Keith Mack
Breaking the Law is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better-known singles, recognised by its opening guitar riff.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Song Title | Breaking the Law |
| Band | Judas Priest |
| Genre | Heavy Metal |
| Album | British Steel |
| Year of Release | 1980 |
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What You'll Learn
The song was released in 1980 on the album *British Steel*
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1980 album *British Steel*. The song is one of the band's better-known singles and is recognised by its opening guitar riff.
Before releasing *British Steel*, Judas Priest had been moving towards a simpler, less processed sound. This approach came to full fruition on *British Steel*. "Breaking the Law" combines a recognisable minor-key opening riff and a rhythmic chorus as its main hooks. There is a change-up on the mostly instrumental bridge, a new chord progression with Rob Halford shouting "You don't know what it's like!" before the sound effect of a police car's siren leads back into the main riff.
Since the album's release, "Breaking the Law" has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances. The performance version of the song has changed since 1980: at first, the band would play it the original way it was on *British Steel*. More recently, the band have sometimes played the opening riff with Halford picking for Downing, Downing picking for Tipton and Tipton picking for Hill, then quickly spreading apart to their respective usual positions on the stage for the verse. Over time, the band have raised the tempo of the song during live performances, and a solo was added by Downing. Since his departure, Richie Faulkner, his replacement, composed a new solo, replacing KK's.
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It's one of the band's better-known singles
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. It is one of the band's better-known singles, recognised by its opening guitar riff.
The song has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances. The performance version of the song has changed since 1980. At first, the band would play it the original way it was on British Steel. More recently, the band have sometimes played the opening riff with Halford picking for Downing, Downing picking for Tipton and Tipton picking for Hill, then quickly spreading apart to their respective usual positions on the stage for the verse. Over time, the band have raised the tempo of the song during live performances, and a solo was added by Downing. Since his departure, Richie Faulkner, his replacement, composed a new solo, replacing KK's.
The song combines a recognisable minor-key opening riff and a rhythmic chorus as its main hooks. There is a change-up on the mostly instrumental bridge, a new chord progression with Rob Halford shouting "You don't know what it's like!" before the sound effect of a police car's siren leads back into the main riff.
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The song is recognised by its opening guitar riff
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is recognised by its opening guitar riff.
The song is an example of a typical heavy metal Aeolian harmonic progression in I-VI-VII (Am-F-G). The main riff of "Breaking the Law" is a recognisable minor-key opening riff and is one of the song's main hooks. The performance version of the song has changed since 1980. At first, the band would play it the original way it was on British Steel. More recently, the band has sometimes played the opening riff with Halford picking for Downing, Downing picking for Tipton, and Tipton picking for Hill, then quickly spreading apart to their respective usual positions on the stage for the verse.
Over time, the band has raised the tempo of the song during live performances, and a solo was added by Downing. Since his departure, Richie Faulkner, his replacement, composed a new solo, replacing KK's.
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The band has raised the tempo of the song during live performances
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better-known singles and is recognised by its opening guitar riff.
The performance version of the song has changed since 1980. At first, the band would play it the original way it was on British Steel. More recently, the band has sometimes played the opening riff with Halford picking for Downing, Downing picking for Tipton and Tipton picking for Hill, then quickly spreading apart to their respective usual positions on the stage for the verse.
Over time, the band has raised the tempo of the song during live performances. A solo was added by Downing, and since his departure, Richie Faulkner, his replacement, composed a new solo, replacing KK's.
The song combines a recognisable minor-key opening riff and a rhythmic chorus as its main hooks. There is a change-up on the mostly instrumental bridge, a new chord progression with Rob Halford shouting "You don't know what it's like!" before the sound effect of a police car's siren leads back into the main riff.
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A solo was added by K.K. Downing
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better-known singles and is recognised by its opening guitar riff.
Since the release of British Steel, "Breaking the Law" has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances. The performance version of the song has changed since 1980. A solo was added by K.K. Downing. Since his departure, Richie Faulkner, his replacement, composed a new solo, replacing KK's.
Downing's solo was added to the bridge of the song, which features a change-up in the chord progression and Rob Halford shouting "You don't know what it's like!" before the sound effect of a police car's siren leads back into the main riff.
In more recent performances, the band has played the opening riff with Halford picking for Downing, Downing picking for Tipton, and Tipton picking for Hill, before quickly spreading apart to their usual positions on the stage for the verse. The band has also raised the tempo of the song during live performances.
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Frequently asked questions
'Breaking the Law' was originally released in 1980 on the album *British Steel* by Judas Priest.
Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band.
'Breaking the Law' combines a recognisable minor-key opening riff and a rhythmic chorus as its main hooks.
