Cradle of Love (Billy Idol song)

"Cradle of Love" is a rock song written by Billy Idol and David Werner for Idol's 1990 fourth studio album Charmed Life. The song is the album's sixth track and was released as its first single. "Cradle of Love" became Idol's last top-10 hit in the United States, where it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also Idol's first and only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. On the UK Single Chart, it stalled at No. 34.

"Cradle of Love"
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Charmed Life
B-side"311 Man"
Released16 April 1990 (1990-04-16)[1]
GenreRock
Length4:39
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology
"Mony Mony (live)"
(1987)		 "Cradle of Love"
(1990)		 "L.A. Woman"
(1990)
Music video
"Cradle of Love" on YouTube

Music and lyrics

"Cradle of Love" is a rock song composed in common time and in the key of B♭ major.[2] The song title is supposedly based on the saying "robbing the cradle".

Music video

The video, directed by David Fincher, features footage of Idol singing in large painting frames throughout an apartment. The director made the decision to film Idol from the waist up as he was unable to walk due to injuries from a February 1990 motorcycle crash.[3] The video also features Betsy Lynn George as Devon, a teenager who tries to seduce a modest and mild-mannered businessman (played by Joshua Townshend-Zellner). The film makes use of clips from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, but as Andrew Dice Clay (who played Fairlane) had been banned from MTV, he is not shown in any of the clips. The video was a huge hit and was placed in heavy rotation on MTV. Idol and George recreated the opening of the video for the 1991 Grammys. An alternative version of the video does not feature the movie's footage, instead depicting a man playing the guitar as heard in the track.

At the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for Best Male Video and Best Special Effects and won the award for Best Video from a Film.[4]

This video was voted #33 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Video Moments.

A photo of Billy Idol taken at the Cradle of Love Tour. Note, it is the same jacket he is wearing in the video.

Formats and track listings

7-inch: Chrysalis – IDOL 14 (UK)

  1. "Cradle of Love" (4:39)
  2. "311 Man" (3:51)

12-inch: Chrysalis – IDOLX 14 (UK)

  1. "Cradle of Dub" (extended remix) (6:27)
  2. "Cradle of Love" (LP version) (4:39)
  3. "Rob the Cradle of Dub" (extended mix) (5:07)
  4. "311 Man" (3:51)
  • Also released as 12-inch picture disc (IDOLXP 14)

CD: Chrysalis – IDOLCD 14 (UK)

  1. "Cradle of Love" (edit) (4:09)
  2. "Cradle of Dub" (extended remix) (6:27)
  3. "Rob the Cradle of Dub" (extended mix) (5:07)
  4. "311 Man" (3:51)

Idol's live performance of the song at the 1991 Grammy Awards was released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I.[5]

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for "Cradle of Love"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song as the opening track to their 1991 album The Chipmunks Rock the House. In 1992, "Weird Al" Yankovic included the chorus as the first song in his polka medley "Polka Your Eyes Out" from his album Off the Deep End.

References
  1. "New Singles". Music Week. 14 April 1990. p. 39.
  2. Sheet music for "Cradle of Love". Hal Leonard Publishing. 1990.
  3. Prato, Greg "Biography of Billy Idol". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  4. "Past Winners Database". Los Angeles Times. 1990. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  5. "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume 1: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  6. "Billy Idol – Cradle of Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1260." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  8. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 19. 12 May 1990. p. IV. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 163. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Cradle of Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  11. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Idol".
  12. "Billy Idol – Cradle of Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  13. "Billy Idol – Cradle of Love". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  14. "Billy Idol: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  15. "Billy Idol Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  16. "Billy Idol Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  17. "Top 40/Rock: June 30, 1990" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 26. 30 June 1990. p. 89. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  18. "Billy Idol Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Idol – Cradle of Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  20. "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  21. "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. 22 December 1990. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  22. "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  23. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  24. "American single certifications – Billy Idol – Cradle of Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
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