Rebel Yell (song)

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"Rebel Yell"
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Rebel Yell
ReleasedOctober 1983
Recorded1983
StudioStudio A, Electric Lady Studios, New York City
Genre
Length
  • 4:47 (album version)
  • 3:43 (7" version)
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology
"White Wedding"
(1982) 		"Rebel Yell"
(1983) 		"Eyes Without a Face"
(1984)
Audio sample
Music video
"Rebel Yell" on YouTube

"Rebel Yell" is a song by English-American rock musician Billy Idol. It is the title track of his second album of the same name (1983), and was released as the album's lead single in October 1983 by Chrysalis Records. Although it charted outside the UK Top 40, a 1985 re-issue peaked at no. 6, and it reached no. 46 in the US. 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.[1][2]

Master Tape Controversy[edit]

In an interview with The Guardian, Billy Idol recounted an incident where he stole the master tapes for the "Rebel Yell" album and gave them to his heroin dealer to force the record company to change the album cover. He stated, "I just thought: 'I’m just not going to let this happen. It’s so silly. They just need to reprint the picture.' So I went down to Electric Lady in the middle of the night and got to where I knew the tape boxes were. I took them and left the studio and gave them to my heroin dealer".[3]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Reception[edit]

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.'"[6]

The song was also adopted by English Association football club Worthing FC as an unofficial anthem. Idol went to secondary school in the town of Worthing, with one of Worthing FC's nicknames also being "the Rebels", prompting the decision to affiliate.

Formats and track listings[edit]

  • UK 7" vinyl single
  1. "Rebel Yell"
  2. "Crank Call"
  • UK 12" vinyl single
  1. "Rebel Yell"
  2. "Crank Call"
  3. "White Wedding"
  • (1985 re-issue) UK 7" vinyl single
  1. "Rebel Yell"
  2. "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows♱"

♱Recorded live at Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California, March 1984.

  • (1985 re-issue) UK 12" vinyl single
  1. "Rebel Yell (Extended Version)"
  2. "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows♱"
  3. "Blue Highway♱"

♱Recorded live at Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California, March 1984.

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Acoustic version[edit]

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.

In popular culture[edit]

"Rebel Yell" has been covered by many different bands such as Children of Bodom, HIM, Drowning Pool, Dope, Black Veil Brides, Adrenaline Mob, Bullets and Octane, Otherwise, Blue Stahli, and Queensrÿche.

The song appears in a cassette tape in the videogame Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and can be heard during gameplay.[11]

The music video of "Rebel Yell" appeared in the 1988 film Big starring Tom Hanks.

Live versions[edit]

Idol performed the track with Miley Cyrus at the 2016 iHeart Festival.[12]

Scooter cover[edit]

"Rebel Yell"
Single by Scooter
from the album Our Happy Hardcore
B-side"Euphoria"
Released9 May 1996[13]
Recorded1996
GenreHappy hardcore
Length3:40
Label
  • Club Tools
  • Scorpio Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • H. P. Baxxter
  • Rick J. Jordan
  • Jens Thele
  • Ferris Bueller
Scooter singles chronology
"Let Me Be Your Valentine"
(1996) 		"Rebel Yell"
(1996) 		"I'm Raving"
(1996)
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".

Critical reception[edit]

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'."[14]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Revisiting America's Hard 100". Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. ^ Michael Hann (16 May 2024). "Billy Idol: 'I stole the master tapes for Rebel Yell – and gave them to my heroin dealer'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. ^ Warren, Craig A. (7 September 2014). The Rebel Yell: A Cultural History. University Alabama Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0817318482. ... 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.
  5. ^ Reesman, Bryan (1 June 2006). "Classic Tracks: Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"". Mix Magazine. Penton Media, inc. Archived from the original on 20 September 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
  6. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 21 January 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  8. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 Singles 1984". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  9. ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  10. ^ "British single certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  11. ^ Roberts, David (1 October 2017). "Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain '80s cassette tape locations guide". gamesradar. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  12. ^ Carter, Simone. "From Def Leppard to Elton John, Here Are Miley Cyrus' Most Powerful Collabs". Newsweek, 30 September 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022
  13. ^ Scooter Discography – Rebel Yell Archived 8 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine ScooterTechno.com
  14. ^ Booth, Daniel (25 May 1996). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 54. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  15. ^ Scooter – Rebel Yell Discogs.com
  16. ^ Scooter – Rebel Yell Discogs.com
  17. ^ Scooter – Rebel Yell Discogs.com
  18. ^ Rebel Yell ScooterTechno.ru
  19. ^ Scooter – Rebel Yell & Let Me Be Your Valentine Discogs.com
  20. ^ "Scooter – Rebel Yell" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  21. ^ "Scooter Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Scooter: Rebel Yell" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  23. ^ "Scooter – Rebel Yell" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  24. ^ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Group. "The Irish Charts". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  25. ^ "Scooter – Rebel Yell" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  26. ^ "SCOOTER - REBEL YELL" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Scooter – Rebel Yell". Singles Top 100.
  28. ^ "Scooter – Rebel Yell". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 August 2015.

External links[edit]

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