Sunday, March 24, 2019

#9. "Eyes Without A Face" - Billy Idol (1984)


"Eyes Without A Face" is two tremendous songs for the price of one. 

The first half sees a chill Billy Idol crooning a ballad, with no screaming nor squealing guitars in sight. The synths are dreamy and laid-back.

One of the best hooks of the decades, I've always loved the female vocals leading into the chorus. The angelic "les yeux sans visage" harmony literally translates the track’s name, and encouraged me to translate other pop singles of the day into French. 

The second half is a complete 180 turn. 

Kicking in around 2:25, the minute-plus bridge features a Steve Stevens' guitar riff slashing through while Billy goes on a road trip bender whilst "trying to stay hip".

Billy returns to do his best Sinatra impression to wind up the power ballad.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with this choice, I like it and Billy, and the video has so many 1980's elements in it

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