To Be A Lover – Billy Idol | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#6); 1986

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

In the heady days of Britain’s punk revolution, Billy Idol flirted with, yet never completely embraced, this latest expression of teen rebels. Instead, Idol moved with the fashion flow which may have infuriated hardcore punkers, however, such moves ultimately did wonders for Billy’s own career.

In 1980, Idol returned to New York, where he’d lived briefly as a child, and released an E.P., Don’t Stop. Two of Stop‘s four tracks – Dancing With My Self and a remake of Tommy James and The Shondells’ Mony Mony – became Billy Idol signature tunes.

Billy’s blond hair and bad-boy sneer quickly captured the hearts of MTV’s teen girl viewers. Songs such as White Wedding, Rebel Yell, and Eyes Without A Face quickened pulses throughout ’83 and ’84.

For his 1986 hit, Billy reached into another William’s catalog, William Bell, and redid Bell’s R&B hit of 1969, I Forgot To Be Your Lover.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Booker T. Jones

Lyrics Written by:

• William Bell
• Booker Jones