Nick Gilder ~ "Hot Child in the City" (lyric visualization)

7 months ago
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Artist: Nick Gilder
Title: "Hot Child in the City"
Album: City Lights
Released: 1978

Canadian Classic Rock with a dark backstory.

Nick Gilder's "Hot Child in the City" topped the charts in both Canada (Oct. 14, 1978) & the US (October 28, 1978), climbing all the way to #1 in both countries.

Born in England, Nick & his family moved to Canada, settling in Vancouver. Nick’s first high school band, Rasputin, later became Canada’s first glam rock band, Sweeney Todd. Their first London Records release contained the #1 hit “Roxy Roller.” Their production deal was soon sold to a new label, Chrysalis Records (Blondie, Billy Idol, The Babies) of Los Angeles, where both Nick and songwriting partner Jim McCulloch wrote and recorded, initially with Beatles producer, George Martin.

Nick returned to the studio with producers Mike Chapman (Blondie, Sweet, The Knack) and Peter Coleman (Pat Benatar) and recorded the legendary 1978 City Nights album, containing the #1 hit “Hot Child in the City” and top 40 hit “Here Comes The Night.”

Though the song has a bright and sugary pop sound, it's actually inspired by Gilder's disturbing encounters with child exploitation in Los Angeles. Nick explained, "I've seen too many young girls, barely teenagers, on Hollywood Boulevard with clear exploiters. They likely left difficult home situations, hoping to escape, only to fall victim to something far more dangerous. It's heartbreaking. I tried to capture that experience from the perspective of someone preying on them, disguised as a cheerful pop song."

In film & TV, Nick’s work has been heard on Sex and the City, Barb Wire with Pamela Anderson, Youngblood with Rob Lowe, The Wraith with Charlie Sheen, Hot Child In The City the movie, and the 2010 documentary The Runaways.

Learn more about this Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductee @ www.NickGilder.com .

Stop Child Exploitation:

Local police services handle initial complaints about online child sexual exploitation.

In Canada, to anonymously report online sexual exploitation of a child, visit Cybertip.ca.

In the USA contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), call the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST, or visit report.cybertip.org.

If you know about a child who is in immediate danger or risk, call 911 or your local police.

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