Marriage on the Rocks: Billy Idol: “White Wedding”
Love and romance were in the air in 1982, yet Billy Idol seemed to have something else to say… and show. The myth surrounding “White Wedding” was that it was his disapproving commentary about his pregnant sister’s nuptials, a myth that became (partially) defunct in 2001 by Idol himself on “VH1 Storytellers.” The track is a far “rebel yell” from “Here Comes the Bride,” as Idol’s guitarist, Steve Stevens, fires in that sinister riff. A menacing bass line and ominous drumbeat follow, sounding as if someone was being led to the gallows, instead of down the aisle.
Idol’s vocals start out quiet; in the video, he unwraps himself from what looks like a burial cloth: “Hey little sister what have you done?” Although apparently not a disapproval of “Shotgun!” ceremonies, the song sure sounds skeptical about marriage. What follows are a series of rhetorical questions, leading to the impression that this character is not familiar with the (new) groom and has lost touch with the bride. He admits: “I’ve been away for so long.” Could this character have been a better protector? Perhaps then she would’ve made a “better” decision, instead of entering into a traditional union, an attempt at (false) security. “Who’s your superman?” plays up on the pop-culture superhero, a reference to nick-of-time rescuer.
Also in the video, Idol’s bride (played by then-girlfriend, Perri Lister) dances in a traditional kitchen, seemingly in an oblivious, altered state. Appliances and fixtures burst into flames or gush: “Well, there is nothing fair in this world/There is nothing safe in this world/And there’s nothing sure in this world…” By video’s end, the bride is hunched over, dead in the church.
The track and video can’t help but paint an ironic picture: “C’mon it’s a nice day for a white wedding.” Plus, the white gown serves as a symbol of purity, yet Idol sings: “And there’s nothing pure in this world…” And then there are these visuals: reportedly Lister deciding that her finger intentionally be sliced by Idol as he shoves on a thorny band; the bride lying on a gurney; the crypt; the two undertakers with shovels outside the church, indicative that the bride was never going to make it out (alive) and into her suburban environment. Interestingly, Lister also plays one of the three dancers dressed in black, perhaps symbolic of ghosts of previous brides who still haunt the grounds? And let’s not forget Idol’s burial cloth. All seem to present a dark theory that marriage and convention have the potential to be harmful and unhealthy, fatal even, literally and figuratively a dead end. The apparent solution: “Look for something left in this world/Start again!”