Eyes Without a Face (song)



"Eyes Without a Face" is a song by English rock musician Billy Idol, from his second album Rebel Yell (1983). It was released in 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 USA. The song is notable for the female voice of Perri Lister (who appeared in the banned video for "Hot in the City") that sings "Les yeux sans visage" (French for "Eyes without a face") as a background chorus. The title of the song refers to the English title of French director Georges Franju's 1960 film Les yeux sans visage.

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 comprisedof [sic] yearning verses that slowly build emotion and a quietly wrenching chorus that relieves the emotional tension in a cathartic manner."

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"

Music video
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.

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 this to the harsh video shoot and dry plane air. He was taken to a hospital where the lenses were removed, his eyes bandaged for three days, and his scraped corneas grew back.

Production
"Eyes Without a Face" was written by Billy Idol and Steve Stevens and produced by Keith Forsey. Credits on the song include:
 * Billy Idol – vocals
 * Steve Stevens – guitars
 * Sal Cuevas – bass
 * Thommy Price – drums
 * Judi Dozier – keyboards
 * Perri Lister – background vocals
 * Dave Wittman – sound engineer

Cover versions

 * Trent Reznor has covered this song with the band The Urge.
 * Paul Anka covered the song on his 2005 album Rock Swings.