Who Really Sings 'Breaking The Law'?

Breaking the Law is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1980 album British Steel and is considered one of the band's most well-known singles. The song was written by Rob Halford, the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, along with guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. Breaking the Law combines a recognisable minor-key opening riff with a rhythmic chorus, and its lyrics reflect social commentary on the political and economic climate in the UK during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The song's music video

"Breaking the Law" is a song by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The track was released in 1980 on their album British Steel. The video for the song was directed by Julien Temple and has become a cult classic.

The video starts with vocalist Rob Halford singing from the back of a 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado convertible. Halford meets with two men dressed as priests carrying guitar cases, who are guitarists K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They enter a bank together, and for the chorus, the two men remove their disguises. They are then joined by bassist Ian Hill and drummer Dave Holland. The people in the bank are incapacitated by the guitars. Meanwhile, a security guard watches on in amazement on the CCTV screens.

The band then breaks into the safe, with Halford displaying extraordinary strength in pulling apart the iron bars. They steal a golden record award for the British Steel album from the safe. The video was shot before the album went platinum. The band then quickly exits the bank with the record and drives away. The security guard is seen miming along with a fake guitar, completely immersed in the music. The video concludes with the full band driving back along the A40, repeating the chorus until the song ends.

The video includes some of the same sound effects featured in the song, including breaking glass and a police siren. The band achieved the breaking glass effect by using milk bottles, and the police siren was guitarist K. K. Downing using the tremolo arm on his Stratocaster.

The song's lyrics

"Breaking the Law" is a song by English 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. The song was written by Rob Halford and the two Judas Priest guitarists: Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing.

The lyrics tell of someone who is tired of everything that comes with an ordinary life, as it has become boring. This leads them to take a chance and start breaking the law. According to Halford, who wrote the lyric, he baked some social commentary into the song. In his autobiography, Confess, he wrote:

> "A lot of bad stuff was going on. The heavy industry and the car makers in the Midlands and around the country were struggling, and there was already talk of factory closures. Unemployment was shooting up. Worst of all, millions of young people had no hope and felt they were being ignored. Writing the lyrics for 'Breaking the Law,' I tried to put myself in the mind of a jobless young bloke at his wits' end."

Halford also said:

> "It was a time in the U.K. when there was a lot of strife—a lot of government strife, the miners were on strike, the car unions were on strike, there were street riots. It was a terrible time. That was the incentive for me to write a lyric to try to connect with that feeling that was out there."

The song features some sound effects, including the sound of breaking glass and a police siren. The band achieved the former by smashing milk bottles against a wall, and the latter by guitarist K. K. Downing using the tremolo arm on his Stratocaster.

The song has been covered by many artists, including Hammerfall, Pansy Division, Doro Pesch, Therapy?, Mavericks, and Hayseed Dixie.

The song's creation

"Breaking the Law" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's most well-known singles and is instantly recognised by its opening guitar riff.

The song was written by Rob Halford and the two Judas Priest guitarists: Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. The song's lyrics were penned by Halford, who injected some social commentary into them. At the time, Margaret Thatcher had just become the British Prime Minister, and Halford was unhappy with her policies. In his autobiography, Confess, he wrote: "A lot of bad stuff was going on... The heavy industry and the car makers in the Midlands and around the country were struggling, and there was already talk of factory closures. Unemployment was shooting up. Worst of all, millions of young people had no hope and felt they were being ignored."

The song's famous riff was conceived by Tipton, who brought the basic framework to his writing partners, Halford and Downing. They collaborated on the final arrangement, balancing "crunching guitars, metronome drums, and [a] bellow-your-lungs-out chorus." The song was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, the home of the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr, which was previously owned by John Lennon. Producer Tom Allom suggested they incorporate sound effects, such as smashing milk bottles for the breaking glass effect and using a police siren.

The song has been a staple in Judas Priest's live performances and has evolved over the years, with added guitar solos and changes in tempo. It has also left its mark on popular culture, appearing in TV shows, commercials, and movies. It is considered one of the most famous hard rock/heavy metal songs of all time.

The song's covers

"Breaking the Law" is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, from their 1980 album "British Steel". The song has been covered by several artists, including:

Pansy Division

The American queercore band Pansy Division covered the song with modified lyrics. They even performed it live with Rob Halford on one occasion.

Sturm und Drang

Sturm und Drang covered the song while performing live in Finland in 2007, with a guest appearance by K.K. Downing.

Hammerfall

Hammerfall has also covered "Breaking the Law".

Doro Pesch

Doro Pesch has put her spin on the Judas Priest classic.

Therapy?

The band Therapy? has also covered the song.

Mavericks

Mavericks has contributed to the list of "Breaking the Law" covers.

Hayseed Dixie

Hayseed Dixie has also interpreted the song in their unique style.

Lars Von Retriever

In a metal Trump mashup series, Lars Von Retriever created a version of "Breaking the Law" with Donald Trump "singing".

The song's legacy

"Breaking the Law" is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1980 album "British Steel" and is one of the band's more well-known singles. The song is instantly recognisable by its opening guitar riff and has a simple chorus. It has been ranked highly on several 'Greatest Metal Songs' lists, including Rolling Stone ranking it number four on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs.

The song's lyrics were written by lead singer Rob Halford, who said he included some social commentary. At the time, Margaret Thatcher had just become British Prime Minister, and Halford was unhappy with her policies. He wrote in his autobiography, "Confess", that "A lot of bad stuff was going on...The heavy industry and the car makers in the Midlands and around the country were struggling, and there was already talk of factory closures. Unemployment was shooting up. Worst of all, millions of young people had no hope and felt they were being ignored."

The song's music video, directed by Julien Temple, has become a cult classic. It features the band as bank robbers and includes a cameo from the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr. The video was also partly filmed at Starr's home, Tittenhurst Park.

"Breaking the Law" has been covered by several artists, including Hammerfall, Pansy Division, Doro Pesch, Therapy?, Mavericks, and Hayseed Dixie. The song has also been referenced in popular culture, including in the TV show "The Simpsons" and in a State Farm commercial.

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