🎵 Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself REACTION

[@capstan50g]

David Bowie's punky nephew is a perfect description! God bless you both!

[@jaquestraw1]

Truly

[@Max_Flashheart]

wow just wow

[@cmortenson3647]

that is the greatest thing I ever heard

[@BRAM-co5zg]

you guys are great

[@jaizarulrohayu44]

Generation x

[@2Quietus]

Brad hit it right: Dancing was a serious thing in the 80's. The dance-offs were pretty epic, as they drew in some seriously talented footwork....aaaaaand pretty hot girls, cant forget them haha.

[@cmortenson3647]

and substances. hahaha. I saw billy idol a few times live,. Maybe 5 or 6 times, I can't hardly remember them for all the substances , but as a 15 and 16 year old, I thought he was the coolest thing I ever saw. plus that tattoo was dope. the 80s were a simpler time for sure. sometimes it was rough but it was pretty cool.

[@mehlbox55]

Best description of Billy Idol ever " David Bowies nephew " I love it, and I can tell you that we had really ridiculous dance moves in the 80's, thank god there were no cell phones with camera

[@rickyarme2317]

Ya we loved to dance. The 80’s was a lot of fun. Miss those times.

[@mikedauplaise7477]

This song was a staple at the dance clubs in the '80s for sure. In fact, it was one of our songs to get fired up in the dorms before we'd head out to the bars in college.

[@s.mcpherson6354]

We were so lucky back then. It shows up in the positivity of the music. it's not like there aren't great things going on now, but it sure seems like it was much easier to be happy and have fun then. It was like the culture fostered more happiness and less judgment.

[@saratemp790]

I can confirm that dancing was EVERYTHING in the 80's! It was how we got our exercise.

[@mikemantle]

It's how we solved our problems.

[@s12856]

FLESH! ✊ FLESH! ✊

[@traci4187]

"Flesh for Fantasy" is my favorite Billy Idol song, but this one will do just fine. 🙂

[@k_spats]

*ME TOO!* ⬆️⬆️⬆️

[@k_spats]

@TimeSentinel *DEFINITELY.* ⬆️⬆️⬆️

[@keyratcane66]

God I miss the 80’s. Glory Days!!

[@smithp67]

Back in the 80's when there was a lot of experimental electronic music Billy Idol just rocked. I think it stands the test of time. It's still great music.

[@BenLapke]

Back when punk/new wave music came out in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a lot of people did dance by themselves at clubs, so these lyrics described the club scene.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

David Bowies punk rock nephew. 😆 Billy Idol was awesome. New wave punk music. He was huge when I was a kid. Yes we danced a lot on the '80s and '90s. That why we were more thin and fit back then 😆. We danced to everything. New wave, punk, ska, freestyle music, funk, disco, rap, r&b, etc. Carefree times.

[@anglosaxon5874]

Generation X to Billy Idol. Great singer. Followed them when I was a punk in the 70/80's. His guitarist [Steve Stevens] played with Michael Jackson in "Dirty Diana" among a load of other famous artists. Another underrated guitarist.

[@cmortenson3647]

Gen X was such a great band. I loved all their albums. valley of the dolls was dope. such a long time ago....hard to believe that stuff is 45 years ago. 45 years. dang

[@j.p.5806]

I freaking love this song!

[@randytorres8211]

Per Songfacts Billy got the idea for this song after watching Japanese kids at a Tokyo disco "dancing with themselves" in a nightclub. The kids would dance in a pogo style up and down, and there were mirrors in the club so they could watch themselves doing it. This song is about more than just dancing. Idol told Rolling Stone: "The song really is about people being in a disenfranchised world where they're left bereft, dancing with their own reflections."

[@gravlaks]

Oh wow. I always thought this song was about fapping :P

[@OtherSideOfMorning]

Or...it's about masturbation.. That was always my take on it

[@Trifler500]

Most group of friends had a boombox with them in the 80's. Especially in the city.

[@ezpz2624]

No way, was just thinking about this song and how i'd like to see your reaction to it, great👌

[@jamielandis4308]

We used to dance the sh** outta this in the 80’s!

[@cattuslavandula]

He was so young here! Look at that baby face, lol. White Wedding, Mony Mony, LA Woman, To Be A Lover, and Rebel Yell. So many songs. He did a ballad, Sweet 16, which is pretty and is a great video. But especially Rebel Yell, lol. In the midnight hour she cried MORE MORE MORE! To Be A Lover is great too, but you MUST watch the official video and see Billy in action. Bwahahaha!

[@speleokeir]

Billy Idol started as part of the 'Bromley Contingent' a group of punks who followed the Sex Pistols and made punk fashion popular. They were also big fans of yes you guessed right Lex, David Bowie, plus Roxy Music. Billy then went on to become a popstar in his own right as did Siouxie Siouxie and Steve Severin, other members of the Bromley contingent, who formed Siouxie & the Banshees. You really need to check out Siouxie sometime, she's cited by many female artists as an inspiration as a ground breaking frontwoman. Robert Smith of The Cure was also a Bashee for a while and learnt how to be a frontman by watching Siouxie. 'Spellbound' would be a great Banshee's track to start you off, or perhaps 'Israel'. 'Rhapsody' is a great track to show off her vocal range and a personal favourite.

[@evilfantasy69]

Billy Idol started out as pure pink rock. One of hos first bands were recording at the same studio where Led Zeppelin were recording and they would hurl insults at the guys in Zeppelin calling them geezers and stuff like that. His roots are in punk but (my opinion) he was smart enough to know how to market himself to a wide audience so we get songs like this.

[@joegillam1497]

Spellbound is fantastic. One of my favourite songs. JuJu is a brilliant album

[@joesmith8725]

"Spellbound" is a much better introduction to Lex, she's like it. It's more typical sounding for Sioxsee and the Banshees. Gothic, darkwave, post-punk.

[@MyRoom_is_old]

@@evilfantasy69 Generation X was his band

[@andrewgarrett3555]

Siouxsie Sioux, not Siouxie.

[@sch7194]

Billy Idol is a serious punk 👊

[@daveromero1457]

I was doing back flips on the dance floor!!! lol

[@shanehebert396]

This is my favorite Billy Idol song. There are lots of really good ones. And yeah... I was doing the Billy Idol fists and punching along with the song ;)

[@saintsataniko2116]

Man, I loved Billy Idol. He was so refreshing in a sea of hideous classic rock bands at the time. He looked great, he sounded great, he wrote amazing songs and had one of the greatest guitarists ever in Steven Stevens (and they still perform together).

[@terrylandess6072]

Lol, sorry - your description on the times makes me think you were probably around 14 or younger. Eddie Van Halen was in his prime - but I guess he was hideous as well. :) I was around 25 and saw Idol as part of the explosion of music genre's which flooded MTV back then. No hate - just amused by this post.

[@k_spats]

*Lex is the most adorable girl on KZbin!* *Brad is 100% right about dancing in the '80's!!!* *"Flesh for Fantasy" next, please!* 💜💫✌🏼🎵

[@StMichael7]

That’s why we GenXers felt so much excitement every single time we got a new album precisely because we didn’t have quick access and instant gratification like cell phones lap tops and tablets give this generation. Even the anticipation of waiting for the next album even if we had to walk or take the bus to pick it up at record store was awesome and in a time when there were so many good bands. I loved all the large pictures and lyrics that came inside the album and couldn’t wait to get home to play it then brag to my cousins and brother that i had the latest album

[@LOKISlog7]

The RnR ode to self love. Steve Stevens is such a criminally underrated guitarist.

[@hays9008]

Incorrect Billy got the idea after watching Japanese kids at a Tokyo disco "dancing with themselves" in a nightclub. The kids would dance in a pogo style up and down, and there were mirrors in the club so they could watch themselves doing it.

[@99bigjim]

no Stevie here.... this is a Gen-X song

[@philiphull2913]

Funnily enough Bowie and Billy Idol were both from the same suburb of the same city - Bromley in London.

[@gotrhythm1]

My band played this song in the 80's. It filled the dance floor every time!

[@redhot9503]

Rock n Roll in the 80s was TOP TIER

[@dahveed72]

This song dominated Mtv in the early days. They played it at least every hour. Back when they only played music videos.

[@terrylandess6072]

It's sad that where ever people find enjoyment, the corporate advertising world takes over.

[@On_Dust]

​@@terrylandess6072WE WANT OUR MTV

[@surlechapeau]

Brad & Lex, you'll love his "Flesh For Fantasy"!!

[@fakebrake]

Brad's right 100 percent. if I missed a week I was worried.

[@djjazzy1940]

You've tapped in,to my all time playlist!The music that helped keep me sane to age 60!!

[@jaquettajones]

LOL Billy is like the Punk Elvis :-D

[@dananichols349]

When I first heard this song in high school I got the impression that he was at the club and couldn't find a girl, so he had to go home and "dance with himself" (wink, wink).

[@Rayray-kj9cc]

We wore ourselves out in the 80s going crazy to this song!!! Such good memories!!🤘🤘

[@hw2508]

There is a great VH1 story tellers with Billy Idol, where he does exactly that: telling the stories behind the songs.

[@Vangoghjones]

Brad, you are so right. Dancing was the shit in the 80’s and I remember dancing to this song “when there’s no one else in sight, on a crowded lonely night”.

[@user-DJDreamworld]

Yes we did love to dance in the 80s

[@davidmccown1712]

It's so obvious Lex is definitely a Billy Idol fan

[@ed.z.]

“David Bowie’ nephew who grew up in another city, or something”. Or, another planet, maybe.

[@soupsoup1031]

So many memories of being a teenager tied this song. What a time to be .. then.

[@wadesnider5218]

Great times. Glad I was a teen in the 80’s

[@jamestripp239]

One of my favorite singers when I was stationed in 🇩🇪

[@jaquettajones]

YES!! BRAD!! Dancing WAS EVERYTHING in the 80's!!! #soproud

[@arnoldcox9128]

Billy Idol is David Bowies nephew from another city ...that made my day

[@VZ935]

My cousin played in Billy's band for years and as a result, I saw Idol live many times and the guy always put on a great show.

[@mikehollingworth2262]

liar

[@bintheredonethat]

Concerts in the 80s were jam fests. People never sat down, they danced in the isles, they danced on their chairs. If they happened to be out on the concourse they danced there. It was like a giant organism in constant motion. Those that lived through this time know what I'm talkin' about. A Billy Idol show was no diff. Loved it! Did a show with this group. Walked into the production office after the crowd came in and there were like 5 big cardboard boxes full of leather wrist and neck paraphernalia with the spikes all over the stuff. It was considered weapons and was confiscated at the door. They could take it back to the car but the walk was so far most just gave it up. Great show though. Definitely an energetic punk type crowd.

[@amandaguest7742]

Been a fan of Billy since the 80’s. These are my favourite songs of his

[@chrisbrimhall6323]

Clubs were still huge when this song came out.....the dance floor immediately was full and jumping....great times

[@pw3770]

So I've always been a Billy Idol fan and he's incredible to see live. Saw him a few times when I was a teen/early 20's and took my girls to see him when they were in their teens and they loved him too! One night way back when...was at a bar in cottage country and the place wasn't overly busy when this song came on. Had to dance, so up I hopped and was Dancing with Myself (along with a pool cue!) when some guy hops up and joins me. Had no idea who he was but what a blast! We were so in sync (even with the pool cue!) and dancing with ourselves & each other we ended up getting a round of applause and drinks bought for us the rest of the night! Different times, and Brad is so right, music was something we felt through to our bones. Love that you are both so open to hearing all the great tunes out there 🥰

[@ramonacosta2647]

The inspiration for the song occurred during a tour of Japan by the English post-punk band Generation X in mid-1979, when its vocalist/frontman Billy Idol and its bassist Tony James were struck by the sight of the young crowd in a Tokyo discotheque dancing with their own reflections in walled mirrors rather than with one another.

[@ZEKE-rv3zt]

The Donnas covered this song for Mean Girls. It's really good.

[@flave3453]

Lex being with child looks great on you. Touché God bless you two kids🙏

[@browntabproductions]

This Song Always reminds me of watching a Friend Dancing by Herself under a Disco Ball inside a Nightclub (El Ritz) that had been transitioning from Disco to Punk Rock. The rest of us couldn’t get into the Club because we had no $.

[@sherrymillerable]

In the 80's we danced as much as we could! I was 20 in 1982 so going to the club on Friday nights was what we did!

[@crominion6045]

Lots of memories for me. I've been an Idol fan since the early '80s. 👍

[@robertkaplan3324]

Billy is still around and sounds and looks great

[@saintdon4461]

good grasp on the 80s brad.. music and dancing was a much bigger part of life than today

[@pantherman16]

Play Billy Idol Prodigal Blues next. You will love it. But this is the best Idol video. Brad hits it. Dancing was every weekend. This song made everyone rush the floor like the dancing zombies in the awesome video.

[@jamessomers8808]

I dance every day at work, while I'm cooking. I was 10 yrs old in 1980. Yes, it was all about dancing back then. I've put a lot of time in, over the years, to cutten the rug.

[@joesmith8725]

New wave/punk , dance-punk music. Power pop, '80s pop-punk. Whatever yall want to call it. Billy Idol had great music, '80s and '90s solo career, too. . We definitely danced to a lot of different types of music back in the days. All kinds of genre. LOL. Why do yall think we were so skinny and in shape back in the '80s and '90s. It was exercise and fun. Huge hit back when I was a kid. David Bowie's punk rocker nephew indeed! Idol was also in a post-punk band Generation X during the '70s and early '80s, check out their songs/Videos. Billy Idol has punk rock roots.

[@THEDEEPDIVE]

Originally recorded by the punk band Gen X.. billy idol re-released it as a solo artist. An insanely fun song. EDIT: To make it clear. Billy Idol was the singer in Gen X and wrote this song with that band's bassist Tony James.

[@jenniferfoster1692]

Just to be clear, Billy Idol was in Gen X, so it wasn't a cover, he wrote it! Loved Gen X, had their vinyl.

[@THEDEEPDIVE]

@@jenniferfoster1692 thanks Jennifer. You are correct. Billy idol and Gen X bassist Tony James are the songwriters for this song. I encourage folks to listen to the Gen X version of the song. A lot of us like that version better.

[@DaTooch_e]

Brad you are spot on. I grew up as a teen in the 80's and we lived for the weekend house parties where there was dancing and beer.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

We did, but I always thought this sing was an ode to masturbation.

[@sukie584]

When did people stop dancing 💃🏼? We went dancing all the time in the 70s & 80s. We even had after work clubs to go dance before going home for the day during the week. All the previous generations all went dancing, & then it seemed to stop as the internet took over people’s lives.

[@alukuhito]

He originally recorded this song with his band Gen X (formely Generation X), before he went solo. He was a punk rocker, but punk was dying. He went to NYC (from the UK) and saw how vibrant the dance scene was, so wanted to mix punk with dance, and this is what he came up with.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

Yup. New wave punk. 🎶

[@jenniferfoster1692]

Love Gen X, had the vinyl albums back in the day. Just great songs.

[@abowden5629]

Did you notice the electricity scene is covered in the David Lee Roth Just a Gigolo video that you recently viewed, along with other iconic 80’s videos

[@jazzminb]

Billy Idol was inspired by a visit to a japanese club and seeing people dance by themselves there for this song

[@revwillyg6450]

I always thought this song was about slappin' it.😂🤣 sorry, I have a dirty mind

[@patrickgallagher4212]

@@revwillyg6450 it is

[@trod3898]

I'm a product of the 80's. Loved Billy Idol, and any song that made you dance. I went to every school dance, and had a blast! Danced all night, and loved every moment of it!

[@jermaineguillory2694]

I miss the 80s

[@alamc200]

Yes! We loved to dance in the 1980s! Even as a kid in the 1970's we were into dancing and we practiced in school at lunchtime or break time. In the 1980s, we lived to going out dancing, about 3-4 times a week I was out at different dance clubs in San Francisco with my friends - we danced for hours. As I got older I got hooked on salsa dancing and would go with my husband. It seems young people now don't dance much or they don't know how to dance.

[@THEDEEPDIVE]

dance clubs, rave culture, etc are still a big deal with young folks today.

[@Ednerd]

Billy Idol is great. I personally thing he is underrated

[@LynnThompsonAuthor]

This song got airplay on the radio and MTV because it's upbeat and catchy and talks about dancing...but pretty much everybody who was young at the time thought it was really talking about masturbation. Listen to it again with that in mind, and once you hear it that way, you can't unhear it!

[@jmalfatto7004]

In the 80's, when this song was a hit, we watched a lot of TV. Not saying that screen time hasn't increased over the decades with the introduction of the internet and smartphones, but it may be less than you think.

[@runyunhyde4373]

Billy Idol is a rock god

[@bradlynelson357]

Billy Idol was in a group called generation x. He was the lead singer and so… as happened many times before he went solo. This was one of his first songs. Guess what happened MTV. They were on 24 hours a day and guess who they put on the tv? Bands who had music videos. So many bands wouldn’t lower themselves to put their music on a damn tv screen. Madonna did . Cyndi layperson did. Others did and other came along after .

[@joerichards2658]

Dancing in the 80's was definitely a big thing, and still is. I recently went to an '80's dance. When the DJ played David Bowie's "Let's Dance", I danced. When he played Van Halen's "Jump", I jumped. It was when the DJ played "Come On Eileen" that I got thrown out.

[@pauligrossinoz]

... but ... why??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@djl9919]

I love the bass at the beginning, so cool. Rock on Brad & Lex

[@GinaGeeILuvu]

This is a young Billy Idol with one of his first big hits in 1981! Some people think Dancing With Myself in this song meant self-pleasure but I’m not sure so don’t quote me! ❤️❤️

[@deankrause8029]

I believe that you are correct

[@jd0604]

Its 100% a wank song

[@robertschiavone5159]

The 80's were so much fun with this music I remember the first time I heard this song I fell in love with it that was in the mid to upper 80's hanging out in the clubs..such an awesome time to be in my 20's

[@TheInevitableTruth-i2k]

This was my fave MTV video!! I would get so psyched to hear this when it came on. I was about 14 or so at the time. Brad, interesting observation about dancing in the 80s. Never thought about it that way but sort of true. The dancing really took off in the 70s with disco, but disco got extremely uncool but the dancing remained. Myself, I *hated* dancing, but I had to always to deal with it at school dances and going out to clubs when I got older. They even under-age dance clubs.

[@ohfour-seven6228]

Great great song. I never noticed before, but Billy was giving off some real Elvis vibes there. Like a new wave Elvis. Cool. Very cool.

[@matthewenies3668]

I had read this was about a fad in Japan of dancing by yourself with your own image in a mirror in the late 70s early 80s

[@HellPatrol818]

Listen to Eyes without a face, Rebel Yell, White Wedding etc. Billy Idol is a legend. My fav is Eyes without a face. It's a gem.

[@robinlabouche2230]

Billy was a "Punk Rocker" in England, and he became a world beater after that !!!!!

[@marjorie4310]

You never know when a dance is gonna break out. That would be a great t-shirt.

[@artamm777]

Billy Idol became the face of commercial punk (and probably got people to give the punk genre a try), he was great prior to this in the group Generation X. :)

[@jayconant3816]

Gen x was awesome

[@neillenet291]

I'm so thankful we didn't have smartphones and social media when I was growing up.

[@manna6618]

Billy Idol is like music you don't want to get into coz he's so cheesey but the songs are so damn catchy you physically can not help it... genius.

[@MoonChild-1994]

Billy Idol is like a cross between Bowie and wilder Elvis!

[@michael-lj6dv]

"Rock the Cradle of Love"...greatest video ever made for mankind!!

[@joela.dorosan2906]

🤩 Nice One! 🤩 Actually this kind the PunkRock music i use to hear backhome🇵🇭 remixed with Sometimes a Fantasy by Billy Joel then Boy Dont Cry by The Cure then Rocks Lobster by B52 followed by Private Idaho B52 then. Whip it by Devo then Envelop Idea by The Dawn Change Hello? Then. Matador by X’ mal Deutschland…. And many more🤔. Oh goodness 😳🤩🤩 I really missed the Magic 🤔🤩💕❤️🇬🇧. If i could only describe those years when i was a party goer (fashion and style were already there…) Nice reaction though!Cheers!

[@caracoidwren944]

Brings back so many memories from college and one dance spot in particular. And, hey! I had my moves!

[@joes2514]

Dance clubs in the 80's were huge. Today, we're not even allowed to gather in small groups.

[@daniellesedore2359]

One of my favourite Billy Idol songs!

[@BoondockRoberts]

Way back Sting did an impression of Billy Idol on SNL and it was hilarious.

[@scottmorschhauser4421]

Brad 100% nailed it!!!! What technology is today to kids... music and dancing was to my generation. Thank yinz for a super reaction.

[@michaelpatske788]

If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance.....AND I'LL BE DANCIN WITH MYSELF.....

[@rodroller6634]

Ok, Billy finally explained that this song is all about self love. Great song. Gotta go and do some solo dancing.

[@jamesaugust7498]

Adam Ant, "Goody two shoes".... my suggestion. :)