"Hot in the City" is a song by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released in 1982 as the first single from his eponymous debut studio album. It charted at No. 23 in the US and No. 58 in the UK. A remix of the song was released in 1987 and reached No. 13 in the UK.
1987 release The Exterminator Mix of the song was released as a single in the UK on 29 December 1987. It charted higher in the UK this time round, peaking at No. 13 in early 1988. This version was first released in 1985 on the remix album Vital Idol.
Music video There are two versions of the video. The first version (the 1982 version) starts off with a girl walking into a record store. She picks up a Billy Idol record and the song starts to play. The video features scenes from New York City, interspersed with stock footage of nuclear bomb tests. The second version (the 1987 version) depicted Idol's girlfriend Perri Lister bound to a cross; it was banned by MTV.Billy Idol biography The later version was included on the DVD edition of The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself.
Other versions and covers Although the released version of the song has Idol shouting "New York!", other versions of the song were recorded for various radio stations, including ones for such cities as "Amarillo", "Boston", "Chicago", "Cleveland", "Minneapolis", "New Haven", "Phoenix", "Philly", "Chattanooga", and "Sioux Falls", or none at all with a repeated synthesizer stab instead.
Track listings (1982) UK 7" vinyl single "Hot in the City" "Dead on Arrival" (1982) UK 12" vinyl single "Hot in the City" (Extended Version) "Dead on Arrival"
(1987) UK 7" vinyl single "Hot in the City" (Exterminator Fix) "Catch My Fall" (Remix Fix) (1987) UK 12" vinyl single "Hot in the City" (Exterminator Mix) "Catch My Fall" (Remix Fix) "Soul Standing By"
Chart performance
Weekly charts Chart (1982)PeakpositionAustralia18Austria10Canada34Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)30New Zealand5UK Singles58U.S. Billboard Hot 10023U.S. Cash Box Top 10027
Chart (1987–88)PeakpositionAustralia 58Belgium26Canada 43Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)11Netherlands32New Zealand19Switzerland19UK Singles13U.S. Billboard Hot 10048U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks31U.S. Cash Box Top 10057 1Re-released in 1987
Year-end charts Chart (1982)RankAustralia108New Zealand50U.S. Billboard Hot 10090
Certifications
References
External links