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Billy Idol has shared a restored alternate video for “Sweet Sixteen,” filmed in color at Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida, in 1987 and never previously made public. The clip places Idol among the stone structures at the site that inspired the song. A black-and-white performance video was released in 1987, and that version remained the one fans knew. The new edit was reconstructed from the original film source, re-edited shot by shot, and color graded from the full range of the footage.
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“Sweet Sixteen” appears on Idol’s third solo album, Whiplash Smile, released in 1986. The track became a single the following year, when the two videos were made. The new release arrives as Whiplash Smile reaches its 40th anniversary.
The song draws on the history of Edward Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant whose fiancée left him the day before their wedding. After moving to Florida, Leedskalnin spent nearly three decades carving more than 1,000 tons of stone into Coral Castle, working alone and mostly at night. When asked about the structure, he said it was for his “Sweet Sixteen.” Idol learned the story in the early 1980s and wrote the song in 1983. He has called it “a heartfelt lament with a story behind it.”
The original video was directed by Peter Sinclair. The 2026 restoration was produced by Ilce Tarin Perez, with restoration editing by Morgan James Chadwick and color work by Rob Bessette, in association with the UMG Film Archives. In September, DJ and producer R3HAB released a remix of Idol’s 1990 single “Cradle of Love.” Earlier this year, Idol received the American Music Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award and was named to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 class. Next month, Los Angeles will proclaim Nov. 13 Billy Idol Day, with Idol and longtime collaborator Steve Stevens scheduled to perform acoustically at City Hall. The pair are set to be inducted into the Hall on Nov. 14.
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