Eyes Without a Face (song)

"Eyes Without a Face" is a song by the English rock musician Billy Idol, from his second studio album Rebel Yell (1983). It was released in April 1984 as the second single from the album. The song is softer and more ballad-like than most of the album's other singles. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Idol's first top-10 hit in the US.^[5] The song's title was borrowed from the 1960 horror film known in English as Eyes Without a Face.

"Eyes Without a Face"
Cover of 12" vinyl single
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Rebel Yell
B-side	"The Dead Next Door"
Released	April 1984 (US) 4 June 1984 (UK)[1]
Studio	Studio A, Electric Lady Studios[2] (New York, New York)
Genre	New wave[3] synth-pop[4]
Length	4:58 (album/video version) 4:08 (single version)
Label	Chrysalis
Songwriter(s)	Billy Idol Steve Stevens
Producer(s)	Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology
"Rebel Yell" (1983) "Eyes Without a Face" (1984) "Flesh for Fantasy" (1984)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Eyes Without a Face" on YouTube

In a retrospective review of the single, AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song and 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."^[6]

Background

In his memoir, Dancing with Myself, Idol explained he had always been fascinated with old black and white horror films, including the 1960 French film Les Yeux sans visage (Eyes Without a Face), directed by Georges Franju. The movie concerns a plastic surgeon who vowed to restore the face of his daughter who had been disfigured in a car accident, and this quest led him to murder victims and graft their facial features onto his daughter in an attempt to restore her beauty. By the end, all that remained of her original face was her eyes, thus making her "eyes without a face". Idol saw some parallel between the movie and the moral decay he experienced living in New York in the 1980s.^[7] He said,

I started to use "Eyes Without a Face" as a possible title/lyric/chorus for the song. I began to write words that, in some disguised form, spoke about my life in New York and a relationship gone wrong, on the edge of disintegrating into madness. Perhaps I was reflecting on my own touring infidelities. In a way, those [types of relationships] can leave you feeling soulless, especially if you're already in a relationship that you value but are degrading by looking elsewhere for additional sexual kicks.^[7]

In the studio, Idol told guitarist Steve Stevens about the melody, lyrics and basic structure. Stevens fleshed it out with a revolving four-chord pattern (Emaj7–C#m–G#m–B).^[8] Stevens then came up with a hard rock guitar riff in the middle of the song. Idol said he improvised some rap verses over the riff because "rap was everywhere in New York at the time, in all the discos and clubs, so it made sense after my croon to start talking streetwise over Steve's supersonic barrage of sound."^[7]

Idol's then-girlfriend Perri Lister sings backing vocals during the chorus, repeating the French phrase "Les yeux sans visage" ("Eyes without a face"), the original title of the horror film.

Idol wanted a prominent bass guitar part reminiscent of reggae. He and Stevens had trouble with this part of the song until they met bassist Sal Cuevas, a New York musician best known for working in salsa music and Broadway bands, who performed the part to their satisfaction.

Critical reception

Cashbox said that the song is "more subdued" and "more sensitive" than Idol's previous single "Rebel Yell" and features "a silky acoustic guitar backdrop and a probing melodic bass line" by Puerto Rican New Yorker session bassist Sal Cuevas.^[9]

Music video

The video was released in June 1984 and subsequently nominated for MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Editing" and "Best Cinematography". It was shot over an exhausting three-day period on a set with fog machines, lighting, and fire sources. Immediately after the shoot, Idol flew to perform in Arizona, where he discovered that his contact lenses had fused to his eyeballs, attributing it to the harsh video shoot and dry plane air. He was taken to a hospital where the lenses were removed and his eyes bandaged for three days, until his scraped corneas grew back.^[10]

Personnel

• Billy Idol – vocals
• Steve Stevens – electric and acoustic guitar
• Sal Cuevas – bass
• Judi Dozier – synthesizers
• Keith Forsey – drum machine
• Perri Lister – backing vocals

Formats and track listings

• UK 7" vinyl single

1. "Eyes Without a Face"
2. "The Dead Next Door"

• UK 12" vinyl single

1. "Eyes Without a Face"
2. "The Dead Next Door"
3. "Dancing with Myself"
4. "Rebel Yell"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Eyes Without a Face" Chart (1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 15 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 38 France (SNEP)[15] 50 Germany (GfK)[16] 10 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 13 Italy (Musica e Dischi)[18] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 24 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 13 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 21 UK Singles (OCC)[23] 18 US Billboard Hot 100[24] 4 US Cashbox[25] 4

Year-end charts 1984 year-end chart performance for "Eyes Without a Face" Chart (1984) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] 86 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[27] 45 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 49 US Billboard Hot 100[29] 37 US Cashbox[30] 25 West Germany (Official German Charts)[31] 60

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[32]	Gold	30,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[33]	Gold	50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
2. Reesman, Bryan (15 November 2017). "Classic Tracks: Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"". Mix. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
3. Schneider, Steven Jay (2007). 100 European Horror Films. British Film Institute. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-84457-164-2.
4. Heller, Jason (19 August 2013). "New wave in the front, heavy metal in the back". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
5. "Billy Idol – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
6. Guarisco, Donald A. "Eyes Without a Face – Song Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
7. Idol, Billy (2014). "23: Rebell Yell with a Cause". Dancing with Myself. Touchstone (Simon & Schuster). pp. 179–180. ISBN 978-1-4516-2850-0. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
8. Moore, Rick (29 June 2020). "Behind the Song : Billy Idol, "Eyes Without a Face"". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
9. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 5 May 1984. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
10. Tannenbaum, Rob; Marks, Craig (2011). I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Penguin Books. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-1015-2641-5.
11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 147. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
12. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6758." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
14. "European Top 50 Singles – compiled by Europarade – Week Ending 25.08.84". World Charts. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014.
15. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
16. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Eyes Without A Face". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
18. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Idol".
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 33, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
20. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
21. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
22. "Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
24. "Billy Idol Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
25. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending June 30, 1984". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
26. "National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via Imgur.
27. "Top 100 Singles of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 17. 5 January 1985. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
28. "Top Selling Singles of 1984". Official NZ Music Charts.com. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
29. "Top 100 Hits for 1984". The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
30. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1984". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
31. "Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
32. "Brazilian single certifications – Billy Idol – Eyes Without a Face" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
33. "Italian single certifications – Billy Idol – Eyes Without a Face" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 16 September 2024. Select "2024" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Eyes Without a Face" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
34. "British single certifications – Billy Idol – Eyes Without a Face". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 November 2023.

External links

• "Eyes Without a Face" at AllMusic
• "Eyes Without a Face" at Discogs (list of releases)