Nowadays I’m terrible with birthdays but for some reason, I had no problem remembering that Billy Idol’s 56th birthday is today. Therefore, I thought I’d share another one of my favorite songs he did.
One of the most interesting things about this song is that it’s inspired by a true story. I love when musicians turn something they read, hear, or see into music. In the 1920′s a man named Edward Leedskalnin was engaged to a 16-year-old girl named Agnes Scuffs but she ended the relationship a day before their wedding. In an effort to win her back, he built a castle for her, made completely of coral, in Homestead, Florida, thus taking the name, “Coral Castle.” No one really knows how he was able to build it. A few witnesses, who were able to catch glimpses of him at work, swear that he was somehow able to create the structures. It is assumed that he knew an unknown form of science. See a photo HERE. (There is also a photo at the beginning of the video.)
His nickname for the girl was “Sweet Sixteen” and somehow Billy heard about the story and the song was born. The official video above is actually filmed at the castle. (Apparently the company that runs the tours has framed photos of Billy on the wall from when he was there). It was released in 1986 from his third album, Whiplash Smile and in June of 1987, it went to #20 in Billboard’s Hot 100.
Happy Birthday, Billy Idol. Thanks for such a great song!
Official website for Coral Castle: http://coralcastle.com/
