Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea. However, he soon left the group. With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded. In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. His debut studio album, Billy Idol (1982), was a commercial success. With music videos for singles "Dancing with Myself" and "White Wedding" Idol soon became a staple of then newly-established MTV.
Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face". The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of two million copies in the US. In 1986, he released Whiplash Smile. Having accumulated three UK top 10 singles ("Rebel Yell", "White Wedding" and "Mony Mony"), Idol released a 1988 greatest hits album titled Idol Songs: 11 of the Best; the album went platinum in the United Kingdom. Idol then released Charmed Life (1990) and the concept album Cyberpunk (1993).
Idol spent the second half of the 1990s focusing on his personal life out of the public eye. He made a musical comeback with the release of Devil's Playground (2005) and again with Kings & Queens of the Underground (2014).
Dancing With Myself
Billy Idol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or down in London town to go, go
With the record selection
And the mirror's reflection
I'm dancing with myself
When there's no-one else in sight
In the crowded lonely night
For my love vibration
And I'm dancing with myself
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (oh-oh-oh)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (oh-oh-oh)
When there's nothing to lose
And there's nothing to prove (ohh, oh)
Well, I'll be dancing with myself
Oh-oh-oh-oh (oh-oh-oh)
If I looked all over the world
And there's every type of girl
But your empty eyes
Seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let's sink another drink
'Cause it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
And I'll be dancing with myself
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (oh-oh-oh)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (oh-oh-oh)
When there's nothing to lose
And there's nothing to prove (ohh, oh)
Well, I'll be dancing with myself
Oh-oh-oh-oh (oh-oh-oh)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (ohh, oh)
Oh-oh-oh-oh (oh-oh-oh)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-whoa (oh-oh-oh)
(Ta)
(Ta)
(Ta)
(Ta)
(Ta)
(Ta)
(Ta)
Well, if I looked all over the world
And there's every type of girl
But your empty eyes
Seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let's sink another drink
'Cause it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
And I'll be dancing with myself
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance, ow
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Dancing with myself (oh, my hair's all wet)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (and I'm sweating)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (and I'll sweat, sweat, sweat)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, ohh)
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
Whoa
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
Oh-oh-oh
With myself
Oh-oh-oh
With myself
"Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol is a song about loneliness and the desire for connection. The setting is in Tokyo and London where the singer finds himself alone, waiting for someone to dance with. He turns to dancing by himself, seeing his reflection in the mirror and the crowd around him. The lyrics reveal a deep yearning for love and the feeling of being left out or passed over by others. The song becomes an anthem for self-celebration, a testament to the power of dancing and finding comfort within oneself.
The lyrics talk about how the singer waits for his "love vibration" in the crowded night but eventually realizes that he has to dance with himself. The song conveys a message of self-reliance and self-confidence, urging listeners to dance their own way and find joy within themselves.
The repetitive chorus "dancing with myself" emphasizes the importance of self-expression and self-love. Nevertheless, the singer does not give up the hope of finding someone to dance with, stating that if he had the chance, he’d ask the world to dance. In conclusion, “Dancing With Myself” is a song about the search for happiness and love, the power of self-expression, and the euphoria of dance.
Line by Line Meaning
On the floors of Tokyo
I am dancing on a dance floor in Tokyo
Or down in London town to go, go
I am also dancing in London
With the record selection
I am dancing to the music being played
And the mirror's reflection
I can see myself dancing in the mirror
I'm dancing with myself
I am dancing alone with no one to dance with
When there's no-one else in sight
There is no one around for me to dance with
In the crowded lonely night
Even though there are many people around, I am alone
Well, I wait so long
I have been waiting for a long time
For my love vibration
I have been waiting for the feeling of love
And I'm dancing with myself
In the meantime, I am dancing alone
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (oh-oh-oh)
I am repeating the chorus of the song
When there's nothing to lose
When I have nothing to gain or lose
And there's nothing to prove (ohh, oh)
When there is no need to prove myself to anyone
Well, I'll be dancing with myself
I will continue to dance alone
If I looked all over the world
If I searched all over the world
And there's every type of girl
If I found every kind of girl
But your empty eyes
Your eyes that show no interest or love
Seem to pass me by
You ignore me
Leave me dancing with myself
I am once again dancing alone
So let's sink another drink
Let's have another drink
'Cause it'll give me time to think
Because it will give me time to reflect
If I had the chance
If I had the opportunity
I'd ask the world to dance
I would ask everyone to dance with me
Oh-oh-oh-oh (oh-oh-oh)
Repeating the chorus of the song again
(Ta)
A non-lyrical part of the song
Well, if I looked all over the world
If I searched all over the world
And there's every type of girl
If I found every kind of girl
But your empty eyes
Your eyes that show no interest or love
Seem to pass me by
You ignore me
Leave me dancing with myself
Once again, I am dancing alone
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
Repeating the chorus of the song again
If I had the chance
If I had the opportunity
I'd ask the world to dance
I would ask everyone to dance with me
Dancing with myself (oh, my hair's all wet)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (and I'm sweating)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (and I'll sweat, sweat, sweat)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself (sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, ohh)
Repeating the chorus of the song again with an additional personal detail
Oh-oh, dancing with myself
Repeating the chorus of the song again
Whoa
An interjection expressing surprise or amazement.
With myself
Again stating that I am dancing alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Idol, Tony James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thwlkr
Lyrics:
On the floors of Tokyo
Or down in London town to go, go
With a record selection and a mirror's reflection
I'm dancing with myself
When there's no one else in sight
In the crowded lonely night
Well, I wait so long for my love vibration
And I'm dancing with myself
Dancing with myself (ah, oh, oh-oh)
Dancing with myself (ah, oh, oh-oh)
When there's nothing to lose and there's nothing to prove (ah, oh, oh-oh)
Well, I'm dancing with myself, ah, oh, oh-oh
If I looked all over the world
And there's every type of girl
But your empty eyes seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let's sink another drink
And it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
And I'd be dancing with myself, oh-oh
Dancing with myself, ah, oh (oh-oh)
Dancing with myself (ah, oh, oh-oh)
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance (ah, oh, oh-oh)
And I'd be dancing with myself, ah, oh, oh-oh, yeah
Ah, oh, oh-oh, oh
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Ah, oh, oh-oh, wow
Dance
Dance
Well, I looked all over the world
And there's every type of girl
But your empty eyes seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let's sink another drink
And it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
And I'd be dancing with myself, oh-oh
Dancing with myself, oh-oh
Dancing with myself
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
Ah, oh, oh-oh, ow!
Ah, oh, oh-oh, woo
Ah, oh, oh-oh, yeah
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Yeah!
Well, I looked all over the world
And there's every type of girl
But your empty eyes seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let's sink another drink
And it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
And I'd be dancing with myself
Dancing with myself, ah, oh, oh-oh
Dancing with myself
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance
If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance, ow!
Ah, oh, oh-oh, yeah
Ah, oh, oh-oh, yeah
Ah, oh, oh-oh, yeah
Ah, oh, oh-oh
Oh, my ladies all wet, yeah, sweat, sweat
I wanna sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat
Sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat
Sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat
Sweat, sweat, sweat, ow!
Sweating with myself
I'm dancing with myself, myself
I'm all right
@ticiaegas
Dançando Comigo Mesmo
Nas pistas de Tokyo
Ou então nas ruas da cidade de Londres
Com a seleção de gravações
Com o reflexo do espelho
Estou dançando comigo mesmo
Quando não tem mais ninguém à vista
Na solitária noite cheia de pessoas
Bem, eu esperei tanto tempo
Por minha vibração de amor
E estou dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Bem, não há nada a perder
E não há nada a provar
E estou dançando comigo mesmo
Se eu procurasse por todo o mundo
E existe todo tipo de garota
Porém seus olhos vazios
Parecem me ignorar
E me deixam dançando comigo mesmo
Então vamos tomar outra bebida
Pois isso me dará tempo para pensar
Se tivesse uma chance
Eu convidaria o mundo para dançar
E estaria dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Bem, não há nada a perder
E não há nada a provar
E estou dançando comigo mesmo
Ainda que eu procurasse por todo o mundo
E existe todo tipo de garota
Porém seus olhos vazios
Parecem me ignorar
E me deixam dançando comigo mesmo
Então vamos tomar outra bebida
Pois isso me dará tempo para pensar
Se eu tivesse uma chance
Eu convidaria o mundo para dançar
E estarei dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Oh, oh, oh dançando comigo mesmo
Se eu tivesse uma chance
Eu convidaria o mundo para dançar
Se eu tivesse uma chance
Eu convidaria o mundo para dançar
Se eu tivesse uma chance
Eu convidaria o mundo para dançar
Dançando comigo mesmo
Dançando comigo mesmo
Dançando comigo mesmo
Dançando comigo mesmo
@miguelmendoza5403
There are certain 80's songs that give me an overwhelmingly painful and bittersweet sense of nostalgia. This is definitely one of them.
@Nachhito
based
@jessheart4766
What other songs I need a playlist of them
@sandyjamison5929
@Jess Heart Hair bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leopard, Poison, White Snake, early Guns & Roses & Foreigner are some that I still really enjoy 🙂❤️
@springbloom5940
@Sandy Jamison
Well, you had one hair band in there. And as usual Def Leppard gets zero respect as NWOBHM
@squeegeemaster4082
@Jess Heart Asia is really good. Survivor has a lot of good ones too
@SpeedyFAST2006
I remember this song in this movie called "Flushed Away". Ever since that movie came out, I wouldn't stop listening to this song. It fits my personality, very catchy, and very nostalgic! Thank you, Billy Idol, for making this masterpiece! :)
@CB-Productions2021
I saw that movie as well😂
@sezi9plays
I was wondering if anyone else would comment about Flushed Away. That movie and this song are both classics.
@assassin-gamer7361
Same😊