Billy Idol and Avril Lavigne come from two very different generations, but they represent weirdly similar strains of MTV-ready sorta-punk. Perhaps they were always fated to collaborate. Current Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominee Billy Idol recently announced Dream Into It, his first new album in more than a decade, and we posted lead single "Still Dancing." On the LP, Idol has duets with future tourmate Joan Jett and with the Kills' Allison Mosshart, and he's just dropped the Avril Lavigne duet "77" on us.
1977 is the famous year-zero of punk rock, which happened seven years before Avril Lavigne's birth. But Billy Idol really does remember 1977. Back then, Idol was part of the Bromley Contingent, the group of fans that would follow the Sex Pistols around from show to show. He was also the frontman of the punk band Generation X, but they wouldn't release their self-titled debut until the next year.
"77" honestly sounds more like an Avril Lavigne song than a Billy Idol one. It's a sugary rush of studio-crafted pop-punk hookage, and it's got the two of them singing about punks and skins and teddy boys and chanting about "fight back like '77!" I truly cannot tell whether or not this is an intentional troll move. Listen below.
Dream Into It is out 4/25 on Dark Horse. Idol and Lavigne will perfrom "77" together on Jimmy Kimmel Live 4/28.
