Synopsis

Billy Idol performs from within oversized picture frames as a restless young woman named Devon invades her reserved neighbor's apartment. She dances, sheds layers, and throws his orderly world into chaos while he reacts with mounting alarm. Idol's performance is intercut with footage from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, linking the song to its film-soundtrack origins. The video's deliberately comic, provocative style turns a simple neighborly encounter into a fast-moving collision of sexual teasing, rock-star spectacle, and cinematic promotion.

Factoids & Trivia

• Billy Idol was unable to walk normally after a motorcycle accident shortly before filming. The staging consequently emphasizes him from the waist up, with the frames helping conceal the limitation.

• Betsy Lynn George played Devon, while Joshua Townshend-Zellner appeared as the increasingly uncomfortable neighbor. George later recalled that she was 18 when she made the video and that the production company was asked to verify her age after the clip aired.

• The song was written by David Werner, who originally recorded it as a demo. Idol altered and added lyrics during the recording process, earning a co-writing credit.

• "Cradle of Love" was created for The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and also appeared on Idol's 1990 album Charmed Life. The soundtrack connection is reflected in the movie clips used in the main version of the video.

• Andrew Dice Clay, the star of The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, was not shown in the film excerpts because he had been banned from MTV at the time.

• The video won Best Video from a Film at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. It was also nominated for Best Male Video and Best Special Effects.

• An alternate version omits the Ford Fairlane footage and uses different performance material, including shots of a man playing guitar.

• Idol and George recreated the video's opening for the 1991 Grammy Awards.