Song · Billy Idol
“Flesh For Fantasy” by Billy Idol
From the album Rebel Yell (1983)
“Flesh For Fantasy” by Billy Idol appears on 12 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1984 and 2021. It was first released in 1983 on the album Rebel Yell. Its best result is #19 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1984. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #17 alternative song of 1984, #2,376 alternative song of all time and #283 of the '80s.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Billy Idol - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Flesh for Fantasy" slinks out of Billy Idol's second album, Rebel Yell, from 1983, and went out as its third single the following August. Idol wrote it with guitarist Steve Stevens, lifting the title from the 1943 anthology film Flesh and Fantasy, and the pair arranged it together. It's the album's sleaziest groove, a new wave pulse with a funk strut, a post-punk chill and a hard rock sting whenever Stevens lets his guitar off the leash, while Steve Webster's bass and Thommy Price's drums keep the hips moving and Idol purrs and sneers on top. Keith Forsey produced.
The Howard Deutch video was a brutal shoot, with the director and his cinematographer worn down to exhaustion, and producer John Diaz called it the hardest video he ever made.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 26 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984 | 106 |
| 1984 | 19 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1984 | 91 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 250 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 1992 | 364 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1996 | 387 | Q101 | Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 401 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 541 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 1999 | 698 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 1999 | 728 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2002 | 1018 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 491 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 709 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: Flesh for Fantasy.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Flesh For Fantasy" by Billy Idol.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.