he goes

checked out mentally

almost like he's moving through the motions of a journey instead of experiencing one and participating in it but he's moving. This movement allows him the clarity which comes in the last verse

"reading murder books, tryna stay hip"

allusion to Les Yeux San Visage

brings home the contrast of these two people's lives, he's being productive while the other isn't

"...and youre out there/so/say your prayers, say your prayers, say your prayers"

brings home the idea that he doesn't have the reigns at the moment but with the unbothered way he experiences these thoughts, it seems like he's letting things come to him and is at peace with that

at the third verse, he has officially gotten clarity and peace

he understands that the emotion/goodness he once saw in the other person are gone

understands that it was all a feeling with no tangibility (eyes vs. face, expression vs. action)

he ends up saying that expression without action/commitment is human waste or a waste of the human condition

track iv: BLUE HIGHWAY 4/5

"OH THE SUN'S FOR MILES, ON STOLEN GUITARS/OUT TO RIDE THE NIGHT"

ties in with the theme of travel in EWOAF

this song is about the narrator finally taking control of his life

yes, there's mention of substance abuse to ease the responsibility but the imagery is different, he is doing things rather than them happening to him (which is the major theme of this song/album)

he's not the victim of his life anymore

"walk with electro-glide, on the blue highway"

reference to the future/expansion

"wave hello to christ"

he is equal to god/ he's in control

blue highways are small, forgotten roads connecting rural America

symbol for taking the road less traveled by in taking responsibility for his own fate/life

"so, soul sister, get tough/ I hear you and I miss you"

directly speaking to EWOAF person (hearing them on the road behind him and telling them to find strength to keep going)

+"co-starring in the USA" feels like a reference to Daytime Drama

as the bridge starts there's a sound that mirrors a tape moving backward which introduces his hindsight from the bridge smoothly(this is just a small detail that I really liked)

"So glad that you're living now/ i'm glad that you're here/ i'm glad that you want to stay"

the music gets slower here to show sentiment/importance

bringing back the idea of living vs. wasting the human condition

at this point it makes me wonder if he's talking to himself but i'm not entirely sure

in the outro he celebrates love while being in control of his own life

this song is about someone who is ready to be the master of their own journey

track v: FLESH FOR FANTASY 5/5

"ENJOY THE CRIME/DO YOUR TIME"

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!

sexy, hypnotic, all of it

funky bass line

so hot...like genuinely

makes sense because its about embracing sexuality and how erotic that experience can be

there's still an immense amount of intimacy and sentiment that only deepens as the song moves forward and he becomes even more aware of his partner

in verse two, he gets more insecure, this might be where his partner is having trouble but it isn't explicitly expressed

"are you someone else tonight?"

with the opening of the story being something as hyper sexual as Rebel Yell, it makes sense that he's feeling insecure about his partner's hesitancy

he's almost trying to convince his partner to give in to their urges

this person might be well experienced with sex but not intimacy which is what he's trying to sell here (all the questions/emotion)

going into the bridge the music gets more rock-centered (not without the most wonderful slap bass fill of all time) to show the intensity of the moment

the bridge goes on to poke fun at traditional house roles, saying that parental acceptance is outdated

at this point I'm wondering if these two are about to commit to each other and the narrator's partner is having trouble with the views of their family or of traditional society (more queer-coding)

then going into the chorus, he includes the subject "you cry", saying that as much as this person is overcome by inhibitions, their want for the other person will always win

into the outro, he ends the song with the same sentimental line "do you like good music? do you like to dance?"

the repetition of this could hint at him not knowing much about his partner other than their intimacy while describing a want for closeness that introduces a paradox within their dynamic; that even though they have history of sharing their darkest inner most wants and needs with each other, they dont know the most surface level things about one another

"enjoy the crime/ do your time/never been nothing before"

down plays their dynamic and his own emotions while projecting onto his partner

also just a beautiful metaphor

theres an interesting tonal change with this song coming in from Blue Highway

he seems to have gone from being the victim of his own life to being the aggressor

going from having too little and wanting more to too much and facing hesitancy

track vi: CATCH MY FALL 3.5/5

"IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU SO THINK FOR YOURSELF"

about how far he's come

+more queer-coding with "i've travelled and unwound my own truth"

he expresses how through life you're gonna have moments when you feel unsure and weak but the genuine people around you give you strength

there's solidarity in people going through difficult journeys together

reminds the listener to be careful about the people and things they let get close to them but to be open and lean on what feels right

even though there's a love story attached to this album i truly think it's about self-actualization and becoming independent which this song embodies

track vii: CRANK CALL 3/5

"THEY DIG THE DIRT THEY FEED ON/CRANK CALL"

about convincing a group of people to embrace their sexuality

anti government/establishment in the bridge

describing sexuality as a means to revolt against the man

more self actualization through sexuality

track viii: DO NOT STAND IN THE SHADOWS 3/5

"NOT GONNA STAND/IN THE DARK WITHOUT A LIGHT"

intense melody, hynotic

romanticizing teenage spirit

kinda billy joel adjacent

connecting to the story by showing resolve

about allowing yourself to live whatever life you please rather than living in the "shadow" of the nuclear american lifestyle

can be connected to queerness

track ix: DEAD NEXT DOOR 4/5

"DONT HEAR THAT KNOCKING/DONT EAT OUT OF THEIR HAND/DONT STUMBLE"

music goes back to synth-pop

slow tempo shows resolve of the story

a goodbye but also a final plea not to get stuck in cookie cutter lifestyles

advice from what he's learned

calling those stuck in the nuclear life style "ghosts"

the meaning is pretty straightforward

"you and me with the dead next door"

you've crossed over/ reached a level of consciousness that separates you from those stuck individuals

the fade out is also indicative of resolve

FINAL THOUGHTS:

this album is so significant, its wild!

i love the story so very much and the pacing feels natural which can be hard with an album

it is a collection ESSENTIAL

very good for people who feel lost in their life

#80s retro #80s aesthetic #old mtv #billy idol

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