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Cover of Don’t Stop by Billy Idol
Cover: Don’t Stop

Song · Billy Idol

“Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol

From the EP Don’t Stop (1981)

“Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol appears on 84 radio countdowns from 29 stations between 1983 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the EP Don’t Stop. Its best result is #18 on the WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #71 alternative song of 1983, #371 alternative song of all time and #143 of the '80s.

84countdowns
29stations
#18best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1983–2026years charted

Watch

Dancing With Myself (EP Version)

Video from YouTube (Billy Idol - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Dancing with Myself" had two lives. It started out with Gen X, the English band fronted by Billy Idol, who released it in Britain in October 1980, where it stalled at 62 on the singles chart. Then Idol went solo, remixed it and put it out again in the US in 1981 on his Don't Stop EP, and the second time around it found its audience, reaching 27 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Idol wrote it with Tony James, and Keith Forsey is credited as producer. It's a power-pop sprint with punk energy and a dance-floor pulse: the guitars charge, the beat never lets up, and Idol sneers and whoops like he owns the room. The countdowns have never tired of it.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 24 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 18 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 262 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 222 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 142 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 165 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1991 226 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1992 210 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 305 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 224 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1995 211 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 207 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 187 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1997 1002 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 197 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 21 Channel 104.9 Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) 104
1999 191 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 43 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 495 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 513 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 1048 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1048 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1053 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 1052 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 105 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1037 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 287 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 185 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 389 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 1037 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 1037 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 94 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 149 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2007 745 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 404 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 705 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 340 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 714 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 731 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 758 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 782 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 303 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 117 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 767 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 393 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 410 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 128 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 136 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 392 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 136 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 340 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 908 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 251 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 242 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 439 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 343 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 473 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 211 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 461 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2021 394 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 251 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 787 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 232 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 368 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2022 300 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 237 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 647 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 99 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 105 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 405 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 104 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 460 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 170 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2023 237 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 404 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 650 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 278 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 329 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 380 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 430 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 718 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 469 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 282 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 394 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Dancing with Myself.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 6In a Big CountryBig Country

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