Eyes Without a Face is THE perfect song.

HTF did he not get more fan votes for the Rock Hall??????

I’d been thinking about including Billy Idol here for a while, and his nomination for inclusion in the RnR HoF, long overdue IMO, spurred me on to talk about this perfect song- Eyes Without a Face.

Billy Idol was integral to the soundtrack of elder Gen X teen life. I mean I can’t hear any of his songs without being transported to the early to mid 80s. White Wedding, Rebel Yell and Dancing With Myself were radio and MTV staples in the early 80s and Mony, Mony, get laid, get fucked, was played at every single fraternity party I ever attended. He was sight to behold on MTV clad in black leather and the platinum blonde punk rock DA. The sneer, the snarl of those luscious lips….a bad boy who was every good girl’s dream.

Eyes Without a Face from the album Rebel Yell is quintessential early 80s perfection in all the best ways. It was released in April, 1984, the end of my senior year of high school. Do you remember those last few months before you graduated from high school? Trying to make memories, caught between the headiness of getting the hell out of high school and the nervousness excitement of being on the edge of adulthood? Partying like there was no tomorrow. Thinking about leaving behind friends, family and everything that you thought you knew? Heady, heady times for this 18 year old. Eyes Without A Face reminds me of all of that.

This song is just sexy from beginning to end. Judi Doziers’s silky techno synth opening, those snappy pops from the drum machine that sound like claps, Perri Lister, Idol’s paramour, singing the chorus in French in the background, and famous Salsa bassist Sal Cuevas’ melodic bassline all give the song its ethereal, otherworldly feeling. It’s like velvet. Until…

Steve Stevens’ kicks everything into a whole other level, I mean he MAKES this song. When that tempo changes, that guitar riff sends me into ecstasy. And Billy rapping

When you hear the music, you make a dip

Into someone else’s pocket then make a slip

Steal a car, go to Las Vegas

Ooh, gigolo pool

Hanging out by the state line

Turning holy water into wine

Drinkin’ it down, oh

I’m on a bus, on a psychedelic trip

Reading murder books, tryin’ to stay hip

I’m thinkin’ of you, you’re out there so

Say your prayers…

And then the tempo slows down again and ends the same way it began with that sexy slow synth sliding into…….something…

One of the reasons I’ve always loved this song is because it feels like a more personal, biographical song than Idol’s previous hits. There is something that touches on a personal and deep level. He’s said as much, that it was about life on the road and how it messes with your mind and your real life.

Idol’s inspiration for the song was a 1960 black and white French horror film with the same title. He said it reminded him of the emptiness and what he called moral decay on the streets of New York City in the late 70s and early 80s. The video echoes the dark theme of that and other black and white horror films with its smoke filled scenes and gothic aura. The video was nominated for best cinematography and best editing for the 1984 MTV video music awards.

Billy is still kicking it with Steve, both of them looking fabulous. Here’s hoping that Bill gets his due and finally gets into the Hall of Fame this year. You can register to vote at the HoF website. Go do it! And revisit 1984 by listening to Eyes Without a Face, THE perfect song.

You can watch all my Perfect Song vids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66