"Breaking the Law"[2][3] is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel.

Prior to releasing 1980's British Steel, Judas Priest had been making moves toward streamlining their music into a simpler, less processed sound.

The band were recording British Steel at Tittenhurst Park, which was the home of the Beatles's drummer Ringo Starr.

For the breaking glass effect, the band used milk bottles that a milkman brought them in the morning, and the police siren was actually guitarist K. K. Downing using the tremolo arm on his Stratocaster.

"[4] Directed by Julien Temple, the video starts with vocalist Rob Halford singing from the back of a 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado convertible.

Ironically, it is not illegal to play music in a bank or to retrieve one's own belongings from a safety deposit box, though lead singer Rob Halford did commit a moving violation by standing up while driving the getaway vehicle.

Judas Priest concert footage now appears on the CCTV screens, and the security guard is seen miming along with a fake guitar, completely immersed in the music.

It reminds us that however big and powerful we were, we still did everything that people wanted us to do..."[5] Since British Steel was released, "Breaking the Law" has been a popular staple at some of Judas Priest's most famous performances.

[11] Frontman Rob Halford said about the song in a Billboard article: "I'm a bit of a science-fiction fan, and I think I got the lyrics from that world-robots and sci-fi and metal gods, just by word association.

So we would whip a piece of guitar chord on a flight case or swish a pool cue in front of a microphone for the audio effects.