"Heroin" is single by Billy Idol

Billy Idol

William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...

, released to promote his 1993 album Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk (album)

Cyberpunk is a concept album by English rock musician Billy Idol, released in 1993 by Chrysalis Records. Inspired by his personal interest in technology and his first attempts to use computers in the creation of his music, Idol based the album on the cyberdelic subculture of the late 80s and early...

. The song is a cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of a song by The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...

, originally released on their 1967 debut album. Early incarnations of "Heroin

Heroin (song)

"Heroin" is a song by The Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, overtly depicting heroin use and abuse...

" used acoustic instruments or other mainstream conventions of rock music. Billy Idol's cover departed from these, interpreting the song as a fast-tempo, dance mix, which made use of sound clips and techno beats. It also included the lyric "Jesus died for somebody's sins / But not mine", from "Gloria" written by Patti Smith

Patti Smith

Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....

, used under license from Linda Music Corporation.

Other versions

Idol mixed eleven versions of "Heroin", releasing them on various singles

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 with some containing previous hits. These singles included:

"Heroin" White Vinyl Double 12" single

Side A:

• VR Heroin – 6:17
• Original Mix – 6:59
• Needle Park Mix – 5:12

Side B:

• Overlords Mix – 7:20
• Nosebleed Mix – 8:04

Side C:

• Durga Trance Dub – 5:10
• Durga Death Dub – 5:10

Side D:

• Don't Touch That Needle Mix – 5:10
• Smack Attack – 7:15

"Heroin" CD single

• VR Heroin Mix – 4:14
• Album version – 6:57
• Needle Park Mix – 5:16
• Overlords Mix (labeled "Blendo Mix", on the Cyberpunk: Shock to the System video album.) – 7:48
• Nosebleed Mix – 8:06

"Shock to the System

Shock to the System (Billy Idol song)

"Shock to the System" is single by Billy Idol, released to promote his 1993 album Cyberpunk.-Conception:Idol explained for MTV News, he had originally created the song with an entirely different set of lyrics, but upon witnessing the Los Angeles riots of 1992 on television, he immediately rewrote...

" CD single

• Don't Touch That Needle Mix – 5:10
• Durga Trance Dub – 5:10
• A Drug Called Horse Mix – 7:19
• Smack Attack mix – 6:59
• Ionizer Mix – 7:03

"Adam in Chains

Adam in Chains

"Adam in Chains" is a single by Billy Idol, the third of which to be released to promote his 1993 album Cyberpunk. A radio edit of the track was also included on the single....

" CD single

• Needle Park Mix – 5:16

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...	16

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

 of Allmusic.com called it "one of the worst covers ever recorded" in his review of Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk (album)

Cyberpunk is a concept album by English rock musician Billy Idol, released in 1993 by Chrysalis Records. Inspired by his personal interest in technology and his first attempts to use computers in the creation of his music, Idol based the album on the cyberdelic subculture of the late 80s and early...

.

External links

• "Heroin", on the Clipland database.
• "Heroin" (V.R. Heroin mix), Chrysalis Records
  Chrysalis Records
  Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
  
  , SingingFool.