"Hot in the City" - Billy Idol

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   The actual commercial 45 run time of Billy Idol's "Hot in the City" is 3:29.  (Abagon assisted me with the run time information.  The stated time on the record label is 3:30.)  The only reason I post this info is because database CDs containing the "hit" version of this song run from 3:31-3:37.

Does anyone have the Billy Idol self-titled parent vinyl LP from 1982 on Chrysalis who can report the run time of "Hot in the City"?  Given that the song on the CD reissues of this album clock in at 3:36-3:37, I have a feeling the vinyl LP runs longer than the 45.

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Todd Ireland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 23	Post Options Post Reply Quote Todd Ireland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: "Hot in the City" - Billy Idol Posted: 04 August 2008 at 5:33pm
	The actual commercial 45 run time of Billy Idol's "Hot in the City" is 3:29. (Abagon assisted me with the run time information. The stated time on the record label is 3:30.) The only reason I post this info is because database CDs containing the "hit" version of this song run from 3:31-3:37. Does anyone have the Billy Idol self-titled parent vinyl LP from 1982 on Chrysalis who can report the run time of "Hot in the City"? Given that the song on the CD reissues of this album clock in at 3:36-3:37, I have a feeling the vinyl LP runs longer than the 45.

eriejwg Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 10 June 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 74	Post Options Post Reply Quote eriejwg Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 6:29am
	Here's a question, does the 45 begin with the wind effect, or with Billy singing "stranger..."?

abagon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 01 March 2008 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote abagon Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 8:06am
	The 45 begin with the wind effect. The wind effect (0:00 to 0:01.4), Billy's vocal starts at (0:18.5) Edited by abagon

eriejwg Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 10 June 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 74	Post Options Post Reply Quote eriejwg Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 9:50am
	Thank you, sir. One station I worked at had the song carted up to the stranger vocal. Must have been their preference and not the way the 45 began.

995wlol Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 10 December 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9	Post Options Post Reply Quote 995wlol Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 10:25am
	Who remembers the custom versions of this song that replaced Billy's yell of "New York" with different cities? Here in the Twin Cities WLOL played a version that substituted "Minneapolis." There were other mid 80s songs that did the same--"My Town" by the Michael Stanley band also inserted "Minneapolis" into a couple of choruses. "The Heart of Rock N Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News referenced "Minneapolis" and "Milwaukee" as the last two cities here in the Midwest.

sriv94 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 September 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote sriv94 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 10:40am
	Lewis also did one that referenced Chicago and Kansas City. Of course, if you played the 45 version "Detroit" was the last city you heard. Of course, an unscoped aircheck of WLS-AM in Chicago playing the "Chicago/Kansas City" LP version helped me create a pseudo-45 version (where I snipped the "Chicago/Kansas City" portion into the 45 version). It's not seamless, but it's a decent enough attempt. Idol also did a "Chicago!" yell for "Hot In The City." Plus--don't forget artists who would substitute a radio station for lyrics that refer to "the radio." The Pointer Sisters, Eddie Money, Rory Dodd/Jim Steinman, and Reunion all did WLS customs.
	Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken.

Paul Haney Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 01 April 2005 Status: Offline Points: 43	Post Options Post Reply Quote Paul Haney Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 12:52pm
	Going back even further, Atlantic released 28 different versions of "High School U.S.A." by Tommy Facenda for different areas of the country (Virginia being the original). Not a Top 40 hit, but Terry Cashman also did customized versions of "Talkin' Baseball" for each major league team in 1981. My "home team" version for the Minnesota Twins was "Tony, The Killer & Carew":)

Hykker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 30 October 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 25	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hykker Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 August 2008 at 6:36pm
	I've heard versions of this for Portland (in this case Maine, but I suppose it was used in Oregon too) and Boston. However, I don't recall the city shout in the localized versions sounding particularly like Billy doing it. Were these produced by a sound-alike artist? Localized versions of songs could be a whole thread in itself.