Hot in the City

"Hot in the City"
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Billy Idol
Released	May 27, 1982
Format	7", 12"
Genre	Rock
Length	3:38
Label	Chrysalis
Writer(s)	Billy Idol
Producer	Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology
"Mony Mony" (1981) "Hot in the City" (1982) "White Wedding" (1982)

"Hot in the City" is a 1982 song by Billy Idol, released on his self-titled album. It charted at #23 in the U.S. and #58 in the UK. A re-release of the song in the UK in 1987 reached #13.

Formats and track listings

• (1982) UK 7" vinyl single

1. "Hot In The City"
2. "Dead On Arrival"

• (1982) UK 12" vinyl single

1. "Hot In The City (Extended Version)"
2. "Dead On Arrival"

• (1987) UK 7" vinyl single

1. "Hot In The City"
2. "Catch My Fall (Remix Fix)"

• (1987) UK 12" vinyl single

1. "Hot In The City (Exterminator Mix)"
2. "Catch My Fall (Remix Fix)"
3. "Soul Standing By"

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) was banned by MTV because it showed Idol's girlfriend Perri Lister nailed to a cross toward the end of the video. The later version was included on the DVD edition of The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself.

Although the released version of the song contains a verse in which Idol shouts "New York," other versions of the song were recorded for various radio stations, including one in which he shouts "Amarillo" or "New Haven."

This song was used as the introduction of Booker, the TV series spin-off of 21 Jump Street. It is also featured in the 1988 film hit Big, starring Tom Hanks.

In 1986, the Norwegian swing/pop duo Bobbysocks! did a cover on their LP Waiting for the Morning.

Charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	58
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	23
Chart (1988)1	Peak position
Swiss Singles Chart	13
UK Singles Chart	13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	48
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	31

• ¹Re-released in 1987