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

Song · Billy Idol

“Mony Mony” by Billy Idol

From the EP Don’t Stop (1981)

“Mony Mony” by Billy Idol appears on 46 radio countdowns from 22 stations between 1981 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the EP Don’t Stop. Its best result is #13 on the WFPK Top 100 Party Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #129 alternative song of 1987, #2,877 alternative song of all time and #364 of the '80s.

46countdowns
22stations
#13best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1981–2026years charted

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Mony Mony

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

Billy Idol cut "Mony Mony" in 1981 for his Don't Stop EP, grabbing Tommy James and the Shondells' 1968 hit, written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry and Tommy James, and dragging it into the new wave club. Keith Forsey produced and Brian Reeves engineered, and Idol gives it the full sneer, turning a party stomper into something leaner and meaner, built for a sweaty floor.

That first version never made the pop charts, though it did get to number seven on the dance charts, which tells you where it belonged. Idol wasn't finished with it: a live take recorded in 1985 and released in 1987 went all the way to number one on the Hot 100, outdoing the Shondells' original and sending people back to it.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1981 82 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 106
1987 34 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 123 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1989 89 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1991 946 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 161 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1996 286 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1998 427 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 442 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2002 561 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2005 13 WFPK WFPK Top 100 Party Songs 100
2012 311 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 194 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 426 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2016 431 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 441 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 440 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 388 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 240 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 320 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 671 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 959 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 398 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 193 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 1025 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 273 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 381 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2022 533 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 223 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 198 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 71 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 485 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 485 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 250 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 266 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 274 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 924 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 223 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 340 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 180 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 633 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 332 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 1001 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 193 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 332 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 447 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Mony, Mony.

Charting alongside it in 1987

Best songs of 1987 →
  1. 1Girlfriend in a ComaThe Smiths
  2. 2With or Without YouU2
  3. 3Dear GodXTC
  4. 4Why Can't I Be You?The Cure
  5. 5StrangeloveDepeche Mode
  6. 6Lips Like SugarEcho and the Bunnymen

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