Characteristics
NWOBHM's music reacted against the artifice of contemporary pop, placing an emphasis on musicianship and amplification, the former trait setting it apart from punk rock. Yet, unlike progressive rock, which placed a far greater emphasis on musical complexity, and unlike post-punk, which emphasized 'strangeness' and innovation, the NWOBHM thrived on volume, speed, and directness, with an idealised working class image.
Reviled or ignored by many mainstream critics in both the UK and the US, the NWOBHM nonetheless came to dominate the hard rock scene of the early-mid 1980s. NWOBHM was musically characterised by power chords, fast guitar solos and melodic, soaring vocals, with lyrical themes often drawing inspiration from mythology, fantasy fiction, and the occult. The movement's music was, however, often surprisingly melodic, and surprisingly parallel to punk and post-punk.
Decline
NWOBHM suffered the same fate as many other musical movements. First, the majority of its leading lights were unable to follow up on their initial successes. Second, many bands moved further away from the era towards mainstream hard rock, with Def Leppard in particular targeting the American market with a more refined sound despite having major success. By the mid 1980s, young rock fans searching for their own identities found a new metal scene emanating from Los Angeles led by bands such as Mötley Crüe and later Guns N' Roses. Record companies also latched onto the L.A. scene over the NWOBHM scene because the L.A. bands brought them the one thing heavy metal hadn't yet brought into the fold - legions of female fans. Glam metal simply proved to be more profitable for record companies during this era. In addition, thrash metal, another new but much less mainstream metal scene, had fully emerged around the same time period, which attracted many rock fans for being much faster and even heavier than NWOBHM and often having political lyrics, though the entire genre itself was largely influenced by it.
Some of the more popular bands of the movement, however, went on to considerable, lasting success. Def Leppard, despite discarding their earlier, heavier sound, became even more successful when they used MTV to play their promotional music videos, and thus commercialising their hard rock sound in order to help sales of their albums on strengths of singles. Iron Maiden and Motörhead however stayed with a more traditional heavy metal style, which won them a large and loyal fanbase even after bands with a similar sound had declined.
Breaking the Law
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
So much for the golden future, I can't even start
I've had every promise broken, there's anger in my heart
You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue
If you did you'd find yourselves doing the same thing too
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
You don't know what it's like
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Judas Priest’s song “Breaking the Law” was released in 1980 and is a classic metal tune that resonates with many listeners. The lyrics depict a feeling of frustration and desperation in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation. The singer of the song is out of work and feels like no one cares about him. He’s been let down by broken promises and is now filled with anger. In this state of mind, he decides that breaking the law is the only way to put some action in his life.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase “Breaking the law,” creating a sense of urgency and defiance. The lyrics suggest that the singer is aware of the consequences of his actions but chooses to break the law anyway. The line “So much for the golden future, I can’t even start” suggests that he feels like he has nothing to look forward to, making breaking the law a viable option.
Line by Line Meaning
There I was completely wasting, out of work and down
I was feeling hopeless and useless as I wandered aimlessly without a job
All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town
My inner turmoil was mounting as I moved from place to place without any direction
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
I'm overwhelmed by the feeling of being completely alone and unnoticed by anyone
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life
I decided to take matters into my own hands and create some excitement in my dull existence
Breaking the law, breaking the law
I've decided to engage in illegal activity
So much for the golden future, I can't even start
The bright prospects that once existed now seem utterly unattainable
I've had every promise broken, there's anger in my heart
People have let me down so many times that I've started to feel bitter and resentful
You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue
You can't possibly understand what I'm going through
If you did you'd find yourselves doing the same thing too
If you were in my shoes, you would also act in the same way
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Glenn Raymond Tipton, Kenneth Downing, Robert Halford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bradgearly
Lyrics:
First verse:
There I was completely wasting, out of work and down
All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life
Chorus:
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Second verse:
So much for the golden future, I can't even start
I've had every promise broken, there's anger in my heart
You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue
If you did you'd find yourselves doing the same thing, too
Chorus
You don't know what it's like
Chorus 2x
@Big-Chungus1
The camera man is so brave. He filmed the whole robbery and didn't get killed.
@sammyallen6331
Yep, that was amazing about the video lmao.
@elang7961
https://youtu.be/4-kg9y5mq1M
@ilikechocolatemilksr-7175
Lol
@Big-Chungus1
Waiting for someone too woosh them
@dinorocker8647
This is Priest, they don't kill people, they just blow everyone's minds.
@wolverine2244
Imagine the irony of downloading this song illegally and getting arrested for it.
@ethananderson2327
Worth it
@willgregg1076
I downloaded this album in rock band for free (which it was paid dlc) so I guess it is breaking the law.
@8d932
Im sure its probably happened,hopefully it has.