Billy Idol -- "Hot in the City"

(Debuted December 12, 1987, Peaked #48, 10 Weeks on the Chart)

If the peak position listed above surprises you, or if you distinctly remember Casey Kasem debuting "Hot in the City" on his American Top 40 radio countdown, you're not having what our parents call a "senior moment." Actually, the song was originally a #23 hit in 1983 when it was taken from Billy Idol's self-titled debut solo LP. In 1987, it was included -- as a different mix -- as part of his compilation album Vital Idol. That second time, it fell short of the Top 40 after MTV refused to air the video (shown below) due to some religious imagery involving actress Perri Lister nailed to a cross.

The re-release was a remixed version of Idol's first Top 40 hit, extending the track to a five-minute "dance mix" but without speeding its tempo. The single version reduced the song back down to its original three-and-a-half minute length.

Billy Idol - "Sweet Sixteen"

(Debuted April 25, 1987, Peaked #20, 14 Weeks on the chart)

While it may seem contrary to Billy Idol's stage presence and image nowadays, in 1987 it really didn't seem like such a stretch for him to do a softer song. By that time, he had already done songs like "Eyes Without a Face," "To Be a Lover" and "Don't Need a Gun," so it wasn't too far out of left field for him. This time, however, he is accompanied by an acoustic guitar, which did seem to drop the pretense of his reputation.

I was a teenager at the time this song came out. In fact, my girlfriend at the time turned 16 during the song's run up the chart so the words stuck with me. However, today I'm struck how weird it is to have a thirty-something year old man singing what is essentially a love song to a sixteen year-old girl. However, despite the fact that Idol wrote the song, the story in the song is supposedly inspired by the story of an eccentric named Edward Leedskalnin, who is shown in a picture during the beginning of the video for the song. A girl he was engaged to in his native Latvia was called his "Sweet Sixteen," and she walked away shortly before the wedding. Later in life, he built a monument to her in Florida called the Coral Castle that is still open for tourists to see.

It wasn't exactly the "candy castle" that was mentioned in the words of the song, but perhaps "coral" didn't sound right in the lyrics.