Difference between revisions of "Shock To The System (1993)"
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Shock to the System is a single by English musician Billy Idol, released to promote his 1993 album, Cyberpunk. It became a top-40 hit in six countries, including Idol's native United Kingdom, but did not make it onto the US Billboard Hot 100.<ref> [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_to_the_System_(Billy_Idol_song) Shock to the System Billy Idol song]. ''Wikipedia''. Retrieved February 4, 2021.</ref> | Shock to the System is a single by English musician Billy Idol, released to promote his 1993 album, Cyberpunk. It became a top-40 hit in six countries, including Idol's native United Kingdom, but did not make it onto the US Billboard Hot 100.<ref> [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_to_the_System_(Billy_Idol_song) Shock to the System Billy Idol song]. ''Wikipedia''. Retrieved February 4, 2021.</ref> | ||
| − | == Key Lyrics == | + | == Key Lyrics == |
| + | ''Whoa yeah'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''It was a night, L.A., burning bright'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''Oh what a night'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''Say yeah, come on'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''It makes my world stand still'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''Ah riot, rape, race and revolution, ah yeah'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''Here come the fire, and my world burns still'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''You say yeah'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ''Well, you can rock this land baby you'' | ||
== Background == | == Background == | ||
| Line 8: | Line 26: | ||
== Music Video == | == Music Video == | ||
| + | A music video was created for the song, and was set in a dystopian future controlled by Cyber-cops (referred to as such by director Brett Leonard.) It depicted an individual who records the Cyber-cops beating a man, only to be noticed and attacked himself. His camera is destroyed and the Cyber-cops leave him unconscious on the ground, as they are busy trying to put down a riot elsewhere in the city. Alone, his camera equipment lands on him and is absorbed into his body, causing him to dramatically morph into a cyborg. The cyborg then joins the riot, leading the rebels to victory. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Idol explained that he was trying to capture the political and economic conflict that had created the LA Riots, and that the camcorder – as displayed in the witnessing of the Rodney King beating – was a "potent way of conveying ideas" and an important metaphor for technology used in rebellion.<ref>Cyberpunk: Shock to the System. Brett Leonard. Billy Idol. 29 June 1993. ''ERG Video & Chrysalis Group''. Retrieved from [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_to_the_System_(Billy_Idol_song) Wikipedia], February 4, 2021.</ref> | ||
== Reference == | == Reference == | ||
[[Category:Anti-Black Racism in Song Lyrics]] | [[Category:Anti-Black Racism in Song Lyrics]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:53, 4 February 2021
Shock to the System is a single by English musician Billy Idol, released to promote his 1993 album, Cyberpunk. It became a top-40 hit in six countries, including Idol's native United Kingdom, but did not make it onto the US Billboard Hot 100.[1]
Contents
Key Lyrics
Whoa yeah
It was a night, L.A., burning bright
Oh what a night
Say yeah, come on
It makes my world stand still
Ah riot, rape, race and revolution, ah yeah
Here come the fire, and my world burns still
You say yeah
Well, you can rock this land baby you
Background
Idol explained for MTV News, he had originally created the song with an entirely different set of lyrics, but upon witnessing the Los Angeles riots of 1992 on television, he immediately rewrote and recorded them that day.[2]
Music Video
A music video was created for the song, and was set in a dystopian future controlled by Cyber-cops (referred to as such by director Brett Leonard.) It depicted an individual who records the Cyber-cops beating a man, only to be noticed and attacked himself. His camera is destroyed and the Cyber-cops leave him unconscious on the ground, as they are busy trying to put down a riot elsewhere in the city. Alone, his camera equipment lands on him and is absorbed into his body, causing him to dramatically morph into a cyborg. The cyborg then joins the riot, leading the rebels to victory.
Idol explained that he was trying to capture the political and economic conflict that had created the LA Riots, and that the camcorder – as displayed in the witnessing of the Rodney King beating – was a "potent way of conveying ideas" and an important metaphor for technology used in rebellion.[3]
Reference
- ↑ Shock to the System Billy Idol song. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ↑ MTV News: Billy Idol "Cyberpunk" Disk (VIDEO). CABLE TV: MTV. May 1993. Retrieved from Wikipedia, February 4, 2021.
- ↑ Cyberpunk: Shock to the System. Brett Leonard. Billy Idol. 29 June 1993. ERG Video & Chrysalis Group. Retrieved from Wikipedia, February 4, 2021.
