Billy Idol is an English rock singer who has sold 40 million records worldwide. His solo recordings post-Generation X consist of seven studio albums, one live album, seven compilation albums, three extended plays, and 37 singles. In 1982 Idol released his eponymous debut studio album. The album debuted at number 45 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 in New Zealand. The album has since been certified platinum by the Music Canada and RMNZ. He followed this up with Rebel Yell in 1983, the album quickly became a commercial success peaking at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 in both Germany and New Zealand. This album produced the two hit singles one being the title track "Rebel Yell" and the other "Eyes Without a Face" which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rebel Yell" also garnered Idol his first Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards. The album has since been certified platinum by the RIAA, RMNZ, Music Canada and Pro-Música Brasil.https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_gp_search=Rebel+Yell%20Billy+Idol
Idols third studio album Whiplash Smile became an even bigger commercial success then its predecessor, charting at number 3 in Finland, number 4 in both Sweden and Switzerland, along with charting in the top 10 in 7 other countries. His single "To Be a Lover" peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 3 in both Australia and Finland and number 2 in the New Zealand. The song also garnered him another nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards. The album has since been certified platinum in the US, Canada and New Zealand.https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_gp_search=Rebel+Yell%20Billy+Idol
A remix album was released in 1987, titled Vital Idol. The album featured a live rendition of his cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony". In 1987, the single topped the United States chart and reached number 7 in the UK. The following year in 1988 a compilation album titled Idol Songs: 11 of the Best was released, it charted at number 2 in both the UK and Iceland along with reaching number 1 in Finland. It has since gone platinum multiple countries.
In 1990 Idol released his fourth studio album Charmed Life it charted in the top ten in 7 countries along with peaking at number 4 in Switzerland, 3 in New Zealand along with topping the charts in Finland. It produced the single "Cradle of Love" which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 along with topping the US Mainstream Rock Charts. The single also earned Idol a third Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards. The album has since been certified gold by the RIAA and Canada Music.
In 1993 he released his fifth studio album Cyberpunk achieving moderate chart success peaking within the top 20 in 7 countries, along with getting into the top 10 in Austria and Finland. In 2002 he released a semi-acoustic live album titled VH1 Storytellers. Then following a 12 year hiatus Idol released Devil's Playground in 2005 the album reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200 and charted the highest in Germany at number 15. The following year he released a Christmas album titled Happy Holidays.
Following another hiatus of 8 years, Idol released Kings & Queens of the Underground which debuted at number 34 on the Billboard 200, along with charting a number 10 in Switzerland and 8 in Germany. Then following another 11 years in between albums Idol released his 9th and most recent album Dream into it 2025. The album charted in the top 5 in both Switzerland and Austria with its highest placement peaking a number 2 in Germany.
Albums Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds) UKAUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 12 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA from mid-1983 until 12 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 13 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Kings & Queens of the Underground: AUT FIN GER NZ NOR SWE SWI US Billy Idol Released: 16 July 1982 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC, 8-track — 66 — — — 5 — 49 — 45 MC: Platinum"Certified Awards Search ". Music Canada. Retrieved on 2012-01-25. Note: User needs to enter "Billy Idol" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history. RIAA: Gold Note: User must define 'Artist' search parameter as "Billy Idol". Rebel YellReleased: 10 November 1983 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC, 8-track 36 16 — — 2 2 — — 16 6 BPI: Silver MC: 5× Platinum RIAA: 2× Platinum Whiplash SmileReleased: 20 October 1986 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC, 8-track 8 6 18 3 9 5 12 4 4 6 BPI: Gold IFPI FIN: Gold MC: 3× Platinum RIAA: Platinum Charmed LifeReleased: 30 April 1990 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC 15 11 11 1 5 3 5 6 4 11 BPI: Silver ARIA: Gold MC: Platinum RIAA: Platinum CyberpunkReleased: 28 June 1993 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC 20 12 5 6 13 — 19 11 15 48 Devil's PlaygroundReleased: 22 March 2005 Label: Sanctuary Format: CD 78 — 34 — 15 — — 40 32 46 Happy HolidaysReleased: October 2006 Label: Bodog Music Format: CD—————————— Kings & Queens of the UndergroundReleased: 17 October 2014 Label: BFI Format: LP, CD 35 81 17 — 8 — — — 10 34 Dream Into It Released: 25 April 2025 Label: Dark Horse Formats: CD, digital download, LP, streaming79—5—2———3— "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not released.
Live albums Title Album details Peak chart positions GER SWI VH1 StorytellersReleased: February, 2002 Label: Capitol Format: CD 14 76BFI Live!Released: 25 November 2016 Label: BFI Format: LP (Record Store Day exclusive) — — "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not released.
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds) UK UK chart peaks between 101–200, from 1994 to 2010: AUS AUT FIN GER NZ NOR SWE SWI USVital Idol(1985 International Version)Released: 30 May 1985 (UK) Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC, 8 Track 7 38 — 17 8 8 — 19 24 — BPI: PlatinumVital Idol(1987 New US Edition)Released: 16 September 1987 (US) Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC 41 12 — — — 14 — — — 10 MC: 4× Platinum RIAA: PlatinumIdol Songs: 11 of the BestReleased: 20 June 1988 Label: Chrysalis Format: LP, CD, CC 2 11 11 1 14 — 4 4 6 — BPI: Platinum ARIA: Platinum IFPI FIN: PlatinumGreatest HitsReleased: March 2001 Label: Capitol Format: CD, CC 171 — 43 2 12 3 4 12 30 74 BPI: Gold IFPI FIN: Gold RIAA: PlatinumThe Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize YourselfReleased: June 2008 Label: Capitol Format: CD + DVD 37 — — — 38 39 — — 72 77IconReleased: April 2013 Label: Capitol Format: CD, LP, digital download — — — — — — — — — —Vital Idol: RevitalizedReleased: September 2018 Label: Capitol Format: LP, CD — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not released.
Extended plays Title Details Peak chart positions USDon't StopReleased: October 1981 Label: Chrysalis Format: 12", CD 71The RoadsideReleased: 17 September 2021 Label: Dark Horse Format: CD and vinyl 176The CageReleased: 23 September 2022 Label: Dark Horse Format: CD and vinyl — + Greatest Hits and Devil's Playground failed to chart in The Official UK Top 75 Albums Chart (published by Music Week), but did chart on the complete Top 200 UK Chart published by Charts+Plus (published mainly for music business statistics).
Singles Starting with the 1983 re-release of "White Wedding", Chrysalis issued Idol's singles with an "Idol" vanity catalogue numbering system, which lasted for roughly seven years and sixteen singles (including various re-issues) until the release of "Prodigal Blues" in 1990.
1980s Year Title Peak chart positionsCertificationsAlbumUKAUSAUTFINGERNLNZLSWI SWEUS1981"Dancing with Myself"—————————— BPI: Silver RMNZ: PlatinumDon't Stop"Mony Mony"—————————— RMNZ: Gold1982"Hot in the City"58185———5——23 RMNZ: GoldBilly Idol"White Wedding"—9————5——361983"Dancing with Myself" (re-release)—42————9———Don't Stop1984"Rebel Yell"627————3——46Rebel Yell"Eyes Without a Face"1812——1013421—4 BPI: Platinum RMNZ: 2× Platinum"Flesh for Fantasy"5428——11—520—29"Catch My Fall"—61——11—42——501985"White Wedding" (UK re-release)6————————— BPI: Platinum RMNZ: 2× PlatinumVital Idol"Rebel Yell" (UK re-release)6————————— BPI: Gold RMNZ: 2× PlatinumRebel Yell1986"To Be a Lover"223—328—2786Whiplash Smile1987"Don't Need a Gun"2622—836—2729—37"Sweet Sixteen"179516211312—20"Soul Standing By" (Aus & NZ only)—93————20———"Mony Mony" (Live)78—43889213—1Vital Idol / Idol Songs"Hot in the City" (remix)1358—36401919—481988"Catch My Fall" (UK re-release)63————————— "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released.
1990s Year Title Peak chart positionsCertificationsAlbumUKAUSFINGERNZLSWI SWEUSUS AltUS Main.1990"Cradle of Love"34108381611—271 RIAA: Gold Note: User must define 'Artist' search parameter as "Billy Idol".Charmed Life"L.A. Woman"7034——25——52—18"Prodigal Blues"47————————351993"Heroin"——————————Cyberpunk"Shock to the System"3028——53725105237"Adam in Chains"——————————1994"Speed"4733——40—39——38Speed: Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released.
2000s–2020s Year Title Peak chart positionsAlbumGERUS AAAUSAdult PopUS AirplayUS Main.2001"Don't You (Forget About Me)"—————Greatest Hits2005"Scream"54———26Devil's Playground2008"John Wayne"—————The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself2014"Can't Break Me Down"—15———Kings & Queens of the Underground2021"Bitter Taste"—15—45—The Roadside2022"Cage"—————The Cage 2025"Still Dancing"————— Dream Into It"77" ——22—— "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released.
+ "Mony Mony" (1981 release), "Dancing with Myself" (1983 re-release), and "Shock to the System" did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but appeared on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Promotional singles YearSongAlbum1993"Wasteland" (UK Jukebox 7" and US promo CD)Cyberpunk"Aftershock" (Spanish promo 12")2005"Cherie" (EU and US promo CD)Devil's Playground"Sherri" (German promo CD)"Rat Race" (US promo CD)"Plastic Jesus" (German promo CD)"Yellin' at the Xmas Tree" (EU and US promo CD)2008"New Future Weapon" (German promo CD)The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself2014"Save Me Now"Kings & Queens of the Underground
Other appearances Year Song(s) Album 1990 "Lovechild" Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal 1994 "Cradle of Love" (Live) Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I by Various artists 2000 "Buried Alive" Heavy Metal 2000 OST by Various artists "Into the Night" Iommi by Tony Iommi 2006 "In the Summertime" (with Derek Sherinian & Slash) Blood of the Snake by Derek Sherinian "Tomorrow Never Knows" Butchering the Beatles - A Headbashing Tribute by Various artists "For What It's Worth" (Live)"Rebel Yell" (Live) The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 1 by Various artists 2011 "Kiss Me Deadly" (Live)"Running With the Boss Sound" (Live) The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 5 by Various artists2020"Night Crawling"Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus
Videography Video albums Year Album Peak chart positions Certification AUSDVD HUN 1987 Vital Idol Released: 1987 Label: Chrysalis Records Format: LD, VHS — —1991The Charmed Life and Other Vital Videos Released: 1991 Label: Capitol Records Format: VHS — —1993Cyberpunk: Shock to the System Released: 1993 Label: Chrysalis Records Format: VHS — —2002VH1 Storytellers Released: 2002 Label: Warner Music Vision Format: DVD, VHS 17 20 ARIA: Gold2008The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself (DVD part) Released: 2008 Label: Capitol Records Format: DVD — —2009In Super Overdrive Live Released: 2009 Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment Format: Blu-ray, DVD — —2011No Religion Live Released: 2011 Label: Hatch Farm Studios Format: DVD — — "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not released.