"Sweet Sixteen" | ||||
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Single by Billy Idol | ||||
from the album Whiplash Smile | ||||
B-side | "Beyond Belief" | |||
Released | April 1987 (US) [1] 1 June 1987 (UK) [2] | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:14 | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | Billy Idol | |||
Producer(s) | Keith Forsey | |||
Billy Idol singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Sweet Sixteen" on YouTube |
"Sweet Sixteen" is a song by British singer-songwriter Billy Idol, released in 1987 as the third single from his third studio album Whiplash Smile (1986). The song written by Idol and produced by Keith Forsey. "Sweet Sixteen" peaked at No. 20 in the US and No. 17 in the UK. It was also a hit across Europe and beyond. [3] [4]
"Sweet Sixteen" was inspired by the true story of Edward Leedskalnin, a Latvian emigrant who single-handedly built the Coral Castle in Florida. In Latvia, Leedskalnin was set to marry Agnes Skuvst, but she broke the engagement and Leedskalnin decided to emigrate to America. He built the Coral Castle there in dedication to Skuvst, who he often referred to as his "Sweet Sixteen". [5] [6] Idol wrote the song after watching "The Castle of Secrets", an episode of Leonard Nimoy's program In Search of... which was based on Coral Castle. [7] The song was written during the making of Idol's 1983 album Rebel Yell . [8]
In his 2014 autobiography, Idol described the song as a "heartfelt lament". He added that while the castle was Leedskalnin's "coral memorial" to his former love, "Sweet Sixteen" was Idol's to his then-girlfriend Perri Lister. [8]
Two music videos were filmed to promote the single. The black-and-white version, directed by Peter Sinclair, featured Idol performing the song in an empty room. [9] [10] An alternative video, filmed in colour, featured scenes shot at Coral Castle. [11] [12]
The single was released on 7", 12" and cassette by Chrysalis. [13] The B-Side was the Whiplash Smile album track "Beyond Belief. [14] For the 12" single, another track from the album, "One Night, One Chance" was also included. [15] The UK edition of the 12" single, which was also released in some other European countries, included an extended version of "Rebel Yell" instead. [16]
In a contemporary review of Whiplash Smile, Rolling Stone described the song as having an "acoustic shuffle", which "recalled the texture" of Idol's 1984 hit "Eyes Without a Face". [17] Billboard noted in their review of the album: "...quick spins of "World's Forgotten Boy," "Sweet Sixteen," and "Don't Need a Gun" provide positive indication that Idol is rocking on the right track." [18] In a retrospective AllMusic review of the album, Johnny Loftus commented on the song's "weird, Marty Robbins-meets-Del Shannon-in-space vibe." Loftus also selected the song as one of the album's highlights by labelling it an AMG Pick Track. [19] On the 30th anniversary of the album, Ultimate Classic Rock described the song as a "relatively stripped-back acoustic love song". [20]
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Edward Leedskalnin was a Latvian immigrant to the United States and self-taught engineer who single-handedly built the Coral Castle in Florida, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Leedskalnin was also known for developing theories of magnetism.
Coral Castle is an oolite limestone structure created by the Latvian-American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951). It is located in unincorporated territory of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the cities of Homestead and Leisure City. The structure comprises numerous large stones, each weighing several tons, sculpted into a variety of shapes, including slab walls, tables, chairs, a crescent moon, a water fountain and a sundial. It is currently a privately operated tourist attraction. Coral Castle is noted for legends surrounding its creation that claim it was built single-handedly by Leedskalnin using reverse magnetism or supernatural abilities to move and carve the stones.
Sweet Sixteen may refer to:
Gary Michael Langan is an English engineer, record producer, mixer and musician.
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Billy Idol is the debut studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 16 July 1982 by Chrysalis Records. After the breakup of the band Generation X and the release of his first solo extended play, Don't Stop (1981), Idol began working on his debut album. Produced by Keith Forsey, Billy Idol is a rock album with strong influences of new wave music.
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William Michael Albert Broad, known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He also holds United States citizenship. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the US. The name "Billy Idol" was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as "idle".
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