Eyes Without a Face

"Eyes Without a Face" is a song by Billy Idol, co-written with guitarist Steve Stevens from Idol's 1983 album Rebel Yell. The song is softer and more ballad-like than most of the album's other singles.

Contents[]

[hide] *1 Song information

Song information[edit][]

Released on May 29, 1984, this was the second single from the Rebel Yell album. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Charts, becoming Idol's first Top 10 hit in the U.S.

In the liner notes for the Expanded Edition of Rebel Yell, Idol notes that this song was one of the first three written for the album (the other two being the title track and "(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows.") The original track was recorded in Studio A at Electric Lady Studios in New York, with a Linn drum machine and the bass parts played by Steve Webster. ^[1]

The song is notable for the female voice of Perri Lister that sings 'Les yeux sans visage' (French for 'eyes without a face') as a background chorus.

The title of the song refers to French director Georges Franju's movie Les yeux sans visage (1960).

In a retrospective review of the single, Allmusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song. He wrote: "The music plays against the dark tone of the lyrics with a ballad-styled melody comprised of yearning verses that slowly build emotion and a quietly wrenching chorus that relieves the emotional tension in a cathartic manner."^[2]

Formats and track listings[edit][]

UK 7" vinyl single

"Eyes Without a Face"
"The Dead Next Door"

UK 12" vinyl single

"Eyes Without a Face"
"The Dead Next Door"
"Dancing With Myself"
"Rebel Yell"

Music video[edit][]

The video was directed by David Mallet and begins with a close-up of Idol's sneering face, interspersed with three female singers. During the song's bridge, the scene changes to Steve Stevens soloing on guitar while Idol poses dancing in a flaming hexagon surrounded by hooded acolytes. The highly aggressive imagery of the video contrasts with the relative slowness and restraint of the song.

Reportedly filmed in a marathon 30-hour session, the video was released in June 1984 and subsequently nominated for MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Editing" and "Best Cinematography". The video's extensive filming near fog machines, lighting, and fire sources nearly fused Idol's contact lenses. At the conclusion of filming, Idol attempted to leave, and promptly passed out on the studio lawn from exhaustion. Initially mistaken for a vagrant, a police officer who roused Idol was alarmed at his reddened eyes. The officer immediately brought Idol to a local hospital, where doctors were able to coax out the lenses, saving his vision.^{[citation needed]} (This is documented on his Bio on the Biography Channel)

Subsequently, Idol penned a new song entitled "Face Without the Eyes". It was never published.

Charts[edit][]

Chart (1984)	Peak position
German Singles Chart	10
Italian Singles Chart	14
Swiss Singles Chart	21
UK Singles Chart	18
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4
U.S. BillboardMainstream Rock Tracks	5

Production[edit][]

"Eyes Without a Face" was written by Billy Idol and Steve Stevens and produced by Keith Forsey. Credits on the song include:

Vocals - Billy Idol
Guitars - Steve Stevens
Bass - Sal Cuevas
Drums - Thommy Price
Keyboards - Judi Dozier
Background vocals - Perri Lister
Engineered by Dave Wittman

Cover versions[edit][]

Trent Reznor has covered this song with the band The Urge.^[3]
The song has been covered by Scooter on their 1998 album No Time to Chill and by Paul Anka on his 2005 album Rock Swings. It was also covered by Tori Amos live the same year. The synthpop band, Marsheaux covered the song on their 2012 release E-Bay Queen is Dead.
The song was parodied on Saturday Night Live by cast member Pamela Stephenson, who performed as Idol in male drag. The parodied version was "Wrong Voice, Right Face", a hybrid of this song and lyrics from 1940's era standards.

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