Billy Idol: White Wedding Meaning

Song Released: 1982

White Wedding Lyrics

Hey little sister what have you done
Hey little sister who's the only one
Hey little sister who's your superman
Hey little sister who's the one you want
Hey little sister shot gun!

It's a nice day to start again
It's a nice day for a...

1. Trevor98

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   Feb 11th 2010 !⃝

   Okay people you are not thinking outside the box here. The whole shotgun thing is only the surface.
   
   "White wedding" is reference to Cocaine. "It's a nice day for a white wedding. it's a nice day to start again" "Start again" is reffereng to someone trying to quit and relapsing.
   
   His little sister is either his actualy drug addicted trying to clean up sister or its anybody's little sister. Also it could just be reference to some groupie.
   
   Lots of guns are involved when drugs are involved.
   
   I find it hard to beilive that out of all the posts i read no one thought this..

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. anonymous

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   Jan 11th 2010 !⃝

   I always thought this song had strange incestuous undertones, I thought when he said "Shotgun" he meant he got to her first, and was mocking her at her wedding knowing well enough that she is not a virgin.
   
   Though shotgun being the whole "shotgun wedding" thing makes a lot more sense and isn't as weird.
3. anonymous

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   Jul 27th 2009 !⃝

   I heard that he made this song after his sister got with a black guy.
4. DaMirrorLink

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   May 24th 2009 !⃝

   The song is about a marriage gone wrong, it was written for his little sister
   
   interesting note, his sister is still married to the same person
5. LE

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   May 19th 2009 !⃝

   im so unbelievably confused. i have heard 20 million different interpretations...
   - its his sister, she got pregnant and now she has to marry the guy.
   - incest
   - white wedding refuring to drugs
   - white wedding refuring to lovers killing themselves?
   
   *i wish i could talk to billy idol and silence my head ache.
6. qormi

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   Feb 27th 2009 !⃝

   "White Wedding" is a term used for lovers who wish to commit suicide together in the belief they'll be reunited in the afterlife. It's typically done with each of them poised with a shotgun to their chin and the simultaneous firing of it. In this song, it's a forced "white wedding", or murder/suicide. He's been away, found out about her cheating, and now he's going to carry out the "white wedding".

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. geckogirl63

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   Dec 25th 2008 !⃝

   Billy Idol said in an interview this was about his little sister getting pregnant and the betrayal he felt that all innocence in his life was gone.
8. anonymous

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   Dec 10th 2008 !⃝

   Am I the only one that thinks this song is about an incestuous brother and sister?
9. Surfer_Coyote

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   Nov 18th 2008 !⃝

   I see the use of the word shotgun as having two possible meanings. You see he's asking her all these questions and yells out "Shotgun!". He could saying the pressure is on and you better make your choice fast, a la "shotgun wedding", but I think he could also be saying "Shotgun" like a quarterback would be in a football game. If a quarterback steps back into a shotgun formation he has taken a few steps back to take the snap so that he has more time to assess things and hopefully is farther away from rushing defenders. The storyteller could be telling her "shotgun" as a warning to back up from the situation a little bit.
   
   I don't think the term "White Wedding" is literal either. The storyteller could be referring to the drug lifestyle of the eighties and could very well be warning her not to take the plunge into it so to speak. It could also deal with overcoming the addiction, hence "It's a nice day to start again". Not sure, it really could go both ways, but I think that's the point.
10. anonymous

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    Aug 17th 2007 !⃝

    I have also been told the term "white wedding" is also referred to as being a coke addict for a long time, quitting, and then starting back up to again..
    
    I don't know if the song is actually about that or not but if you listen to the lyrics it would seem to make sense..
11. principessa_21

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    Dec 26th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about a brother who is supporting his sister's decision to get married since she is a teen mother. He doesn't agree with it exactly but he's still willing to stand by her no matter what.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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