Breaking the Law
Encyclopedia
"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 recognized by its opening guitar riff.
, the video starts with vocalist Rob Halford
singing from the back of an open-top Cadillac
car travelling along on the A406 North Circular
in North London
. The car eventually parks outside an un-named bank near Oxford Street
(The decor suggests it is a branch of Barclays Bank Plc). Halford meets with two men dressed as priests carrying guitar cases and they enter the bank together. For the breaking the law chorus the two men remove their disguises and are revealed to be guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They are then joined by bassist Ian Hill and drummer Dave Holland. It would appear the music is as effective as machine guns as we see the bank staff and customers in notable distress. Meanwhile, the security guard (who has only just awoken) watches on in puzzled amazement on the CCTV screens. The band breaks into the safe (with Halford showing 'extraordinary' strength in pulling apart the iron bars). As surreal as using guitars to rob a bank, it is not money in the safe which the band are after but a gold record award for the band's 1980 album British Steel
. They soon leave the bank with the record, get back into the car and drive off at which point Halford gives the camera the finger. Concert footage of Judas Priest is now on the CCTV screens and we see the security guard miming along with a fake guitar very much lost in the music. The video ends with the full band driving back along the A406 repeating the chorus until the song is finished.
was released, "Breaking the Law" has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances, most notably at the VH1 Rock Honors
. The performance version of the song has evolved since 1980: at first, the band would play it the original way it was made. As time progressed, it can be seen that when the riff is played [and even when the song starts in recent performances], the band lines up from Halford to Downing to Tipton and to Hill as Halford hits the string and Downing does the fingering. Also, before the song ends [the final time the riff is played], Halford, Tipton and Downing line up side to side on a table with no shoes on and move from side to side to the tune of the music. Even how the song was played has changed: originally, the song was played according to the music video and original performance, but, soon, the song got slightly faster and added a solo by Downing in between the second chorus and the final riff. During the final chant of "Breaking The Law" onstage Halford screams it in a high pitched note.
In 2009 it was named the 12th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1
.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel
British Steel (album)
British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. It saw the band reprise the commercial sound they had established on Killing Machine however; this time, they abandoned many of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their...
. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is recognized by its opening guitar riff.
Music video
Directed by Julien TempleJulien Temple
Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
, the video starts with vocalist Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
singing from the back of an open-top Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
car travelling along on the A406 North Circular
A406 road
The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...
in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. The car eventually parks outside an un-named bank near Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
(The decor suggests it is a branch of Barclays Bank Plc). Halford meets with two men dressed as priests carrying guitar cases and they enter the bank together. For the breaking the law chorus the two men remove their disguises and are revealed to be guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They are then joined by bassist Ian Hill and drummer Dave Holland. It would appear the music is as effective as machine guns as we see the bank staff and customers in notable distress. Meanwhile, the security guard (who has only just awoken) watches on in puzzled amazement on the CCTV screens. The band breaks into the safe (with Halford showing 'extraordinary' strength in pulling apart the iron bars). As surreal as using guitars to rob a bank, it is not money in the safe which the band are after but a gold record award for the band's 1980 album British Steel
British Steel (album)
British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. It saw the band reprise the commercial sound they had established on Killing Machine however; this time, they abandoned many of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their...
. They soon leave the bank with the record, get back into the car and drive off at which point Halford gives the camera the finger. Concert footage of Judas Priest is now on the CCTV screens and we see the security guard miming along with a fake guitar very much lost in the music. The video ends with the full band driving back along the A406 repeating the chorus until the song is finished.
Performances
Since British SteelBritish Steel (album)
British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. It saw the band reprise the commercial sound they had established on Killing Machine however; this time, they abandoned many of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their...
was released, "Breaking the Law" has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances, most notably at the VH1 Rock Honors
VH1 Rock Honors
The VH1 Rock Honors were an annual ceremony paying homage to bands who influenced the sound of rock music. The events began in 2006, and the final event took place in 2008. The general format of each show is for modern bands to "pay tribute" to classic greats of the rock/metal world , after which...
. The performance version of the song has evolved since 1980: at first, the band would play it the original way it was made. As time progressed, it can be seen that when the riff is played [and even when the song starts in recent performances], the band lines up from Halford to Downing to Tipton and to Hill as Halford hits the string and Downing does the fingering. Also, before the song ends [the final time the riff is played], Halford, Tipton and Downing line up side to side on a table with no shoes on and move from side to side to the tune of the music. Even how the song was played has changed: originally, the song was played according to the music video and original performance, but, soon, the song got slightly faster and added a solo by Downing in between the second chorus and the final riff. During the final chant of "Breaking The Law" onstage Halford screams it in a high pitched note.
Critical reaction
The song made VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs making the list at 40.In 2009 it was named the 12th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Appearances
- It is featured in the soundtrack of the 2006 video game Scarface: The World is YoursScarface: The World is YoursScarface: The World Is Yours is a video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is based on and is a quasi-sequel to the 1983 motion picture Scarface starring Al Pacino reprising his role as Tony Montana, with André Sogliuzzo providing Montana's...
. - Live version is downloadable content for 2008 music video game Rock Band 2Rock Band 2Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. - The video appears on Beavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, while the song also been referenced in other episodes. - It appears in AdventurelandAdventurelandAdventureland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by the Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, South America, and the South Pacific...
.
Personnel
- Rob HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
– vocals - K.K. Downing – lead guitar
- Glenn TiptonGlenn TiptonGlenn Tipton is one of the Grammy Award-winning guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest...
– rhythm guitar - Ian HillIan HillIan Hill is a founding member and bassist for the Birmingham-based Grammy award winning heavy metal band, Judas Priest....
– bass - Dave HollandDave Holland (drummer)Dave Holland is an English rock drummer, best remembered from his stint with Judas Priest between 1979 and 1989. He served time in prison for attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy...
– drums