Ozzy Osbourne Argues ‘Rock Icon’ Billy Idol Should Be in the Hall
· Ultimate Classic RockAs Ozzy Osbourne prepares to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time, he’s championing the case of another famous singer: Billy Idol.
“Billy Idol is a rock icon,” Osbourne declared during a recent conversation with Rolling Stone. “His music is timeless. Billy Idol should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Idol has been eligible for the Hall since 2007, but despite an impressive resume -- including over 40 million albums sold and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- he has never been nominated. In 2023, the singer admitted that getting inducted “would be incredible.” “It’s a big thank you to the fans in lots of ways,” Idol explained to Spin at the time. “They really believed and hung in through thick and thin. Towards the end of your career or life, you get a chance to say thanks to everybody because somehow or other, they’ve made my life fucking great. They let me live my dreams. That was incredible. What a gift.”
READ MORE: 145 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Billy Idol's History With the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Idol previously appeared during the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. The “Rebel Yell” singer helped honor T. Rex, one of the inductees that year.
READ MORE: Ozzy's RRHOF Induction to Feature Billy Idol, Jack Black and More
Idol will perform at this year’s event during an all-star celebration of Osbourne. Tool's Maynard James Keenan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Steve Stevens, producer Andrew Watt, country star Jelly Roll and actor Jack Black will also be on hand to honor the Prince of Darkness.
11. ‘Happy Holidays’ (2006)
In the conservative and pop star-driven realm of holiday albums, Billy Idol’s unexpected foray with ‘Happy Holidays’ sticks out like a sore thumb. But the middle-aged punk rocker tackled the project with a smile (well, a smirk) and all his charm -- proving it’s not that great a leap from “White Wedding” to “White Christmas,” after all.
10. ‘Devil's Playground’ (2005)
‘Devil’s Playground’ marked Idol's return from more than a decade in recording exile, apparently seeking to reclaim his pop-punk crown from the likes of Green Day and Sum 41. But that fickle fan base was no more convinced than older fans by made-to-order numbers like “Super Overdrive” and “Sherri," and saw not a returning forefather of their favorite music, but what looked like the mean old man next door shouting “Get off my lawn!”
9. ‘Cyberpunk’ (1993)
A concept album inspired by Idol’s efforts to grapple with computers and technology, 1993’s ‘Cyberpunk’ embraced industrial and electronic music in a bid to stay current amid alternative rock’s cultural sea change. But while you have to give him credit for going all in, most fans simply weren’t sold on his new direction and an album filled with flow-interrupting narratives trying to advance a storyline that, in a nutshell, was telling them “You got mail.”
8. 'Kings & Queens of the Underground' (2014)
Idol’s seventh album sounds like an admission that you can’t go home again, so the veteran punk chose to move forward, and liberated himself from those old creative shackles. It didn’t spell a return to the top of the charts, but eclectic tracks like the symphonic title track and updated Idol template of “Postcards From the Past” were elevated by lyrics that Idol’s aging fans could relate to.
7. 'Valley of the Dolls’ (1979)
Produced by Mott the Hoople legend Ian Hunter, Generation X’s sophomore album was intended to follow the Clash’s recent foray into commercial punk realms, but let’s just say that the Billy Idol/Tony James songwriting team was no Jones/Strummer. The album’s reckless diversity saw attempts like “Running With the Boss Sound” and ‘50s throwback “King Rocker” flying too close to the sun, while ponderous fare like “Paradise West” simply fell flat.
6. 'Billy Idol’ (1982)
An exercise in trial and error (just look at the original cover photo of the singer in garish rising sun shirt, quickly scrapped for a leather-clad improvement), Idol’s solo debut was a bit short on great songs, but it yielded two incontestable home runs in the dark and sinister “White Wedding” and conversely upbeat and swaggering “Hot in the City.” Opener “Come On, Come On,” was also pretty great, and it marked the beginning of Idol’s fruitful collaborations with guitarist Steve Stevens.
5. ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ (1981)
Confusingly named after a song on their debut from three years earlier, ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ was Generation X’s third and final album, as Idol’s solo ambitions beckoned. But this sure doesn’t sound like a dying band, thanks to the irresistible thrust of “Dancing With Myself” (which later became a hit for Idol) and “The Untouchables.” Things get a little iffy later on, but other forgotten gems include “Heaven’s Inside” and “What Do You Want.”
4. ‘Charmed Life' (1990)
A serious motorcycle accident in the early months of 1990 arrived just in time to settle Idol down a little (just a little) for his fourth album, the gratefully titled ‘Charmed Life.’ Though its production was still lush and its songs -- including hit single “Cradle of Love, “Prodigal Blues” and Doors’ cover “L.A. Woman” -- still geared for mass appeal, ‘Charmed Life’ sounded relatively mature and a prophesy of better things to come.
3. ‘Whiplash Smile’ (1986)
A product of its times, ‘Whiplash Smile’ was draped in overwrought '80s production and the decade’s all-around excess, but it worked on smash hits like “To Be a Lover,” “Don’t Need a Gun” and the gentle “Sweet Sixteen.” Elsewhere, rockers like “World’s Forgotten Boy” and “Man for All Seasons” simply digitized familiar Idol hallmarks (for good and bad), and Steve Stevens’ flailing guitar histrionics were both amazing and distracting.
2. 'Generation X' (1978)
They couldn’t out-shock the Sex Pistols, never mind out-sell the Clash, but Idol’s punk band Generation X (completed by bassist and co-songwriter Tony James, guitarist Bob Andrews and drummer Mark Laff) did themselves proud with this spunky 1978 debut. The energy never flags from start to finish, and songs like “One Hundred Punks,” “Ready Steady Go” and the more deliberate “Kiss Me Deadly” already hint at Idol’s pop interests and unwillingness to be shackled by punk’s anarchic ethos and aesthetic.
1. ‘Rebel Yell’ (1983)
Where countless other members of England’s original class of ‘70s punks had failed to break through (or never bothered to try), Idol successfully packaged punk for mainstream consumption with ‘Rebel Yell.’ So what if the title track was more metal than punk, or if the No. 4 smash “Eyes Without a Face” was an artsy, stylized power ballad? Most American kids were none the wiser and didn't care anyway, and radio- and MTV-ready cuts like “Blue Highway” and “Catch My Fall” left little room for error. Whatever your definition of pop-punk, it arguably starts with ‘Rebel Yell.’