The blatantly image conscious group soon secured management, fired their first drummer, and auditioned over 50 drummers before settling on Mark Laff of Subway Sect. They were photogenic and signed a worldwide long term deal to Chrysalis (also home of Blondie) and had popsmith Phil Wainman, producer of The Bay City Rollers and Sweet mix their debut album. In September 1977 they became the first punk group to "sell out" and lip synch their debut single Your Generation on TV's Tops of The Pops, and also that month performed on Marc Bolan's TV show just days before the T-Rex frontman's death. Generation X also appeared in films like DOA and in Don Letts' Punk Movie.
In October of 1978, recordings for a second Generation X album produced by Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople followed, the resulting Valley Of The Dolls hitting the streets in 1979. Guitarist Bob Dagwood Anderson eventually quit the lineup after completing a Japanese tour and the recordings for a third album in 1979.(The final Derwood lineup LP actually doesn't resurface for almost 20 years until 1998, and was finally released on an indie against Idol's wishes as Sweet Revenge).
After a troubling two year period of uncertainty due to legal and financial battles with manager Stewart Joseph, Billy Idol and Tony James re-recruited & re-christened for their re-dubbed Gen X project. Friends, foes, pros and fellow fools then convened and attempted to get another record out. Outside the core Idol/James duo, studio collaborators like ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, ex-Clash drummer Terry Chimes, Chelsea guitarist James Stevenson, Steve New of Rich Kids, Danny Kustow of Tom Robinson Band, as well as John McGeogh later of Siouxsie & the Banshees.
With renewed spirit and producer Keith Forsey at the helm, Gen X would go on to release one more LP Kiss Me Deadly in 1981. After neither the album nor the singles "Dancing With Myself" and "Kiss Me Deadly" took the charts, the band broke up. Idol joined up with NYC based Kiss manager Bill Aucion, re-releasing "Dancing with Myself" and the rest, as they say, is history.
A one off Generation X reunion occurred in 1993 at London's Astoria. Hopes for future reunions have popped up infrequently, but, with the band members ensconced in their own projects, prospects have seemed unlikely.The group's music remains popular among punk rock, new wave, and power pop revivalists in the U.K. and elsewhere, with a cult following lasting into the new millennium.
From The Heart
Generation X Lyrics
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You get the same reply
But all these things are new to me
So I'm asking why?
Isn't it the truth you want to hear
Not lies and jealousy
From the heart
From the heart
I can tell no lies, lies, lies
I just want to give the feeling
Rock and Roll gave to me
And to say what I believe in
In honesty
Isn't it the truth
You want to hear not lies and jealousy?
From the heart
I can tell no lies
From the heart
I can tell no lies, lies, lies
Like Lennon said for me
I believed in Ray and Keef
Like Townshend said for me
Rock and Roll made me free
From the heart
From the heart
From the heart
Rock and Roll made me free
From the heart
From the heart
From the heart
No lies
The lyrics of "From the Heart" by Generation X express a desire for honesty, authenticity, and a connection to the truth. The singer emphasizes the importance of speaking from the heart and telling the truth, rather than resorting to lies and jealousy. The repetition of the line "From the heart, I can tell no lies" underscores the importance of being true to oneself and others.
The references to John Lennon, Ray Davies, Keith Richards, and Pete Townshend highlight the role of music in the singer's life and its ability to provide a sense of freedom and authenticity. The lyrics suggest that rock and roll is a way to convey feelings and beliefs honestly and without pretense, and that the singer wants to give others the same experience of liberation that music gave them.
Overall, the lyrics of "From the Heart" convey a sense of sincerity and a desire for connection and authenticity. The song speaks to the importance of being true to oneself and others, and suggests that music can be a vehicle for expressing these qualities.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you've heard these things before
I am aware that you are familiar with these sayings
You get the same reply
People respond with the usual answer
But all these things are new to me
To me, these ideas are still fresh and unexplored
So, I'm asking why?
I'm curious and looking for answers
Isn't it the truth you want to hear
Do you not wish to hear the facts?
Not lies and jealousy
But rather honesty and openness
From the heart, I can tell no lies
I speak the truth sincerely and genuinely
I just want to give the feeling Rock and Roll gave to me
I desire to share the same emotions that Rock and Roll once gave me
And to say what I believe in, in honesty
I want to express my genuine beliefs with candor
Like Lennon said for me, I believed in Ray and Keef
I share similar sentiments with Lennon's statement and had faith in Ray and Keef
Like Townshend said for me, Rock and Roll made me free
I connect with Townshend's quote that Rock and Roll liberated me
Rock and Roll made me free. From the heart, from the heart, from the heart. No lies
I speak from my heart when I say that Rock and Roll freed me, and I express no falsehoods
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BILLY IDOL, TONY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind