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DailyBoom Your Old School Music Authority

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Idol- 'Cradle Of Love'


Cause love cuts a million ways
Shakes the devil when he misbehaves
I ain't nobody's fool
Come on shake it up
Whatever I do
Rock the cradle of love

Can you believe that Billy Idol is 61? Sixty-one?! How does that even seem possible when, in my mind, Idol will always be shirtless, in leather pants, bleached hair and of course, doing a lip curl? Then again, when I think of my own actual age... I guess the math does kind of work.

Idol is one of those artists that really helped to revolutionize the music industry during MTV's infantile stages. His videos were sharp, his songs were catchy and he was the kind of bad boy that wasn't trying to be one. Idol was just living his life and we were all happy to watch. Normally I'd be linking "Rebel Yell" or "White Wedding" for a throwback but "Cradle of Love" really seems like the best way to go.

Technically, the video didn't come out until May of 1990 but it the song was recorded in 1989 so I'm going to use that loophole. The video was unforgettable for several reasons. It was loaded with sexual innuendos when a teenage "Devin" from down the hall needed to use her uptight businessman neighbors stereo. Of course, she stripped her way through the apartment while demolishing everything in her path, that was kind of predictable.

But "Cradle of Love" was filmed differently because Idol was recovering from a motorcycle accident that nearly cost him both legs. He is seen only from the waist up performing in pictures hanging on the walls. What's really ironic is that this video won so many awards and was considered a turning point in the evolution of MTV, yet it also was kind of the beginning of the end of Idol's hot streak. He was no longer needed dancing around, being the center of attention in his own videos, bringing his decade-long run on MTV to a pretty abrupt end.

He's SIXTY-one. Can you believe it?