Song accompanies new doc, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which premiered at Tribeca this year
An unusually sentimental Billy Idol, once dubbed Rolling Stone’s “Sneer of the Year” in 1985, reflects on his life in a schmaltzy new ballad, “Dying to Live.” “Once when I was younger/Back when I knew hunger” he sings over piano and strings. “I was just bored with a live to live/All I knew was to dream into it.” Now, he sings on the song, which he wrote with Oscar-nominated composer J. Ralph, that he’s dying to live. A clip for the song combines animated Idol with archival footage.
The former Generation X singer has been especially reflective lately, since looked back on sneers and years past for the documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which premiered at the Tribeca International Film Festival earlier this year. The film is expected to hit streaming services next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s quite something watching a documentary about your own life,” Idol said in a statement. “Seeing the landscape of my story all laid out inspired me to want to write a song for the end of the film that brings together what I saw in the film; all the strands of my life really. It was thrilling to work together with J. Ralph. Symphonic music has a unique cinematic authenticity, we felt this was essential to capturing the range of emotions the climactic moment of the film called for.”
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“Composing the song inside this sonic universe reveals every nuance and vulnerability of his vocals and lyrics in a way he had not yet expressed in his previous work,” Ralph said. “He was totally up for it and brought the same rebellious spirit and fearless energy that defines his life and the very essence of punk rock.”
The film and soundtrack song follow the release of Dream Into It, Idol’s ninth album and first in more than a decade, earlier this year. Last year, he released an expanded box set edition of his Rebel Yell album to mark its 40th anniversary.