Blondie is an American rock band that formed in 1974-1975, first gained fame in the late
1970s and has so far sold over 60 million records. The band was a pioneer in the early American
New Wave and
Punk Rock scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of
Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco,
Pop and
Reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.
Lead singer Deborah Harry
achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members, leading to tension within the group. Following the poorly received album
The Hunter and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982. As members pursued other projects, Blondie's reputation grew over the following decade and the group reformed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999. The group toured and performed throughout the world over the following years, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the
Rock Walk of Fame in 2006.
Blondie songs:
Album discography:
- Blondie (1976)
- Plastic Letters (1978)
- Parallel Lines (1978)
- Eat to the Beat (1979)
- Autoamerican (1980)
- The Hunter (1982)
- No Exit (1999)
- The Curse of Blondie (2003)
- Panic of Girls (2011)
Blondie has examples of:
- '80s Hair: Debbie Harry on the cover of The Hunter.
- The Cover Changes The Gender: "Denise" became "Denis".
- Creator Couple: Chris Stein and Debbie Harry.
- Disco: "Heart of Glass"
- Genre Roulette: Blondie are well known for this, spanning several different genres across each album. A good example is Eat To The Beat's second half (Side 2 on the original vinyl/cassette release) which has each track in a distinct genre:
- Die Young Stay Pretty - Reggae
- Slow Motion - Motown
- Atomic - Disco
- Sound A Sleep - Easy Listening
- Victor - Progressive Rock
- Living In The Real World - Punk
- Gratuitous French Phrases: "Sunday Girl".
- "Denis" also featured a verse in French, which explained the cover's name and gender change (from a girl named Denise to a French boy named Denis).
- "Francois, c'est pas flashe non due" in the Rapture rap.
- From Call Me: "Appelle-moi, mon chéri, appelle-moi", just after some Gratuitous Italian: "Amore chiamami, chiamami". Both verses mean "Call me, my dear/love".
- Obsession Song: Several, including "One Way or Another", "Accidents Never Happen" and "Hangin' On the Telephone".
- Performance Video
- Playboy Bunny: Debbie Harry worked at New York's Playboy Club back in the '70s.
- Pun-Based Title: "Rapture"
- Rap Rock: Trope Maker along with The Clash
- Rearrange the Song: The band's early song Once I Had A Love was rearranged several times until it became Heart Of Glass several years later. When first written the song was blues inspired, it went on to become more upbeat and poppier, and finally the band decided on the electro-disco arrangement that made "Heart Of Glass" famous. Several demos of it are available and show the song in its various stages of development.
- Small Name, Big Ego: The titular "her" in "Rip Her To Shreds".
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