Songfacts®:

• In a June 1976 interview with New Musical Express, a youthful John Miles explained how this song came about. The title track of the Rebel album wasn't written until about two weeks before they went into the studio, which was three months after everybody had got into "the James Dean thing."
  
  Most of his songs started from the title; "Rebel" was originally to be released as a single, but "Highfly" was released instead, and "I just had to do something for Top Of The Pops." The something concerned was what might be called the Rebel look, which is based on the iconic James Dean pose from the film Giant.
  
  Dean starred in three feature films, but East Of Eden was the only one he lived to see. The 24-year-old died following a car crash in California on September 30, 1955. Rebel Without A Cause was released October 27, and Giant in November the following year. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England