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Saturday, November 14, 2015

"White Wedding" by Billy Idol

Song#:  1462
Date:  05/21/1983
Debut:  71
Peak:  36
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Idol grabbed his first Top 40 entry when "Hot in the City" reached #23 the previous year. It was from his self-titled full-length debut album as was this second single. Initially released  near the end of '82, the song was ignored and went nowhere. But the following spring the song and its video began to attract an audience and the single was reissued. This time around, it became a hit on Rock radio reaching #4 while getting to #10 on the Dance chart. It was enough to propel the song into the Pop Top 40.

ReduxReview:  Because they got played so much, I always think that Idol's songs did better on the chart than they did. I could have sworn this one reached the Top 20. It should have. It's one of his best songs. I was never very fond of his punk-ass attitude, but he puts it to good use on this song. When he snarls "white wedding," it just drips with contempt. It's pretty great.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) One of Idol's most famous songs was never a chart hit. "Dancing with Myself" was first recorded in 1980 by Idol's band Generation X. It was issued as a single, but the only business it did was getting on the Dance chart at #27. For his 1981 solo EP "Don't Stop," Idol remixed the song and credited it to himself. After the success of his first two solo singles, he then issued the remix as a single. It still failed to make the charts. However, the song remained popular thanks in part to its video that got a lot of airplay on MTV. The video was directed by Tobe Hooper of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame.  2) You may notice that this song is listed as "White Wedding (Part 1)" on the album but there is no Part 2. That section of the song was a more synth-based continuation of the main song that was available on the 12" version of the single. It was also made available on the hits compilation "Vital Idol."

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