"Rebel Yell" | ||||
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Single by Billy Idol | ||||
from the album Rebel Yell | ||||
B-side | "Crank Call" | |||
Released | 24 October 1983 [1] [ deprecated source ] 12 January 1984 (US) [2] 2 September 1985 (UK re-issue) [3] | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Studio | Studio A, Electric Lady Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Keith Forsey | |||
Billy Idol singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Rebel Yell" on YouTube |
"Rebel Yell" is a song by English rock musician Billy Idol. It is the title track of his second album Rebel Yell (1983),and was released as the album's lead single in January 1984 by Chrysalis Records. Initially,it only reached No. 62 in the UK and No. 46 in the US upon its release. However,a 1985 re-issue proved to be a big hit,peaking at no. 6 in the UK. The song received wide critical acclaim and in 2009 was named the 79th best hard rock song of all time by VH1 based on a public vote. [4] [6]
At a televised performance of VH1 Storytellers, Idol said that he had attended an event where Mick Jagger,Keith Richards,and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones were taking swigs from a bottle of "Rebel Yell" bourbon whiskey. He was not familiar with the brand,but he liked the name and decided to write the song. [7]
The song was co-written by guitarist Steve Stevens. The instrumental introduction,which sounds like a combination of electric guitar and electronic keyboard,is performed by Stevens on guitar alone,who intended it to sound this way. Stevens states that he was inspired by acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke's style. [8]
In 1984,music magazine Cash Box wrote that the song "combines the tough swagger and high-powered drive of 'White Wedding' with the decadent dance focus of 'Dancing With Myself.'" [9]
The song was also adopted by English Association football club Worthing FC as an unofficial anthem. Idol was born in the town of Worthing,and with one of Worthing FC's nicknames also being "the Rebels",prompting the decision to affiliate.
♱Recorded live at Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles,California,March 1984.
♱Recorded live at Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles,California,March 1984.
Weekly charts
Notes:
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Germany (BVMI) [18] | Gold | 300,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [19] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
In 1994 Idol released the single "Speed", a song from the box office hit movie of the same name, with a live acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" accompanying the lead song on the UK CD single release.
"Rebel Yell" has been covered by many different bands such as Children of Bodom, HIM, Drowning Pool, Scooter, Dope, Black Veil Brides, Adrenaline Mob, Bullets and Octane, Otherwise, Blue Stahli, and Queensrÿche. It was referenced in Against Me!'s 2007 song "Thrash unreal" (she can still hear that rebel yell just as loud as it was in 1983).
The song appears in a cassette tape in the videogame Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and can be heard during gameplay. [21]
The music video of "Rebel Yell" appeared in the 1988 film Big starring Tom Hanks.
Idol performed the track with Miley Cyrus at the 2016 iHeart Festival. [22]
"Rebel Yell" | ||||
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Single by Scooter | ||||
from the album Our Happy Hardcore | ||||
B-side | "Euphoria" | |||
Released | 9 May 1996 [23] | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | Happy hardcore | |||
Length | 3:40 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Scooter singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Rebel Yell" on YouTube |
In 1996, "Rebel Yell" was covered by German dance music band Scooter, released on 9 May by the labels Club Tools and Scorpio Music as the third single of their second album, Our Happy Hardcore (1996). It was a top-10 hit in Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands. In the UK, the song reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side was "Euphoria".
Daniel Booth from Melody Maker wrote, "Scooter subvert the reverence of rock and the pomposity of heavy metal, then shatter them in the blink of a maquillaged eye. This, unless you're asleep at the back, you'll realise is Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell', technofied and amplified into dance oblivion. It is incessant and addictive, exhilarating and infectious, just like those Europopped-up versions of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Wonderwall' and (sodding) 'Zombie'." [24]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and became the first single ever to achieve triple platinum status in Australia. It was also the best-selling single in the same country in 1992. Due to the song's music video, the line dance rose in popularity.
Rebel Yell is the second studio album by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 10 November 1983 by Chrysalis Records. After the release of his 1982 eponymous debut studio album, Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and multi-instrumentalist Steve Stevens. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Initially recording without a drummer, utilizing only the LinnDrum and Roland TR-808 drum machines, Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs. Musically, Rebel Yell is a new wave album with hard rock and other influences. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Brian Griffin. Idol got the idea of the album's title after attending a party with the Rolling Stones and drinking Rebel Yell bourbon whiskey.
"Achy Breaky Heart" is a song written in 1990 by Don Von Tress. First released in 1991 by the Marcy Brothers with the title "Don't Tell My Heart", it was later recorded by American singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus and released on his debut album, Some Gave All (1992). The song is Cyrus's debut single and signature song. It became the first single ever to achieve triple platinum status in Australia and also 1992's best-selling single in the same country. In the United States, it became a crossover hit on pop and country radio, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first country single to be certified platinum since "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1983. The single topped in several countries, and after being featured on Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom, peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It was Cyrus's biggest hit single in the U.S. until he was featured on "Old Town Road" by rapper Lil Nas X, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 27 years later.
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"White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that was released as the second single from his self-titled studio album in 1982. Although not Idol's highest-charting hit, it is often considered one of his most recognizable songs. In the US, it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart on 27 November 1982, then reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 July 1983 after it was re-issued. In the UK, it reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart upon its re-release there on 1 July 1985, when it was re-issued to promote the Vital Idol remix album.
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer Pat Benatar from her debut studio album In the Heat of the Night (1979). Written and composed by Geoff Gill and Cliff Wade, the song had first been recorded by English singer Jenny Darren on her 1978 album Queen of Fools, and Benatar adjusted the original lyrics, as such references as "A to Zed" and "moonraker" would have likely confused American listeners.
"Eyes Without a Face" is a song by the English rock musician Billy Idol, from his second studio album Rebel Yell (1983). It was released in April 1984 as the second single from the album. The song is softer and more ballad-like than most of the album's other singles. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Idol's first top-10 hit in the US. The song's title was borrowed from the 1960 horror film known in English as Eyes Without a Face.
Our Happy Hardcore is the second studio album by German dance group Scooter. The European release date for the album was 28 March 1996. Three singles were released from the album, starting with "Back in the U.K." in November 1995 and "Let Me Be Your Valentine" in February 1996. The final single, a cover version of the Billy Idol song "Rebel Yell", followed in May 1996. The mostly instrumental "Crank It Up" is notable for its use as the theme tune for the Bruno segments in Da Ali G Show.
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... Idol explained that he came to use the title 'Rebel Yell' ... not because of any knowledge of the Confederacy but because of his enthusiasm for Rebel Yell bourbon.