"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.

Composition and lyrics

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. 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.

Reception

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.'" 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.

Formats and track listings

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Notes:

Year-end charts

Certifications

Acoustic version

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

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

Live versions

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

Scooter cover

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

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'."

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts