Judas Priest singer Rob Halford tells the story behind the band's top 20 UK hit from 1980, Breaking The Law.
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00:00That song was written at
00:28John Lennon's former house in Tittenhurst Park, just outside of London, with Tom Allen on the British Steel Sessions, and we had about 30 days to write and record that album.
00:45There was a time in the UK, particularly around the end of the 70s and the early 80s, when this country was just, there was riots going on, there was strikes going on.
01:02There was a lot of pissed off people in this country, rightfully so.
01:06You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue.
01:11As a lyricist, I'm always picking up on what's going on around me, and I just remember seeing the news that night and seeing all this stuff kicking off.
01:20And it just made me feel about another area of the news, which was that there was all these problems with young people leaving school or university or college.
01:33They'd been promised a job.
01:35They'd been said, you know, if you complete all this and do all this, there'll be an opportunity to do this.
01:42And there wasn't, which is sadly a bit like today's world.
01:50The knee-jerk reaction for some people is to not exactly break the law, but kick back at the system.
01:57So we wrapped up that idea around this breaking the law.
02:02There I was completely wasted out of working down.
02:06Well, there's your statement right away.
02:08You're acknowledging a portion of society that's really, you know, having a tough time in life.
02:19It's almost a protest song, but it's just a very vibrant, uplifting moment for priests in our metal world.
02:30And it's become legendary.
02:36Breaking the law, breaking the law.
02:38Breaking the law, breaking the law.
02:41Breaking the law, breaking the law.
02:44Breaking the law, breaking the law.
02:46It's in us all, not only the love of that priest song, but what that song represents, Breaking the Law.
02:53тол Kane
03:03By God
03:04the King
03:06By God
03:08number of?
03:10Is there anyone else?
03:12They came a long way toMA.
03:13That one Papa
03:17who's ever under style
03:18and he goes Punkt