The band's membership has seen much turnover, including a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis. The band's best-selling album is 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, with their most commercially successful line-up featuring Ian Hill, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, guitarist K. K. Downing, and drummer Dave Holland. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band to appear on every album.
Halford's operatic vocal style and the twin guitar sound of Downing and Tipton have been a major influence on heavy metal bands. Judas Priest's image of leather, spikes, and other taboo articles of clothing were widely influential during the glam metal era of the 1980s. The Guardian referred to British Steel as the record that defines heavy metal. Despite a decline in exposure during the mid-1990s, the band has once again seen a resurgence, including worldwide tours, being inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010, and having their songs featured in video games such as Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series. In 2022, Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Priest
Studio albums
Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Jugulator (1997)
Demolition (2001)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Nostradamus (2008)
Redeemer of Souls (2014)
Firepower (2018)
Invincible Shield (2024)
The Hellion / Electric Eye
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking down on you
My lasers trace
Everything you do
You think you've private lives
Think nothing of the kind
There is no true escape
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
Always in focus
You can't feel my stare
I zoom into you
You don't know I'm there
I take a pride in probing all your secret moves
My tearless retina takes pictures that can prove
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
Electric eye, in the sky
Feel my stare, always there
There's nothing you can do about it
Develop and expose
I feed upon your every thought
And so my power grows
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
Protected. Detective. Electric eye
The lyrics to Judas Priest's song "The Hellion / Electric Eye" showcase themes of surveillance, control, and omnipresence. The singer, who is a machine made of metal, describes watching over individuals with a sense of pride and power. The use of "lasers" and "tearless retina" indicate the machine's ability to see and capture everything, leaving no room for privacy. The lyrics explore the idea of constant surveillance, highlighting the fictional machine's role as an "elected electric spy" and "protected detective."
The machine’s power grows as it feeds upon the thoughts of those under its watchful eye. It’s always in focus and, as the singer states, "there's nothing you can do about it." Each time it probes into the subjects' secret moves, it seems to find something new that it can use to maintain its hold over them. The constant presence of the machine leaves people feeling small and unimportant, like insignificant ants under the watchful eyes of a giant.
Overall, "The Hellion / Electric Eye" is a commentary on the dangers of living in a world where privacy is not guaranteed, and technological advancements have the power to control and manipulate human behavior. It serves as a warning to people to be mindful of the ever-present control that technology can have in our daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Up here in space
The song is sung from the perspective of an electronic eye floating in outer space.
I'm looking down on you
The eye has a view of the earth below and is observing everyone.
My lasers trace
The eye uses lasers to track and observe people's actions.
Everything you do
The eye collects information on people's every move.
You think you've private lives
People believe that they have privacy in their lives.
Think nothing of the kind
But the eye knows otherwise that their actions can be observed and tracked.
There is no true escape
People cannot escape the eye's watchful gaze.
I'm watching all the time
The eye is constantly observing and collecting information.
I'm made of metal
The eye is an electronic device made of metal.
My circuits gleam
The eye is powered by circuits that glow.
I am perpetual
The eye is constantly functioning and collecting information.
I keep the country clean
The eye is collecting information to keep the nation secure and safe.
I'm elected electric spy
The eye is designed and programmed to function as an electric spy.
I'm protected electric eye
The eye is equipped with protection and defense mechanisms.
Always in focus
The eye's attention is always on target.
You can't feel my stare
People are unaware of being watched and tracked.
I zoom into you
The eye can zoom in to observe people more closely.
You don't know I'm there
The eye can observe people without them knowing.
I take a pride in probing all your secret moves
The eye takes satisfaction in uncovering people's hidden and secret actions.
My tearless retina takes pictures that can prove
The eye is equipped with a camera that takes pictures for evidence.
Electric eye, in the sky
The eye is an electric device that floats in space to observe people on earth.
Feel my stare, always there
The eye's observation is constant and unbroken.
There's nothing you can do about it
People cannot stop the eye from observing them.
Develop and expose
The eye collects information to develop and expose people's actions.
I feed upon your every thought
The eye collects data on people's every action and thought.
And so my power grows
The more information the eye collects, the more powerful it becomes.
Protected. Detective. Electric eye
These three words describe the eye as a protected, detective-like, electric device that observes and collects data on people.
Contributed by Nathaniel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sharkhardware
Lyrics:
Up here in space
I'm looking down on you
My lasers trace
Everything you do
You think you've private lives
Think nothing of the kind
There is no true escape
I'm watching all the time
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
Always in focus
You can't feel my stare
I zoom into you
But you don't know I'm there
I take a pride in probing all your secret moves
My tearless retina takes pictures that can prove
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
Electric eye, in the sky
Feel my stare, always there
There's nothing you can do about it
Develop and expose
I feed upon your every thought
And so my power grows
I'm made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
I'm elected electric spy
I'm protected electric eye
I'm elected electric spy
I'm elected protective, detective, Electric Eye!
@clementcachico5240
It's hard to choose for me... There's so many Judas Priest songs that can have this "title" Here's my personnal list:
Dissident Agressor.
The Hellion / Electric Eye (of course).
Ram it Down (it's easily my 2nde or 3rd favorite of the band)
The Calm before the storm/ Nostradamus (more power metal than heavy but still).
Painkiller and/ or Leather Rebel.
The Sentinel.
Judas Rising.
I don't know. I feel like I'm just listing my favourites rather than anything...
@levinolan636
My mom bought me the album when I was a kid 5th grade. I loved metal as a kid. I did not have a dad. I had my mom and metal. People love and take care if your kids.
@copper2545
That's metal as fuck dude.
@lardy70s
Hi Levi. Never forget your mom and everything she has done for you my friend. Think metal as your father. Love from the UK.
@levinolan636
@@lardy70s thank you Lardy. Nice to meet you. Let's be friends. How does that sound ? USA
@murteza1286
Hail to your mom!
@thierrychristiaens3595
Take care of you man and of course take care of your mom..Let the be rock...
@MIZORAM_mafaka_hnamte
This is Heavy Metal
@Leatherjacks
TOTALLY, Mafaka =)
@einarg4630
Nahhh... is cumbia :v
@noname-kd2gv
@Universe Exploder this is heavy metal.