Billy Idol "Rebel Yell" [1983]

Billy Idol happens to be one of those micro-talents, like Debbie Harry, who actually managed to fail punk. And, following Harry's blond(ie) locks toward fame and fortune, transplanted limey Idol fell on his feet by abandoning punk music altogether for straight-up pop -- in his case, 80s sell-out Bowie-lite: all synths and meticulously controlled guitars, with the cardboard cut-out imagery of a pedestrian crooner in studded leather bracelets. Between this and his blown-dry Heat Miser hairdo thoroughly trivializing whatever statement was originally attempted by the Sex Pistols a few years earlier, Idol's image likely destroyed whatever was left of American punk by 1983, turning the styles into shopping mall accessories. But Idol was always a poseur to begin with; he never had the heart of a true rebel. So naturally he tried to claim that as part of his iconography as well, and of course scored a big hit with it. His handlers were smart enough to realize American kids in the 80s didn't want real rebellion -- they wanted to make out with a guy who looks like he just walked off the set of a Mad Max flick. As such, Billy Idol got over on people who felt Adam Ant was too gritty, sounding like a guy who could beat up Pet Shop Boys but not quite Simple Minds. And his attempts to reach Bauhaus-style noir came up short the way David Cassidy came up short of Jim Morrison.