WLCY Radio Hits

The Flashback of the 60s, 70s, 80s Greatest Music Hits

Jan 15, 2015

Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City (1978)

Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City (1978)
Hot Child in the City is an ode to runaways from the album City Nights. It was written and recorded by Nick Gilder and it went to number one both in Canada (October 14, 1978) and in the United States (October 28, 1978). It was not his first number one single: as the lead singer of the glam rock band Sweeney Todd, he had hit #1 in Canada on June 26, 1976 (in the RPM listing) with the single "Roxy Roller", which remained at the top for three weeks. He won 2 Juno Awards in Canada and a People's Choice Award in the US. According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits it held the record for taking the longest amount of time to reach number one.



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Despite the song's innocent and catchy pop stylings, the tune is based on Gilder's experiences witnessing child prostitution. "I've seen a lot of young girls, 15 and 16, walking down Hollywood Boulevard with their pimps. Their home environment drove them to distraction so they ran away, only to be trapped by something even worse. It hurts to see that so I tried writing from the perspective of a lecher – in the guise of an innocent pop song."
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2015 at 11:34 PM

    Now your going back in time !

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2015 at 11:36 PM

    love this song but I always thought it was sung by a woman

    ReplyDelete
  3. Clyton AdamJanuary 15, 2015 at 11:38 PM

    This song reminds me of my first love. Not that she was a hot child in the city, mind you. We were only 8 years old. But, that radio was always on in the background helping me make memories. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chris PriceNovember 5, 2015 at 8:15 PM

    Nick Gilder began playing with Vancouver-based Sweeney Todd. The band split in 1977 after two albums (Sweeney Todd and If Wishes Were Horses) when he and bandmate Jimmy McCullouch moved to Los Angeles. That same year, Gilder began a solo career, signing to Chrysalis and releasing You Know Who You Are. His second album, City Nights, produced the platinum number one single "Hot Child in the City" in 1978. Though Gilder released several other albums (including 1979's Frequency and 1981's Body Talk Muzak), he never approached his earlier success.

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