Robbed Hit of the Week 7/8/13 - Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"...

Billy Idol - "Rebel Yell"
from the album Rebel Yell (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46

This week's "robbed hit" it by punk turned pop superstar Billy Idol, whose debut album slowly churned out two classic top-40 hits with "Hot In The City" and "White Wedding" (both of which made in up in their second chart runs). By the time the end of 1983 came around, Idol was prepared with his most ambitious record for his sophomore release. The title track which kicked off the album in a flurry of guitar magic from Steve Stevens was released as the first single...

While "Rebel Yell" won over MTV as well as rock radio which sent the single to #9, it was a little hard for a lot of pop stations, and it stalled right under the top-40 (a surprise, since this is one of his best-known songs). In Britain, it didn't even made the top half of their chart initially, though when it was re-released a year later it went to #6. In the AC/DC seasoned audience Down Under, the single reached the top-10 in both Australia and New Zealand...

Billy would not wait long to finally conquer the mainstream audience, as his ballad "Eyes Without A Face" was waiting in the wings as the next single.

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In 1996, German trance act Scooter remade "Rebel Yell" into a E-filled rave jam, and went top-10 in Austria, Finland, and their native country, and even reached the top-40 in Britain...