A minor · Camelot 8A · 78 BPM
Sweet Sixteen
by Billy Idol
- 78
- BPM
- A minor
- Key
- 8A
- Camelot
- 60
- Danceability
- 56
- Acousticness
Billy Idol wrote "Sweet Sixteen" after watching "The Castle of Secrets", an episode of Leonard Nimoy's programme In Search of... that was based on Florida's Coral Castle. The song, which appeared on his 1986 album Whiplash Smile and was produced by Keith Forsey, drew its inspiration from the true story of Edward Leedskalnin, a Latvian emigrant who built the Coral Castle single-handedly. Leedskalnin had been set to marry Agnes Skuvst in Latvia, but she broke the engagement and he left for America, where he raised the castle in her honour. He often called her his "Sweet Sixteen".
The song was actually written during the making of Idol's 1983 album Rebel Yell, years before it surfaced on Whiplash Smile. In his 2014 autobiography, Idol called it a "heartfelt lament", noting that while the castle was Leedskalnin's coral memorial to his former love, the song was his own memorial to his then-girlfriend Perri Lister. Released in 1987 as the album's third single, it peaked at No. 20 in the US and No. 17 in the UK, and also found success across Europe and beyond.
Two videos promoted the single. A black-and-white version directed by Peter Sinclair showed Idol performing in an empty room, while an alternative colour video featured scenes shot at Coral Castle itself. Chrysalis issued the single on 7", 12" and cassette, with the Whiplash Smile track "Beyond Belief" as the B-side.
Sweet Sixteen runs at 78 BPM, the tempo of soul, trip-hop and half-time hip-hop. In classical terms it sits in andante territory. A bar of 4/4 lasts 3.08 seconds, and a quarter-note delay is 769 ms. It is in A minor, Camelot 8A, which shares its notes with C major and mixes cleanly with D minor and E minor.
We use multiple sources as part of our online research for the song story including Wikipedia.