(Stranger, stranger, stranger, stranger)
It’s hot here at night, lonely, black and quiet
On a hot summer night
Don’t be afraid of the world we made
On a hot summer night
‘Cause when a long-legged lovely walks by
Yeah, you can see the look in her eye
Then you know that it’s
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
(Stranger, stranger)
For all the dreams and schemes
People are as they seem
On a hot summer night
Don’t be no fun, don’t forget you’re young
On a hot summer night
A sometime someone you’re not
Don’t wait to see what you’ve got
‘Cause you know that you’re
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight (All right)
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
We’ll walk until my feet drop
I’m a train when I’m hateful
Yeah, lay right down now
And ride until your head breaks
I’m a-walkin’ ’til my brain pops
I will move with the beat now
I’m a chain ’round an A-bomb
I’m a ribbon in the heat now
New York!
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight
Capturing Urban Heat: Analyzing “Hot In The City”
Billy Idol’s “Hot In The City” is a vibrant ode to the sultry energy of urban summer nights. The lyrics paint a picture of a city alive with anticipation, desire, and the pulse of restless youth. Idol’s evocative descriptions—”lonely, black and quiet,” and the allure of a “long-legged lovely”—set the stage for a night filled with possibility and intrigue. The refrain, “hot in the city tonight,” echoes the physical and emotional temperature of city living, where dreams and schemes collide beneath neon lights. The song’s references to movement and heat evoke both the literal temperature and the excitement that permeates the city, especially in the chorus’s repeated, urgent declaration.
Song Credits
- Songwriter: Billy Idol
- Release Year: 1982
- Label: Chrysalis Records