When Billy Idol was recording the songs that would make up his second album, 1983's Rebel Yell, he did a version of the 1978 Rose Royce ballad, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.”
But, when it came time to choosing which songs made it onto the album, he held that back because he heard Madonna recorded it for her second album, 1984's Like A Virgin.
In an interview last year Idol said, “It’s not what you expect. My version is a kick-ass [bleeping] rock song. I’m really singing it, and I sound like I mean it. I don’t remember if something was happening in my life at the time, or why I even wanted to do the song … but if I do say so myself, actually we would’ve [urinated] all over Madonna’s version, because it’s a rock version.”
You can now be the judge as he's released the song ahead of the 40th anniversary edition of Rebel Yell, which will be out on April 26th.
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is not the only unreleased track on the 40th anniversary edition of Rebel Yell. There are seven others:
- "Best Way Out of Here"
- "Daytime Drama" (Demo)
- "Flesh For Fantasy" (Demo)
- "Catch My Fall" (Early Version)
- "Crank Call" (Demo)
- "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows" (Demo)
- "Eyes Without a Face" (Poolside remix)
Idol will hit the road starting May 3rd at SunFest in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Billy Idol's Rebel Yell will get a 40th anniversary expanded edition on April 26th.
It will be available as two CD or two LP sets and digitally. It features a remastered version of the original album plus a bonus disc of unreleased demos and songs, including a cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" that will be released to streaming tomorrow. Rebel Yell was released in November 1983 and is Idol's biggest selling album, with over two-million copies in the U.S. It spun off three Top 10 rock hits -- the title track, "Flash for Fantasy," and "Eyes Without a Face," which became his first Top 10 pop hit.