Hot Child in the City

"Hot Child in the City" is a song by English-Canadian musician Nick Gilder. It was released in June 1978 as a single from the album City Nights. It went to No. 1 both in Canada (October 14, 1978) and in the United States (October 28, 1978). It was not his first No. 1 single: as the lead singer of Sweeney Todd, he had hit No. 1 in Canada on June 26, 1976 (in the RPM listing) with the single "Roxy Roller", which remained at the top for three weeks.[2][3][4] 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 No. 1. The song became a platinum record.

"Hot Child in the City"
Single by Nick Gilder
from the album City Nights
B-side"Backstreet Noise"
ReleasedJune 12, 1978
RecordedOctober 1977
GenrePower pop[1]
Length3:33
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Nick Gilder, James McCulloch
Producer(s)Mike Chapman
Nick Gilder singles chronology
"Here Comes the Night"
(1978)		 "Hot Child in the City"
(1978)		 "She's One of the Boys"
(1979)

Content

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."[5]

Cover versions

The song was covered by London on their 1990 album Playa Del Rock. Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan performed a version of the song in August 2013 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover: Summer Break series.[6]

Chart history

See also
  • List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1978 (U.S.)

References
  1. Breihan, Tom. "The Number Ones: Nick Glider's "Hot Child in the City"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 21, 2020. That’s the story that Nick Gilder attempted to tell when his panting power-popper “Hot Child In The City” randomly ascended to #1 for a single week.
  2. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  3. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  4. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  5. Hot Child In The City
  6. "Mac McCaughan and Kelly Hogan cover Nick Gilder". Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. "Charts.nz – Nick Gilder – Hot Child in the City". Top 40 Singles.
  9. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 4, 1978". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  10. "Top 200 Singles of '78 – Volume 30, No. 14, December 30 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  11. "End of Year Charts 1978". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. Musicoutfitters.com
  13. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1978". Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  14. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.



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