Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Today's subject is a very talented and popular group that dominated the international charts during the late 70s and early 80s. They were fronted by a woman of exceptional beauty and personality, a real Star: Debbie Harry.

Debbie Harry was born on July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida. Initially named Angela Tremble, she was adopted at three months of age by Richard Smith Harry and Catherine (née Peters), gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne, New Jersey and renamed Deborah Ann Harry. Harry learned of her adoption at four years old and later, in the late 1980s, she tracked down her birth mother, who refused to have any contact with her.

Before starting her singing career, she moved to New York City in the late 1960s and worked there as a secretary at BBC Radio's office for one year. Later, she was a waitress at Max's Kansas City, a go-go dancer in a Union City, New Jersey discothèque, and a Playboy Bunny.

In the late 1960s, Harry began her musical career as a backing singer for the folk-rock group the Wind in the Willows, which released one self-titled album in 1968 on Capitol Records. From this album, here's Moments Spent:

... This is Djini Judy:

In 1974, Harry joined the Stilettos with Elda Gentile (mother to one of Eric Emerson's children) and Amanda Jones. Her eventual boyfriend and Blondie guitarist, Chris Stein (who was a frequent Eric Emerson collaborator), joined the band shortly after. In 1978, without Harry and Stein, the Stilettos cut a record at the Hit factory, with Rick Derringer producing; it contained songs like Anti-Disco:

After leaving the Stilettos, Harry and Stein formed Angel and the Snake with Tish Bellomo and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, Harry and Stein formed Blondie, naming it after the term of address men often called Harry when she bleached her hair blonde.

By the spring of 1975, after some personnel turnover, Harry and Stein were joined by drummer Clem Burke and bass player Gary Valentine. Blondie became regular performers at Max's Kansas City and CBGB. In June 1975, the band's first recording came in the way of a demo produced by Alan Betrock. To fill out their sound, they recruited keyboard player Jimmy Destri in November 1975. The band signed with Private Stock Records and their debut album, Blondie, was issued in December 1976 but was initially not a commercial success. In September 1977, the band bought back its contract with Private Stock and signed with British label Chrysalis Records. The first album was re-released on the new label in October 1977. Rolling Stone's review of the debut album observed the eclectic nature of the group's music, comparing it to Phil Spector and the Who, and commented that the album's two strengths were Richard Gottehrer's production and the persona of Debbie Harry. The publication said she performed with "utter aplomb and involvement throughout: even when she's portraying a character consummately obnoxious and spaced-out, there is a wink of awareness that is comforting and amusing yet never condescending." It also noted that Harry was the "possessor of a bombshell zombie's voice that can sound dreamily seductive and woodenly Mansonite within the same song".

The band's first commercial success occurred in Australia in 1977, when the music television program Countdown mistakenly played their video In the Flesh, which was the B-side of their then current single X-Offender. Jimmy Destri later credited the show's Molly Meldrum for their initial success, commenting that "we still thank him to this day" for playing the wrong song. In a 1998 interview, drummer Clem Burke recalled seeing the episode in which the wrong song was played, but he and Chris Stein suggested that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge on the part of Meldrum. Stein asserted that X-Offender was "too crazy and aggressive [to become a hit]", while In the Flesh was "not representative of any punk sensibility. Over the years, I've thought they probably played both things but liked one better. That's all." In retrospect, Burke described In the Flesh as "a forerunner to the power ballad". In the Flesh peaked at #2 in Australia:

This is X-Offender:

The album peaked at #14 in Australia and at #75 in the UK and also contained Rip Her to Shreds, an energetic track that became a minor hit single:

In February 1978, Blondie released their second album, Plastic Letters (Netherlands #2, UK #10, Sweden #33, New Zealand #38, Australia #64, US #78). The album was recorded as a four-piece as Gary Valentine had left the band in mid-1977. Plastic Letters was promoted extensively throughout Europe and Asia by Chrysalis Records. The album's first single, Denis, was a cover version of Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit, Denise. This is the original:

This is Blondie's version, which hit #1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, #2 in the UK, #3 in Ireland, #9 in Germany, #10 in Austria, #12 in Australia, and #19 in Sweden.

My favorite song of the album was the second single, (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear, which peaked at #8 in the Netherlands, #10 in the UK, and #14 in Belgium.

I also liked the punkier album track I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No:

With Frank Infante on guitar and British bassist Nigel Harrison replacing Gary Valentine, Blondie was now a six-piece. For their next album, they replaced producer Richard Gottehrer with Mike Chapman (the Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud, Nick Gilder, the Knack, Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, etc). Parallel Lines is a state-of-the-art pop/rock of the late 70's, with Harry's tough-girl glamour setting the pattern that would be exploited over the next decade by a host of successors led by Madonna. It finally broke the band into the American market, on its way to becoming the group's most successful album, selling 20 million copies worldwide. Parallel Lines, with album tracks as impressive as the songs pulled for singles, is ranked #140 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Picture This, the album's lead single featured Robert Fripp on guitar and was called "the tenderest new wave love song put to vinyl" by music critic Arion Berger of Rolling Stone. It reached #12 in the UK, #13 in Ireland, #15 in Sweden, and #88 in Australia, but was not issued as a single in the US.

Because the biggest hit from Blondie's previous album Plastic Letters was Denis, a cover, Chrysalis Records chose Buddy Holly's I'm Gonna Love You Too as the lead single from Parallel Lines in the US. This turned out to be a miscalculation as the single failed to chart. The song was eventually released as a single in a few other countries in 1979 and peaked at #3 in Belgium and at #6 in the Netherlands.

Hanging on the Telephone is a song written by Jack Lee. It was first performed by his short-lived US West Coast power pop trio The Nerves; this is the original version:

Later in 1978, it was recorded and released as Blondie's next single. Another great song, it was also very successful in Europe (UK #5, Ireland #16, Belgium #19, the Netherlands #20) and less so in Oceania (Australia #39, New Zealand #43).

It was Blondie's next single that made them international superstars: the disco-infused Heart Of Glass. It was a reworking of a rock and reggae-influenced song that the group had performed since its formation in the mid-1970s, updated with strong elements of disco music. Clem Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive, whose drumbeat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Jimmy Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections. Harry's detached but sensual vocals fitted the song just fine and the line "riding high on love's true bluish light" was understood to say "riding high on love's little bluish lines" by many, which caused quite a stir at the time. I mean, you know which part of the body prominently features little bluish lines, right?

The song peaked at #1 in most countries (US, UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), #2 in Ireland and South Africa, #3 in Sweden, #5 in Belgium and Norway, and #8 in the Netherlands.

They followed Heart Of Glass with two singles; one for America and one for the rest of the world. One Way Or Another peaked at #7 in Canada and at #24 in the US. Like Hanging on the Telephone, this presents Blondie's harder rocking side.

Sunday Girl was another #1 for them in the UK, Ireland, and Australia and a big hit in the rest of Europe. I don't know about you, but this song (which I love) reminds me of the Seekers' Georgy Girl. It's not the melody or the lyrics; it's, if I may use a French word, the "allure" of the song.

Here is the song for you to compare:

I would also like to play two album tracks from Parallel Lines that I like. This is Fade Away and Radiate:

... And this is Will Anything Happen?:

Blondie's fourth album, Eat to the Beat (UK #1, Sweden #2, New Zealand #3, Canada and Norway #6, Australia #9, the Netherlands #16, US #17, Austria #19, and Germany #23), was released in October 1979. Though well received by critics as a suitable follow-up to Parallel Lines, the album and its singles failed to achieve the same level of success in the US, whilst in the UK the album delivered three top 20 hits including the band's third UK #1, Atomic. The single was a top 20 hit in most of Europe but only made #39 in the US.

Dreaming was a #2 hit in the UK, a top 20 hit in most of Europe, and a #24 hit in the US:

Union City Blue was a top 20 hit in the UK and Ireland:

A live version of David Bowie's Heroes was released in 1980 as a non-album single, but it did not chart:

There was another Blondie single that was released in 1980 and couldn't be found on any of their studio albums. This one did chart: #1 in the US (the biggest hit of 1980), the UK, and Canada, as well as a huge hit everywhere else, Call Me could also be found on the soundtrack of American Gigolo. It was Blondie's collaboration with another important producer, Italian synthesizer-master Giorgio Moroder (Donna Summer, Midnight Express, Sparks, the Three Degrees, etc). An exuberant dance hit, it really expressed the spirit of the times.

Their next album, Autoamerican (1980), produced two international hit singles, but not much else. It still managed to make the top 10 in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The first single from this album was The Tide Is High. It is a 1966 reggae song written by John Holt, originally performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons, with John Holt as lead singer. Here is the original version:

The song was released as a single in 1978 by Gregory Isaacs; this version was produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson. Here it is:

Blondie's version was #1 in the US, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand; and top 7 in Ireland, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Austria, and Norway.

Rapture was released as the second and final single from the album. The song reached #1 in the US, where it stayed for two weeks. It was the first No. 1 song in the US to feature rap vocals. The song peaked at #3 in Canada, # 4 in Ireland and New Zealand, and #5 in the UK and Australia.

Blondie entered a year-long hiatus in 1981 during which Harry released her first solo album, KooKoo. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album peaked at #25 in the US and #6 in the UK. Four singles were released, but none made much of a commercial impression. The first single, Backfired, was relatively more successful, peaking at #23 in Australia, #28 in New Zealand, #32 in the UK, and #43 in the US. The video was directed by H. R. Giger (who had designed the iconic Alien creature in the Ridley Scott movie). Around this time Harry also was cultivating an acting career that included a high-profile appearance in 1980's Roadie and later David Cronenberg's Videodrome in 1982.

The Jam Was Moving was less successful, but I think it's the album's best:

The band reconvened in late 1981 to record a new album, The Hunter, released in May 1982 (UK #9, Australia #15, Sweden #18, the Netherlands and Norway #19, Canada #24, US #33). In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter was poorly received. The album did have two moderate hit singles: Island of Lost Souls (Belgium #8, UK #11, Australia #13, Ireland #15, New Zealand #18, the Netherlands #21, US #37) and War Child (Ireland #21, UK #39).

Island of Lost Souls tried to recapture the vibe of The Tide Is High and failed:

Harry's lyrics to War Child were partly autobiographical:

For Your Eyes Only had been intended as the theme song for the 1981 James Bond film, but was rejected (rightly) in favor of a competing entry by Bill Conti and Mike Leeson that went on to become a Top Five hit for Sheena Easton.

For the sake of comparison:

With tensions within the band on the rise due to the act's commercial decline and the attendant financial pressures that brought, as well as the constant press focus on Harry to the exclusion of the other band members, events reached a breaking point when Stein was diagnosed with the autoimmune life-threatening bullous disease pemphigus.

As a result of Stein's illness, coupled with drug use by members of the band, financial mismanagement, and slow concert ticket sales, Blondie canceled their tour plans early in August 1982. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up. Stein and Harry, still a couple at the time, stayed together and retreated from the public spotlight for a while. Harry made attempts to resume her solo career in the mid-1980s, but two singles (1983's Rush Rush, from the film Scarface, and 1985's Feel The Spin) met with little success. Harry was forced to sell the couple's five-story mansion to pay off debts that the band had run up, Stein owed in excess of $1 million, and drug use was becoming an increasing problem for them both. Harry decided to end her intimate relationship with Stein and moved downtown. She stated in a 2006 interview that she felt she was having a sort of breakdown due to all the stress.

We'll listen to the failed singles anyway. They're not bad, actually. This is Rush Rush:

... And this is Feel The Spin:

After Stein recovered from his illness, Harry resumed her solo career with the album Rockbird in 1986, with active participation from Stein. The album was a moderate success in the UK where it reached gold certification and gave her a UK top 10 hit with French Kissin' in the USA:

In Love With Love was a #1 US Dance hit:

My good friend, Snicks, just mentioned that his favorite Debbie Harry song is Liar, Liar, from the 1988 movie Married to the Mob. I should have included the song from the start, but it's never too late; here it is:

Her next solo venture was the album Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989, one of her more inspired solo efforts. At this point, Harry reverted from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name. The first single, I Want That Man, was a hit in Europe and Australia and on the US Modern Rock Charts. The success of the single propelled the album to #12 on the UK chart, where it earned a silver disc. This is I Want That Man:

This is the charming Brite Side, which she performed on the brilliant but underrated CBS crime drama Wiseguy, on which she also acted:

This is the addictive Bike Boy:

... And this is the haunting He Is So:

Recording with several star musicians, including members of R.E.M., Deborah Harry returned to a more rock-oriented approach on Debravation (1993). Although the band was tight and Harry was in fine voice, the album suffers from weak material. There are, however, some good tracks; former Art of Noise member, Anne Dudley produced the loungey, sassy Strike Me Pink:

Dudley also produced Mood Ring, a charming, slow, companion piece to the above:

I Can See Clearly was a hit, #23 UK, and #2 US Dance:

Former partner and Blondie member, Chris Stein, also co-wrote with Harry and produced four of the remaining songs - all rockier than the rest - including the darkly threatening album closer, Dog Star Girl, co-written with cyberpunk author, William Gibson.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Blondie's past work began to be recognized again by a new generation of fans and artists including Garbage and No Doubt. Chrysalis/EMI Records also released several compilations and collections of remixed versions of some of its biggest hits.

In 1996, Stein and Harry began the process of reuniting Blondie and contacted original members Burke, Destri, and Valentine. Former members Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante did not participate in the reunion, and they unsuccessfully sued to prevent the reunion under the name Blondie.

A new album, No Exit (UK #3, US #18), was released in February 1999. The band was now officially a four-piece, consisting of Harry, Stein, Burke, and Destri. Valentine by this point had left the group and did not play on the album or contribute to the writing of any songs. Session musicians Leigh Foxx (bass) and Paul Carbonara (guitar) played on this and subsequent Blondie releases. The first single, Maria, was a surprise #1 in the UK, and a top 10 hit in most of Europe. it didn't do as well in the US, Canada, or Australia.

Maria, which Destri had written thinking about his high school days, by becoming Blondie's sixth UK number one single exactly 20 years after their first chart-topper, gave the band the distinction of being one of only two American acts to reach number one in the UK singles charts in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s (the other being Michael Jackson).

Nothing Is Real but the Girl was the follow-up single, peaking at #26 in the UK:

Screaming Skin is a rocking, stream of consciousness piece:

The reformed band released the follow-up album The Curse of Blondie (UK #36, US #160) in October 2003. Curse proved to be Blondie's lowest-charting album since their debut in 1976, although the single Good Boys managed to reach #12 on the UK charts. It is their last hit single so far.

Diamond Bridge was another noteworthy track on this album:

In 2004, Jimmy Destri left the group in order to deal with drug addiction, leaving Harry, Stein, and Burke as the only members of the original line-up still with the band. Though Destri's stint in rehab was successful, he was not invited back into the band.

In 2006, Debbie collaborated with Moby and the song was New York, New York. It peaked at #43 UK and at #10 US Dance:

In 2007, Harry joined Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour for the Human Rights Campaign. She is a strong advocate for gay rights and same-sex marriage. Her fifth solo album, Necessary Evil, was also released in 2007. The first single, Two Times Blue, peaked at #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart. 

The next Blondie album, Panic of Girls, was first released in May 2011 as a limited edition "fan pack" in the UK with a 132-page magazine and various collectible items, before being released as a regular CD later in the summer. The lead single, Mother, was released beforehand as a free download.

A second single from the album, What I Heard, was available as a digital release in July 2011:

The album, Ghosts of Download, was released in May 2014 as part of a two-disc package titled Blondie 4(0) Ever (to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary), which also included Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux, a compilation of re-recordings of Blondie's past singles.

From this album, A Rose by Any Name features Beth Ditto:

The above song contains the line, "if you're a boy or if you're a girl, I love you just the same." During the publicity interviews, Harry publicly revealed that she's bisexual: When asked whether long-standing rumors of her affairs with girls were true, she said, "Yeah," adding: "Let’s say women are more sensual."

Harry, who enjoyed a long-term relationship with fellow band member Chris Stein, did not name any of her female lovers. She also insisted that her most enduring relationships had been with men and that she longed to fall in love again.

"I don’t know if I have any specific requirements," she said. "Just somebody nice, who has a good sense of humor and loves to have sex. What more could you ask for?"

Despite her 16-year relationship with Blondie guitarist Stein – they eventually split up in 1989 – Harry has never married and admitted she never yearned to be a mother either: "It just didn’t work out that way. I didn’t think I’d be particularly good at it. It all seemed very frightening to me."

Such is the band’s popularity, they were invited to perform at the Sochi Winter Olympics – an offer Harry was quick to reject because of Russia’s controversial anti-gay laws. "Why make such a big thing out of a personal choice or a natural instinct? It seems barbaric and idiotic," she added.

Also in this album, Sugar On the Side features Systema Solar:

Blondie's latest album, called Pollinator, was released on May 5, 2017. The album was recorded at The Magic Shop in SoHo, New York City, and features songs written by the likes of TV on the Radio's David Sitek, Johnny Marr, Sia, Charli XCX, and Dev Hynes.

Fun was the album's lead single:

... Followed by Long Time:

When I Gave Up on You features the Gregory Brothers:

While promoting Blondie's latest record, Harry returned to the subject of bisexuality: She said: "My bisexual days have gone by actually. I have great affection for some of my female friends but I think maybe when I was younger it might have been a little more hormonal and our hormones change," she said. Well, I can understand not feeling very randy at 71, especially after a full and satisfying sex life. But it doesn't actually work that way, Debbie. Being straight or gay or bisexual is not a matter of your current sexual habits. One can be a virgin and still be quite sure that they're gay, or one can abstain from sex for decades and still consider themselves bisexual. It is a state of mind, or rather a calibration of personality. The sex practice is secondary.

Let's close this with Debbie answering the question: What have you done in your career that you're most proud of?

"I guess just even trying to do it. That was a major step. And I guess, sticking with it through everything because I've certainly had my fair share of ups and downs - being popular and unpopular. But I've always been convinced about what I liked and didn't like and what I wanted to do. And I know the things that I like best. I really was proud of doing Videodrome and Hairspray. I think those are great movies, and working with John Waters and David Cronenberg was certainly a big plus for me."