Fathers Day
20 T-Shirts for Father’s Day that Dad Actually Wants
What to buy Dad for Father’s Day? He already has everything he wants right, so it’s the thought that really counts!
Sam
May 8, 2025
There was a time when my biggest dilemma was choosing between spiking my hair like Billy Idol or blowing it all out like Sebastian Bach. Spoiler alert: I didn’t have the patience for hairspray or the bone structure for either. But I did have a cassette deck, a stack of Maxell tapes, and Billy Idol’s Charmed Life on repeat.
When Charmed Life dropped in 1990, Idol wasn’t just sneering at the camera anymore–he was rising from the ashes of a near-fatal motorcycle crash, flipping the bird to fate, and slapping down an album that somehow sounded both polished and primal. Gone was some of the raw edge from his earlier stuff, but what replaced it was a stadium-ready sound built for blasting out of car speakers and mall food courts alike.
“Cradle of Love” hit the radio like a velvet punch to the jaw—slinky, loud, and just sleazy enough to make your girlfriend’s dad shake his head in disapproval. But I cranked it up every time. That song made me believe I could saunter through life in leather pants, despite the fact that I was still borrowing my dad’s station wagon.
And then there was his cover of “L.A. Woman.” Man, that one… Idol didn’t just cover The Doors—he owned it. He honored Jim Morrison, sure, but he revved it up and gave it a shot of Hollywood gasoline. It was gritty, hot, and dripping in neon grime. The way it snarled and shimmered? Pure West Coast outlaw energy. It made me want to drive west with the windows down and the volume up, even if west only led to the next town over and a Taco Bell parking lot.
Musically, Charmed Life hit a sweet spot: big guitars, danceable drums, and just enough synth to remind you it was still 1990. It was the sound of a rocker brushing off the ashes and going, “Yeah, I’m still here, and I still sound cooler than you.”
While Charmed Life only spun out one major hit with “Cradle of Love,” I’ll say it: This is Billy Idol’s best album. It holds up better than any of the others. Start to finish, it’s got teeth, sweat, and a whole lot of swagger.
It went platinum for a reason. Billy had enough charm to hook the MTV crowd and enough grit to keep the old punks nodding.
And speaking of MTV, remember the “Cradle of Love” music video? Directed by none other than David Fincher. Betsy Lynn George was the hottest thing on screen back then–no contest. That video was burned into the brain of every red-blooded guy I knew. And if you noticed, Idol was only shot from the waist up during those live portrait scenes? That’s because he was recovering from his motorcycle crash. It worked out so smoothly that this music video won “Best Video from a film” at the MTV Video Music Awards that year.
Charmed Life was released 35 years ago today. For a guy in his twenties back then trying to figure it all out, it was the soundtrack to feeling untouchable—if only for 45 minutes at a time.
So yeah, today’s the day. Play it loud, play it proud. And if you’re gonna wear your heart on your sleeve, might as well make it a Billy Idol tee.
Rock on,
Sam
What to buy Dad for Father’s Day? He already has everything he wants right, so it’s the thought that really counts!
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