Who sang the female backing vocals on Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’?
It’s not just one element that makes a hit, it’s the whole picture. Neither a vocal alone, nor an isolated instrument can take a track and make it a chart topper – everything has to work together in tandem. On ‘Eyes Without A Face’, Billy Idol has everything working for gold.
After his time in Generation X was up, Billy Idol took the name he’d made and made it even bigger. Generation X was a jumping-off point, using the energy and excitement surrounding the London punk scene to build a reputation.
But really, it was when Idol moved into his solo career that he went from being the king of a scene to being an era-defining face as one of the key figures of the early MTV era. ‘White Wedding’ made that so as his second ever single made him a star, but mostly thanks to the music video.
“He was the greatest looker and mover since Elvis,” the video’s director, David Mallet, said as it seemed inevitable that someone with Idol’s appearance and star power would surely soar to the top – and he did.
He managed to keep it up. With his second album, Rebel Yell, Idol cracked America as he earned his top US chart hit thanks to ‘Eyes Without A Face’, which landed on the Billboard chart at number four.
It was another moment where Idol’s love for cinema came into play. Just as the dramatic video for ‘White Wedding’ worked out for him, this time around, he was taking inspiration from old school black and white flicks, borrowing this song title from a 1960s French horror movie, Les Yeux sans visage.
In the track, a woman can be heard singing that original French phrase over and over, adding to the cinematic beauty of the tune and the tragic romance carried in both its sound and lyrics.
Considering who that voice belongs to, the romance was clearly also in the studio.
Who sang the backing vocals on Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’?
While Idol was mostly famous for his looks and voice, he was also famous for another thing – his relationship.
At the time, Idol was dating Perri Lister, a rising star dancer who performed in the dance troupe Hot Gossip, which was a staple on the popular The Kenny Everett Video Show. She was one of the original Blitz Kids, dancing at the infamous Blitz Club where the celebrities of the era mixed with London’s art scene.
Lister was also just an all-around it-girl. She was loved for her looks and fashion sense, so especially when Lister and Idol were out together, they were a couple people obsessed over.
Their relationship was very much a public one as they attended events together and starred together in the famed ‘White Wedding’ video.
As well as dancing, Lister clearly also had pipes. She provided backing vocals for acts like Visage and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Later on, she was in the short-lived girl group Boomerang. But arguably her best vocal work is right here as her backing vocals on ‘Eyes Without A Face’ are angelic.
They’re also slightly tragic given the inspiration behind the song. “Perhaps I was reflecting on my own touring infidelities,” Idol said about the track, “In a way, those [types of relationships] can leave you feeling soulless, especially if you’re already in a relationship that you value but are degrading by looking elsewhere for additional sexual kicks.” Given that the two were in a relationship, and that Lister often encountered other women claiming to be with Idol, perhaps she was providing backing vocals to the sound of her own heartache.
