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).

Silent Night
Billy Idol Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Overall Meaning

The song "Silent Night" by Billy Idol is a cover of the classic Christmas carol. The first verse of the song encapsulates the peaceful and holy atmosphere of Christmas night when Christ was born. The virgin Mary is depicted as a symbol of innocence and purity, and her child, Jesus, a symbol of hope and salvation. The serene scene of a mother and child is emphasized through the phrase "all is calm, all is bright". The second verse goes on to describe the reaction of the shepherds, who, upon seeing the radiance from heaven and hearing the angels singing praises of joy, quake in amazement. The phrase "glories stream from heaven afar" further contributes to the supernatural element of the event.

The final verse of the song is more personal in nature compared to the first two, speaking of Jesus as the "Son of God, love's pure light" and the "dawn of redeeming grace". The lyrics suggest that Christ's birth was a pivotal moment in time, marking a new beginning of salvation and forgiveness for humanity. The song concludes by hailing Jesus as Lord, using the sentence, "Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth" as a reminder of the hope and rights that people receive while aligning themselves with Christ.

Line by Line Meaning

Silent night, holy night
It's a peaceful and holy night.

All is calm, all is bright
Everything is peaceful and bright.

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
The Virgin Mary is holding her child near her.

Holy Infant so tender and mild
The baby Jesus is gentle and harmless.

Sleep in heavenly peace
May the baby Jesus rest in peace in heaven.

Silent night, holy night!
It's still a peaceful and holy night.

Shepherds quake at the sight
The shepherds are afraid of what they see.

Glories stream from heaven afar
There are fantastic things happening in the skies.

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
The angels are singing, Alleluia!

Christ, the Saviour is born
Jesus Christ, the saver is born.

Silent night, holy night
It's still a peaceful and holy night.

Son of God, love's pure light
Jesus Christ is the light of love and the son of God.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
The light from Jesus' face is shining brightly.

With the dawn of redeeming grace
When Jesus Christ was born, it was the beginning of salvation.

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Christ, the Lord, was born.

Contributed by Isabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Elria Ahossivo

It's written, and so is it established by King David in the Bible.
NKJV Bible. Psalms 87:1-7
[1]His foundation is in the holy mountains.
[2]The Lord loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
[3]Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah
[4]“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ ”
[5]And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”
[6]The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah
[7]Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”