William Michael Albert Broad, known professionally as Billy Idol, is a Brit… Read Full Bio ↴William Michael Albert Broad, known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He also holds United States citizenship. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the US. The name "Billy Idol" was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as "idle".

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).

Neuromancer
Billy Idol Lyrics

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Age of destruction
Age of oblivion
Age of destruction
Age of oblivion

Discovered love,
In the rancid days of ruin
My body's sweatin' toxins,

Of my own demise

Only from space, can you see
How much earth is burning
Smokin' out the innocense inside
The child

It's the age of destruction
In a world of corruption
It's the age of destruction
And they hand us oblivion

Neuromancer and I'm trancing
I'm the Neuromancer--and I'm trancing

Man wallows in his insatiable greed
More in the answer that sweats
From desperate palms
Turn on the lies, the secrets,
Of our desolation,
Or be smothered, by the red hot core

It's the age of destruction,
In a world of corruption
It's the age of destruction
And they hand us oblivion

The neuromancer and I'm trancing
I'm the neuromancer and I'm trancing
I'm the neuromancer--I'm trancing
Trancing
Trancing
And I'm trancing

Denied love in the age of ruin
Suicide toxins of my own demise
In cyberspace, you know how much
The earth ain't learning
Smoking out the man, inside the child--yeah

It's the age of destruction
In a world of corruption
It's the age of destruction
And they hand us oblivion

The neuromancer and I'm trancing
I'm the neuromancer and I'm trancing
Neuromancer--trancing
Neuromancer--trancing
Neuromancer--trancing
Neuromancer

Age of destruction
Age of the neuromancer
Age of destruction
Age of oblivion

Age of destruction
Age of the neuromancer

Overall Meaning

The song "Neuromancer" by Billy Idol is an introspective and somewhat dystopian reflection on the state of our world. The repeated phrases, "Age of destruction" and "Age of oblivion," set the tone for the song's overall message. The lyrics describe a world where love is hard to come by, and instead, the body is filled with toxins, which points to a metaphorical interpretation of the pain and suffering that comes from living in a corrupted world. The line "Smokin' out the innocence inside the child" suggests that the ills of society have penetrated even the most innocent among us, and that we can't escape the destruction without addressing it head-on. In the midst of all this destruction, the singer finds solace in the digital realm, as represented by the titular "neuromancer."

The song's vision of the world is a bleak one, but it also encourages the listener to look at things from a broader perspective. From space, we can see the amount of destruction happening on our planet, and it's through this outside-looking-in perspective that the song seems to be urging us to take a step back and consider what's really happening in the world around us. The line "Or be smothered, by the red hot core" also suggests that if we don't address the root causes of the destruction, we may be consumed by them.

Line by Line Meaning

Age of destruction
The present time is marked by chaos and devastation.

Age of oblivion
This era is characterized by a total lack of awareness and concern.

Age of destruction
The current epoch is characterized by chaos and devastation.

Age of oblivion
This era is characterized by a total lack of awareness and concern.

Discovered love,
I found love.

In the rancid days of ruin
At a time when everything was decaying.

My body's sweatin' toxins,
I'm physically ill due to my own actions.

Of my own demise
My own actions will lead to my death.

Only from space, can you see
The true extent of the destruction can only be seen from afar.

How much earth is burning
The planet is in flames.

Smokin' out the innocense inside
The world has tainted and corrupted even the most innocent among us.

The child
Referring to children.

It's the age of destruction
This is a time of chaos and devastation.

In a world of corruption
This world is characterized by corruption.

It's the age of destruction
This is a time of chaos and devastation.

And they hand us oblivion
We are being given a total lack of awareness and concern.

Neuromancer and I'm trancing
I am in a state of intense focus and concentration due to sensory stimulation.

I'm the Neuromancer--and I'm trancing
I am the one who induces and experiences this state of mind.

Man wallows in his insatiable greed
Humans are consumed by their intense desire for more.

More in the answer that sweats
The solution to all our problems is elusive and difficult to obtain.

From desperate palms
We are reaching out in desperation.

Turn on the lies, the secrets,
Expose the truth and hidden information.

Of our desolation,
Of our state of complete ruin.

Or be smothered,
We risk being suffocated by the overwhelming destruction.

By the red hot core
By the very source of the destruction itself.

Denied love in the age of ruin
Love is difficult to find or impossible to obtain during this period of devastation.

Suicide toxins of my own demise
My own actions will lead to my own destruction.

In cyberspace, you know how much
In the digital realm, it is clear how little we are learning.

The earth ain't learning
The planet is not adapting or developing.

Smoking out the man, inside the child--yeah
The destruction has corrupted and destroyed even the most pure and innocent among us.

Neuromancer--trancing
The Neuromancer is inducing an intense state of focus and concentration.

Neuromancer
Referring to the Neuromancer itself.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBIN HANOCK, BILLY IDOL, ACE MAC KAYSMITH, GREG STUMP, MARK YOUNGER-SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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