Hot in the City


"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 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 depicted Idol's girlfriend Perri Lister bound to a cross; it was banned by MTV. 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", "Minneapolis", "New Haven", "Phoenix", "Philly", "Chattanooga", and "Sioux Falls", or none at all with a repeated synthesizer stab instead.

Track listings

  1. "Hot in the City"
  2. "Dead on Arrival"
  1. "Hot in the City"
  2. "Dead on Arrival"
  • UK 7" vinyl single
  1. "Hot in the City"
  2. "Catch My Fall"
  • UK 12" vinyl single
  1. "Hot in the City"
  2. "Catch My Fall"
  3. "Soul Standing By"

    Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Australia58
Belgium26
Canada43
Luxembourg 11
Netherlands32
New Zealand19
Switzerland19
UK Singles13
U.S. Billboard Hot 10048
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks31
U.S. Cash Box Top 10057

  • 1Re-released in 1987

    Year-end charts

Certifications