Billy Idol: Rebel Yell

In looking for a bubbling under hit for this week, I stumbled on one of the more innovative artists of the 1980s: Billy Idol. I also realized that Idol and I were born only hours apart. That’s beside the point as the song “Rebel Yell” was one such hit only peaking on the Hot 100 at 46. It did much better on the Mainstream Rock chart peaking at 9.

The UK release fared worse by peaking only at 62. “Rebel Yell” saw its biggest chart action in the southern hemisphere where it placed at #7 in Australia and #3 in New Zealand. Although I remember playing this on the air, my greatest memory of this tune is playing it with the Second Story Band from Mullens, WV. Everyone in the band except me graduated from Mullens High School whose mascot was the Rebels. It was always a crowd favorite when we played in Mullens.