Whiplash Smile
Encyclopedia
Whiplash Smile is Billy Idol
's third full-length album. Released in 1986, it was supported by the singles "To Be a Lover", "Sweet Sixteen", and "Don't Need a Gun". "To Be a Lover" was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at #6 in the US, with the other two singles hitting the top forty in the US and around the world.
The album has been certified by RIAA platinum and by BPI platinum.
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...
's third full-length album. Released in 1986, it was supported by the singles "To Be a Lover", "Sweet Sixteen", and "Don't Need a Gun". "To Be a Lover" was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at #6 in the US, with the other two singles hitting the top forty in the US and around the world.
The album has been certified by RIAA platinum and by BPI platinum.
Track listing
- All Songs Written By Billy Idol, except where noted.
- "Worlds Forgotten Boy" – 5:43 (Idol/Stevens)
- "To Be a LoverTo Be a Lover"To Be a Lover" is a song by Billy Idol from his 1986 album Whiplash Smile. It became Idol's second Top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Charts:...
" – 3:52 (Bell/Jones) - "Soul Standing By" – 4:34
- "Sweet Sixteen" – 4:17
- "Man for All Seasons" – 4:39 (Idol/Stevens)
- "Don't Need a Gun" – 6:17
- "Beyond Belief" – 4:02
- "Fatal Charm" – 3:44 (Featured in the film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
) (Forsey/Idol/Stevens) - "All Summer Single" – 4:36
- "One Night, One Chance" – 3:57 (Idol/Stevens)
Personnel
- Billy Idol — vocals, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Steve StevensSteve StevensSteve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
— guitar, bass, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming - Marcus MillerMarcus MillerMarcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
— bass - John ReganJohn Regan (bassist)John Regan is an American musician, songwriter, producer and bassist. He is notable for being a member of ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's band "Frehley's Comet" from 1984 to 1990. He has also recorded and performed with Peter Frampton 1979 til currently, John Waite, The Rolling Stones, Stephen...
— bass - Phillip Ashley — keyboards
- Harold FaltermeyerHarold FaltermeyerHarold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
— keyboards - David Frank — keyboards
- Richard TeeRichard TeeRichard Tee was a pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger.Tee graduated from the High School of Music and Art and attended the Manhattan School of Music. Though better known as a studio and session musician, Tee led a jazz ensemble, the Richard Tee Committee, and was a founding member of the...
— keyboards - Thommy PriceThommy PriceThommy Price is a rock musician from Brooklyn, New York. He's played drums in numerous bands, including Billy Idol, Blue Öyster Cult, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and is an in-demand session drummer.-History:...
- drums, percussion - Jocelyn BrownJocelyn BrownJocelyn Lorette Brown is an American R&B and dance music singer...
— background vocals - Connie Harvey — background vocals
- Janet Wright — background vocals
Chart performance
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
---|---|---|
Austrian Albums Chart | 18 | 14 |
Canadian Albums Chart | 6 | |
German Albums Chart | 9 | |
New Zealand Albums Chart | 5 | 31 |
Norwegian Albums Chart | 12 | 5 |
Swedish Albums Chart | 4 | 7 |
Swiss Albums Chart | 4 | 20 |
UK Albums Chart | 8 | 20 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 | 9 |
Certification
Country | Certification | Sales |
---|---|---|
United States | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
United Kingdom | Gold | 100,000 |
Production
- Produced By Keith Forsey
- Recording Engineers: Dave Concors, Debi Cornish, Neil Dorfsman, Moira Marquis, Bill Miranda, Steve Tjaden, Dave Wittman
- Mixing Engineer: Gary Langan
- Assistant Mixing Engineer: Craig Vogel
- Mastering: George Marino