Billy Idol

Solo Artist

Photo: possan · CC BY 2.0
Active 1976-present
Origin Stanmore, England
Albums 9
Tracks 110
Most frequent collaborator Keith Forsey · 53 tracks
Genres New WaveHard RockPunk Rock
Artist
81%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 89 of 110 tracks

Does Billy Idol write his own songs?

He co-writes almost all of them and finishes very few alone. His name is on 89 of the 110 tracks across nine solo albums, but only 17 have nobody else on the credit. Steve Stevens shares 33, more than anyone.

By the Numbers

9
Studio Albums
110
Tracks Credited
81%
Self-Written
50
Years Active
69
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 89 / 110 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 110 tracks: how many Billy Idol wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Billy Idol has a writing credit81%
15%
65%
19%
Sole author17tracks15%
Co-written72tracks65%
Outside writers21tracks19%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Billy Idol's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 110 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)81%
Composer (music)81%
Producer15%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Billy Idol's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 81%
100%
100%
90%
82%
90%
92%
12%
100%
100%
1982Billy Idol
1983Rebel Yell
1986Whiplash Smile
1990Charmed Life
1993Cyberpunk
2005Devil's Playground
2006Happy Holidays
2014Kings & Queens of the Underground
2025Dream Into It
Early · 97% written
Mid · 89% written
Late · 59% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

97%
1980s
Billy Idol, Rebel Yell +1 more
87%
1990s
Charmed Life, Cyberpunk
47%
2000s
Devil's Playground, Happy Holidays
100%
2010s
Kings & Queens of the Underground
100%
2020s
Dream Into It

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Billy Idol sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Billy Idol
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Reba McEntire6%
New Edition25%
Bobby Brown38%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts73%
The Clash91%
Foreigner99%
81%Billy Idol
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Hot in the City
Billy Idol
Written by Billy Idol, William Michael Albert Broad
Wrote it
Eyes Without a Face
Rebel Yell
Written by Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, William Michael Albert Broad, Steven Bruce Schneider
Co-wrote
Flesh for Fantasy
Rebel Yell
Written by Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, William Michael Albert Broad, Steven Bruce Schneider
Co-wrote
Rebel Yell
Rebel Yell
Written by Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, William Michael Albert Broad, Steven Bruce Schneider
Co-wrote
Catch My Fall
Rebel Yell
Written by Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, William Michael Albert Broad, Steven Bruce Schneider
Co-wrote
To Be a Lover
Whiplash Smile
Written by William Bell, Booker T. Jones
Outside writers
Sweet Sixteen
Whiplash Smile
Written by Billy Idol, William Michael Albert Broad
Wrote it
Don't Need a Gun
Whiplash Smile
Written by Billy Idol, William Michael Albert Broad
Wrote it
Cradle of Love
Charmed Life
Written by David Werner, Billy Idol, William Michael Albert Broad
Co-wrote

Discography 9 albums

All nine solo studio albums, including the 2006 Christmas record Happy Holidays. His work with Generation X, the live records and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of Billy IdolBilly Idol110 tracks
KF53Keith Forsey, 53 tracks SS33Steve Stevens, 33 tracks BT27Brian Tichy, 27 tracks RH20Robin Hancock, 20 tracks MY18Mark Younger-Smith, 18 tracks Photo of Trevor Horn9Trevor Horn, 9 tracks TE9Tommy English, 9 tracks BM6Billy Morrison, 6 tracks JJ4Joe Janiak, 4 tracks NL4Nick Long, 4 tracks GK2Greg Kurstin, 2 tracks PH1Philip Hawk, 1 track WB1William Bell, 1 track BT1Booker T. Jones, 1 track JD1John Densmore, 1 track RK1Robbie Krieger, 1 track RM1Ray Manzarek, 1 track JM1Jim Morrison, 1 track DC1Dave Concors, 1 track DW1David Werner, 1 track DN1Dolores Nance, 1 track JR1Jody Reynolds, 1 track GB1Gareth Branwyn, 1 track AM1Ace Mackay-Smith, 1 track GS1Greg Stump, 1 track LR1Lou Reed, 1 track DM1Durga McBroom, 1 track Y1Youth, 1 track ER1Ed Rush, 1 track GC1George Cromarty, 1 track WE1Walter E. Rollins, 1 track SN1Steve Nelson, 1 track W"1Walter "Jack" Rollins, 1 track JL1Jay Livingston, 1 track RE1Ray Evans, 1 track JM1Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, 1 track IB1Irving Berlin, 1 track GA1Gene Autry, 1 track OH1Oakley Haldeman, 1 track JL1Jerry Leiber, 1 track MS1Mike Stoller, 1 track SC1Sammy Cahn, 1 track JS1Jule Styne, 1 track FB1Felix Bernard, 1 track RB1Richard Bernhard Smith, 1 track RB1Richard B. Smith, 1 track JM1Johnny Marks, 1 track MB1Marvin Brodie, 1 track BH1Bill Hayes, 1 track JB1Jim Boothe, 1 track MF1Melchior Franck, 1 track FG1Franz Gruber, 1 track JM1Joseph Mohr, 1 track FX1Franz Xaver Gruber, 1 track RB1Robert Burns, 1 track EB1Eric Bazilian, 1 track GG1Glen Goss, 1 track DN1Dan Nigro, 1 track GW1George William Lewis, 1 track MR1Martin Rev, 1 track AV1Alan Vega, 1 track AL1Avril Lavigne, 1 track V1vinyl, 1 track CR1CD releases do not feature Lavigne, 1 track DS1Derek Sherinian, 1 track AM1Alison Mosshart, 1 track JJ1Joan Jett, 1 track on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts's page

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. KF Keith Forsey · SS Steve Stevens · BT Brian Tichy · RH Robin Hancock · MY Mark Younger-Smith

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Idol has a hand in almost everything and finishes almost nothing by himself. He is on 89 of 110 tracks and alone on 17, and the co-writer changes with the decade: Steve Stevens on 33, Mark Younger-Smith on 18 through the Cyberpunk years, Brian Tichy on 10 for the 2005 comeback, Tommy English on 8 for the 2025 album. Rebel Yell, the record that made him, has nine tracks and every one of them is shared with Stevens.

Quick Facts

  • His share89 of the 110 album tracks carry his name
  • Alone 17 timesOnly 17 have nobody else on the credit
  • The main partnerSteve Stevens shares 33 tracks with him
  • Rebel YellAll nine tracks written with Stevens, none alone
  • American peak"Eyes Without a Face" reached number 4 on the Hot 100
  • Hall of FameIdol and Steve Stevens inducted in 2026

Creative Fingerprint

A frontman who almost never writes alone, with a different guitarist beside him in every decade.

The Story

Billy Idol is credited on 89 of the 110 album tracks but writes only 17 of them alone. Every era of his career is named after whoever was holding the guitar.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted with Steve Stevens in 2026
MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film for "Cradle of Love" (1990)
A three time Grammy Award nominee in the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance category

Frequently Asked Questions Billy Idol

Does Billy Idol write his own songs?
He co-writes almost all of them and finishes very few alone. His name is on 89 of the 110 tracks across nine solo albums, but only 17 have nobody else on the credit. Steve Stevens shares 33, more than anyone.
Who wrote "Rebel Yell"?
Billy Idol and Steve Stevens. Every one of the nine tracks on the album is theirs together, with no solo credit anywhere on it.
Who wrote "White Wedding"?
Idol alone, on the 1982 debut. It reached number 36 on the Hot 100 after a re-release.
Who is Steve Stevens?
The guitarist on the first three albums and again from 1999. He is Idol's longest writing partner, on 33 tracks, and the two were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together in 2026.
How many albums has he released?
Nine solo studio albums between 1982 and 2025, including a Christmas record in 2006. Generation X, the live albums and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Who else has written with him?
Mark Younger-Smith on 18 tracks through the early nineties, Brian Tichy on 10 for Devil's Playground, Billy Morrison on 6, and Tommy English on 8 for the 2025 album.
Which single did best in America?
"Eyes Without a Face" reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and "Cradle of Love" number 2. "To Be a Lover" got to 6.
Has he won a Grammy?
No. He was nominated three times for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, for "Rebel Yell", "To Be a Lover" and "Cradle of Love".
What was Cyberpunk?
A 1993 concept album about technology, twenty tracks long, written almost entirely with Mark Younger-Smith. It was poorly received and he did not release another record for twelve years.
Did he write the Christmas album?
Barely. Happy Holidays is seventeen tracks of carols and standards, and only two of them carry his name.

Sources

Wikipedia: Billy Idol Wikipedia: Billy Idol discography Wikipedia: Steve Stevens