Rookie Punk Band Made Fans LIVID When They Took A THROWAWAY Disco Song to #1! | Professor of Rock
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มิ.ย. 2023
- Coming up…. When punk rock band Blondie recorded a disco song they alienated their punk followers who accused them of selling out. Deborah Harry and Chris Stein loved disco but their fans didn’t. On the flip side, the disco faithful treated them like outsiders who were merely pandering for commercial success. But here’s the thing… It’s one of the coolest songs of its time… In the middle of this identity crisis, that same disco song Heart of Glass, surprisingly, became a huge international hit, and catapulted the band to superstardom… and the iconic title of the song came from the band trying to figure out how to replace a lyric that was a swear word for fear of getting censored on radio. You won’t believe this story next.
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#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #blondie
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The sextet named Blondie broke out of the punk rock scene in New York City’s east village. You had Jimmy Destri on - electronic keyboards Frank Infante - on lead guitar, Chris Stein - on rhythm guitar, 12-string, and E-bow there was also Nigel Harrison - on the bass the wonderful Clem Burke - on drums, and of course the legendary Deborah Harry -on lead vocals.
The band was labeled a “punk band,” but their attitude was more rebellious than the nature of their music. To be defiant, and “uncool” they would perform a disco song in their set, sometimes a song they had recorded on a demo titled “The Disco Song.” When they played “The Disco Song” at their club gigs, like the legendary CBGB, drummer Clem Burke recalled there were hand-cupped “boos” from the crowd.
The original version of “the disco song” was conceived between ’74 & ’75, then re-recorded in ’78 for their multi-platinum album Parallel Lines. The title was changed from “I Once Had a Love” to “Heart of Glass.” Guitarist Chris Stein & singer Deborah Harry were partners - romantically & professionally. As the driving force behind BLONDIE, the couple conspired on virtually all of the band’s music - Debbie writing the lyrics, and Chris inventing the music. Debbie sat down to come up with a song about a lost love and the emotional fragility that is the fallout.
Debbie drew from personal emotional experience to craft the song that was eventually recorded as “Heart of Glass.” She wanted to capture a feeling of having a love that was once powerful, and beautiful, but soon discovering that the relationship was not as lasting as it seemed. The song expresses a sense of disillusionment and the fear of being hurt by the inevitability of fallen love. She began the song by borrowing a remark she overheard from the mouth of a New York City cab driver that stuck with her. “I once had a love…and it was a gas,” The euphoria of Debbie’s narrative quickly shifted to frustration in her next line “soon turned out…to be a pain in the ass.” - บันเทิง
Poll: What is your pick for the catchiest song of the 70s! A song you have to sing along to!
Hallelujah- sweathog
....What A Fool Belieeeeveeesss....it seeeeeeees.... I don't know the rest! ....ha-HAAA!! ....ha-HAA!! ...jus' kiddin'.... ; )
We Will Rock You
The Boys Are Back In Town
American Pie
Rocking All Over The World
We Will Rock You
I always loved this song, but back then, I never really thought of it as disco. I was too mesmerized by Deborah Harry's voice to worry about such trivialities as genre.
Like you I never thought of the song as disco.
@@DianeLake-sw3ym Ditto.
It’s a lot of things in my mind, including proto disco.
I recognized it was influenced by disco. But I never 'tagged' it as disco. I just enjoyed Blondie's mix of influences and enthralling energetic spirit.
Exactly. I never thought of it as a Disco song… it was just Debbie Harry & Blondie giving us a mega hit with a fantastic addictive hook.
Never until this expose did I think of Heart of Glass as disco. To me it was a fusion rock tune, like so many songs are. I was ten when I heard this song on the radio and fell in love with its ethereal coolness. So catchy and whimsical with a rough edge. Perfection.
I think you have uttered the World's Greatest adjective=="Ethereal Coolness"
and I shall not forget it anytime soon~!!
I consider this song New Wave
Agreed
when i was a little kid my mum used to listen to this song on tape in the car while we waited to pick my dad up from his workplace and ever since then whenever i hear this song it takes me right back to the good old days:-)
Debbie Harry was at the last Coachella, and at 77 she was still kicking ass! You can see her set here on TH-cam!
Still epic and iconic!
Fantastic!
I was there and she’s still a badass!
Never thought of Blondie as a punk band or as being stuck in one genre of music. My favorite is their reggae sounding, "The Tide is High."
I always thought they leaned more new wave than punk or disco.
I love the Tide is High! It's a great song. Thanks Ted.
Yeah, The Tide Is High is great!!!
Good grief how could I forget The Tide is High!
Yeah it always trips me out when I hear that Blondie would have shows wit the Ramones back in the day .. 😂
I love it when a band comes up with a song that doesn't fit in any genre, but is all alone and fantastic.
Blondie is in my top 10 bands of all time! They had the true punk aesthetic because they played what they wanted and never cared what their fans thought. Debbie Harry is the true Punk Goddess!
She is a true badass!
Well... They recorded this song because the record copmany wanted something different, so...
@@alukuhito Right? It tickles me when fans think they know what the band didn't "care about" and "wouldn't compromise over."
Debra Harry is easily one of the biggest ground breaking women in music. I've heard of her as the Mother of rap, the bridge between punk and pop. Songs so unique yet so good.
I have never heard of her as the mother of rap, but that is appropriate. Rap use to be an underground city thing like in NY or LA. Blondie was into Rap music and developed Rapture. Before Rapture, there was no money in the music, but with Rapture, it brought this style of music to the vast middle of the US, between NY's Hudson River and East LA. That song put a light rap song and Fab Five Freddy into every home with MTV in it. It brought actual rap music to MTV(Fab Five Freddy became the hose of a 1 hr show called MTV RAPs) and put rap into the hands of middle class kids with money across the country. Rapture made Rap Music profitable. Other developments like licensing of music(RUN DMC with Aerosmith) also brought in teenage rockers to the Rap Music buying public. After years of law suits for stealing music, Rap has developed its own stars who are creative and make their own hooks which created the stars of the 90s and today. All of this from a Punk band who liked the club music.
Joe Strummer always thought so too, and he's a fella who knows a thing or two about punk blending...
She brought rap to the world, and was the first to chart a rap song in the top ten. "Rapper's Delight" was out earlier but had more limited distribution/airplay and a lower charting. Debra was at the now-famous birthday party for DJ Herk's little sister which is now hailed as the birthplace of hip-hop. Blondie took off from a CBGB start like so many other famous punk bands, this was a magical time we will never see again.
The expression Heart of Glass is a wonderful metaphor the point is she's making is she has a card that is fragile and easily broke like glass😮
Heart of Glass is one of the greatest tunes from that era. It’s a perfect mix of “punk”, “pop”, and “disco”.
You got it! Thanks!
I agree. Great song.
Cannot be catorised... it was late 70s early 80s just before MTV. Heart of glass actually on dance floor Jr high school got me near 3 rd base laid. On the dance floor. Haha thanks for the memory.
@@josephhickman4759 😂😂😂…another reason to love this song!!
The record that turned Blondie into a bonafide band. Still have huge respect for Debbie Harry and the crew, doing her part for the hip hop fraternity with *"Rapture."*
My favourite Heart of Glass stories is how WKRP in Cincinnati is credited with helping the album Parallel Lines blow up and become so popular. In fact, the band and record label were so appreciative, they gave the show a gold record which they hung in the bullpen of the set. Awesome stuff.
That's mentioned in the video. I never knew this story. Cheers.
@tonycowin not cheer, WKRP. Lol. Bad joke I know.
@@kellybarthel8060 It's nice being in a place where everybody knows your name. 🎼
WKRP in Cincinnati was groundbreaking in it's day for promoting pop rock in real time. Unfortunately, music royalty issues destroyed its ability to be successful in syndication and hence is nearly forgotten.
That's how "Atomic Punk" ended up in the Episode which introduced "WKRP" viewers to the astonishing Talent of the late great Hamilton Camp, who Played the whacked Stereo Store Owner "Del Murdock." Hamilton Camp & his Musical Partner Bob Gibson (not the Cardinal Pitcher) going back to 1961 influenced a number of groups to come including Simon & Garfunkel.🤔😉🎤🎼🎵🎶🎸🎹🥁📻📺B.W.
Loved the way Clem Burke played drums on "Dreaming" 👍.
Abso-freakin-lutely!
He overplayed on almost every track, and it was great!
Clem is - to a great extent - the American Keith Moon. As to "Dreaming", when I first heard it I thought the drums were supported by a drum machine, because I didn't think any human could play like that. But it's all Clem on that track, he's just that good.
Clem Burke was equally important to Blondie as Debbie Harry. He made them sound epic.
@carolgebert7833 Clem was certainly a big factor in the sound, Jimmy too. The band in general, was very good at creating a sound to sell the story of the lyrics.
Loved this song when I was a kid. It wasn't "disco" enough for me to hate it. Great song to roller-skate to back then.
Great way to explain it. The hook is addictive…. And my favorite part is the the altered time signature to the beat where every other measure it comes in with a 7 beat instead of the standard 8, for the rest of the song. To me that gives the entire song an unexpected punch. Love it.
Even though Burke vowed to never play it live, eventually he obviously had to capitulate when the song just became. Worldwide smash hit.
@@Willie_McBride Well, how'd you do Private William McBride ? (sorry for the reference to another great song from the 70's 😉
Oh yeah great roller or ice ring song!
Right, it is not JUST disco. It is much more than that.
Loved rollerskating to this song. ❤
"Parallel lines" is one of the best albums of all time.
💯
I love it when talented artists make a great song, that instantly catches on with millions of people. Screw these people who complain about selling out.
I was almost 16 when I first heard this song on the radio. I bought the single and later the album, Parallel Lines. It was a hit in our house…we played it over and over. I loved disco, punk and new wave (still do) so I was in heaven when I discovered Blondie. I enjoyed how The song gave the disco fans and the “disco sucks” crowd fits, lol! Still in my top 2 favorite bands of all time.
My favourite song when I was 13. I fell in love with Debbie when she appeared on TV wearing an aqua coloured jumper.
Yes!
@@ProfessorofRock GREAT song when I was 18
Isn’t she stunning?
She did Top of the Pops "Heart of Glass" and had a short skirt with large stripes. She loved the camera. I finally realized it was not live because she had no mic.
Heart Of Glass is on my lifetime eternal playlist. It's one of those songs I can listen to 1000 times and it never gets old.
As a 13 year old boy growing up in a little country town in Australia 🇦🇺 walking around with a little cassette player playing it over and over again I absolutely feel in love with that song and blondie and still play them today she was my first ever crush 😻
The first time my girlfriend (grade 9) came to my house she said 'are you going to play those drums?' So I played Heart of Glass.
It was a gas 😅
Thanks Professor ❤
This is my favorite channel on you tube. Thanks professor...
...we thank him , TOO.... ; )
Thanks for watching Vinny. Any requests?
Thanks my friend!
I first saw Blondie on july 16, 1979, at the Dome in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I then saw her and Chris Stein's band open up for Tears for Fears in January of 1990. The greatest thing about Debby Harry was how she stuck by Chris during his many years of sickness and nursed him back to health. When I saw them in 1990 he was better and they looked and sounded great! A real partnership, in music, and in life.
A great success story.
That was one of the first 80s songs I heard, having come out of the Contemporary Christian circles. I was enthralled with its beat and rhythm and with Debbie Harry's voice. It still holds a special place in my heart.
Debbies role in Spun is underrated and shows how multitalented she is. We used to say when Madonna came out that she wasn’t as cool or hot as Debbie.✊🏽
She still isn't and never will be in my humble opinion. Debbie is head and shoulders above Madonna (and I am an 80's kid).
@@galaxywolf969 Madonna was cool and hot. Debbie was the coolest and the hottest, and BTW, best female rock voice ever.
@@sspaay Absolutely!
Still true!
I still have my 45. Then again, I have all my vinyl's. I never was one to get rid of my precious records, lol.
You wanted to keep the music alive!
Heart of Glass was my favorite song in 1979 -1980 as a little kid ! Great memories as an 8/9 year old boy back then !
What were some other favorites of 1979 for you Duane? I’d have to go with After the Love Has Gone by EWF, I Will Survive, the songs Donna Summer took to #1 that year, and Amii Stewart’s peculiar cover of Knock on Wood.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Donna summer songs
@@duromusabc Talkin’ bout BAD girls…
Great history lesson!
I was 24 when this song came out and never thought of it as any particular style - just a kick-ass song. I was heavy into new wave at that time. Blondie was irresistible, in all her musical personas. ❤
Blondie is one of my favourite bands of all time! This song is just awesome, heck, the whole album is full of awesome songs.
Throw away Disco song? Heart Of Glass? It's a freaking masterpiece and Blondie became the coolest pop group in the world with that song.:) You know how to pitch our interest, Professor, I'm excited to hear you telling the story .:) PS: And yes you set the record straight.:)
For sure! Thanks!
Coworker and I would exchange records to sample new sounds. He loaned me Blondie for Foreigner. We both were excited over the new tunes. After we exchanged back, each of us hit the record store to buy our own copies. The best of musical times.
It always shocks me the origins of some of these classics, what critics thought of them. Throwaway disco it is not!
@@apj341 I would have said peak.
@APJ definition---to attain a peak of activity, development, popularity, etc.
Loved Blondie & 'Heart Of Glass'. Thanks for covering its creation. By the way - digging the ELO Tee!
Blondie's music has stood the test of time. Great band and not afraid to let the drums drive tracks.
I was 15 and living in Australia when this came out. I had already purchased the Parallel Lines album, as I was a Blondie fan (as every teenage boy was). This is still one of my favorite songs. I recently saw an interview Debbie Harry did shortly after the song went #1. She said this song was to rebel against her punk crowd, as they were all making the same sounding music, so they went in a different direction, thank goodness.
That’s an interesting point. This was a matter of discovery for them.
That spirit of rebellion was the true punk spirit!
I always loved Blondie and how they seemed to have a musical repertoire of so many different sounds. Call Me, One Way or Another (Little Darlings), Rapture, eat to the beat, among many others. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was told by a friend not to try to sing the song because I did not have her vocal range.
I remember the first time I heard this: I was in Algebra class (7th grade) and a classmate said, “Guys! Listen to this!” We were thunderstruck; everyone just froze, looking like “WTF?!”
It never occurred to us to call this “disco.” It was something entirely new.
Same! Doesn't sound disco to me. Sound amazing.
Haha, I had that same experience with Gary Numan’s Cars. Makes you forget that disco even existed for a moment.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Oh, man-another good one!
And how about Talking Heads “Burning Down The House”? That was much later (‘83?), but that was another one that made go “Wait. What?!”
@@llamasugar5478 That one freaked me out for a while. But its charm is undeniable and wins me over every time.
My current favorite is Blondies punk inspired cover of Hanging on the Telephone. Took me 40 years to rediscover it!
At 14 years of age, I was in the car with my mother and father heading to the mall. The radio was on and Heart of Glass started playing. I had never heard or seen Blondie but that day I fell in love with this woman’s voice and still do to this day. My first ever album that I purchased was Eat to the Beat which was the follow up to Parallel Lines. I still have that album along with every other album they ever made. I was also fortunate enough to see her in concert during their heyday. It was at the Meadowlands Arena in NJ. She had 2 opening acts. A band no one ever heard of at that time, Duran Duran, opened the show and George Thorogood followed them before Blondie took the stage. This video brought back some very good memories. Well done.
At the end of the day, punk song or disco song, it's just a really great song! Iconic for decades to come for sure. Quite an interesting time when a band steps out of their roots! Cheers
It is a great song. No question. One of the best to that year!
@@ProfessorofRock Yeah!
To me Blondie was the first pure "CLUB" band. Every subset of clublife back then had a blondie song for it- punk, new wave, no wave, rap, disco.
The only important thing is it’s a classic song.
Without "Heart of Glass" there might not have been a "Call Me" for American Gigolo.
I love that Midnight Special performance, which she self censored, drummer Clem Burke goes insane.
Love this channel, has introduced me to all kinds of new music and made me excited to hear the stories of the music i know and love. Thank you Adam! You and channels alike that are actively documenting history are doing gods work.
I remember watching Blondie on The Muppet show, I remember being told that the guest stars of The Muppet show add a creative hand in how they wanted their music displayed. I was in high school watching The Muppet show, but I had to see Blondie on the Muppet Show, and I'm glad I did
I used to watch the Muppet Show in elementary school 10 years ago while my parents would handle business at Great Clips, so I totally remember this.
Dear Mr. REader,... in addition to the great pleasure of hearing these great stories, really enjoy your commentary & delivery. Much obliged.
VERY cool story…you were right, Professor!!! Always loved this song and group!!
I had been a fan of Blondie since their first album in '76 and had to admit that I was surprised by this album inclusion of a recording of their "disco song". Still, this album had so much to offer and I grew to appreciate "Heart of Glass". While Blondie's roots were in punk, their material had far greater range right from their debut album.
Great song, great band, great story. Thanks @ProfessorofRock!
I’m so glad Blondie had this incredible Hit internationally. I liked them before and after this hit Song ❤. Great show I always watch it when I’m at home. Keep rolling out the Good ole Days and thanks Adam for your dedication for everything you do. 😊
Love it. Always have, always will! ❤Thanks, Adam!
This is my favorite channel. Not even close. Thank you Professor!
When Blondie used that drum machine for Heart Of Glass, it was very rarely done before, but because of this, having both real drums and drum machine in sync became common in the 80s. Tears For Fears were a perfect example!
TFF perfected the method.
Professor, this is on a very short list of my very favorite TH-cam channels. What you are doing and how you are doing it is just absolutely fantastic. It’s a music lovers dream to come in here and listen you so eloquently and intelligently discuss these bands, artists and their songs. I love when you add the little “if you remember…” section at the beginning. And for me, seeing that ‘Eddie and the Cruisers’ soundtrack behind you (with the hype sticker) that is the surest sign I’m always going to love you and your channel! I have a VERY loved and worn copy on vinyl! Keep it up my man!
The “If you remember” line from Adam’s intros gets me super curious as a Gen Zer as to what people’s memories of these past pop culture phenomena were. As for today, I used to really look forward to getting a Happy Meal because the toys would often be a certain series a month (e.g. books about certain animals, action figures) and whichever toy I got that week would be my theme for living my life. For example, one week would be Spider-Man and the next would be Wonder Woman.
Thanks for covering Blondie, great song, you put together a great video!
Great show. Its so nice to hear you celebrating all forms of music that was the best parts of my life growing up in the 70s/80s !!!!
Adam, you are truly the spiritual successor to Casey Kasem.
As if I did not already know... This episode somehow sealed it for me.
Thanks for caring so much about the music. ...for crystallizing what so many of us felt back then but could not always articulate.
Hope you get to 1M subs soon.
Skate rink gold as a young man - Heart of Glass was in heavy rotation.
Skate Rink Gold! Love it.
It is THE roller skating song.
Very nice discussion about Blondie and what they did for music sir! It is nice to hear about the things that changed music and how it effects us that listen. Well done sir!
Absolutely fantastic video and commentary / documentary!! Well done!! 👍💛💯
E. fricking L.O! One of my FAVORITE bands of all time.
Love the shirt. Died when I saw it at the record store! Any favorite songs by them?
Same here; the first concert I went to was Electric Light Orchestra. I love all stages of their career. About fifty songs are tied for my favorite of them, but the first that comes to mind is "One Summer Dream."
@@ProfessorofRockTurn to Stone. Love the bass line.
Great episode. Love your show.
I'm Gen X. The Best of Blondie Album was a CD I listened to on "repeat". Slipping it into the desktop computer's CD-ROM listening with my phone plug over the ears headphones (not to be cool, they were what I could afford & the only jack my office computer had), while coding instruction orders for commercial insertion at a Seattle cable company, 2000-01. I have that album memorized. I'll never get tired of it. The opening to Heart of Glass sends me to another universe. My personal anthem, however, is "Dreaming".
MIND BLOWN!!! Grew up with this song and never knew they were a punk group lol
I'm so glad they fought to get this song recorded. It's totally iconic. Love the origin story behind it too. I never really considered it disco. I'm with you on calling it dance rock. Thanks for another great episode, Adam. Have an excellent day.
Or maybe even pop rock.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980, I like that too. Either way, it certainly doesn't come off as disco to me.
@@jillwklausen I agree. People dismiss it sometimes as “just another disco song.” It brings much more to the table.
As a drummer, I found that clean, tight pocket drumming to be smooth perfection. I'm 60 years old and still nail that outro drum roll on my dash board perfectly. Sometimes without my hands on the wheel.
Another killer backstory, to a classic 70’s hit. Outstanding information. Thank you Professor !
As a music lover and really appreciate the background information you are able to find or research on artists and songs!!! This again proves that a great decade the 70s were are is....my favourite decade for music... punk rock funk disco new wave rap WHAT A DECADE!! Thank you from central europe... who lived in Canada for 55 years and am amazed with your podcasts!
Debbie Harry was smoking hot back in the day. She's actually still a looker, to be honest.
She's awesome!
I agree, in her late 70s still looks like a dream.
As a teenage boy, I didn't realize how old she was when she made it big. She was pretty. She was sexy. She had attitude. More importantly, she was fun! It didn't matter that she was old enough to be my mother!
I love Blondie. Their style is pretty hard to nail down but that’s part of why they are so great. Good song writing and great execution.
I'd say their primary style was garage rock/power pop.
Man, what a great story. It absolutely adds to the legendary status of NYC from those days, given to it especially by Blondie, Kiss and the Ramones. Thanks for sharing it here, Adam!
Awesome band! Awesome song! Came out at a awesome time in my life! Great episode Professor! Thanks for keeping the music alive!
My first memory of Blondie was "The Tide Is High". I think I was ~8 years old. I actually heard their earlier stuff, such as "One Way or Another", later. The 80s was such a great time for female rockers.
Those harmonizing mariachi horns and violin were one of the first things that ever made me conscious about actually "feeling" what music is.
Everything from the maracas to the thumping bass drum is what made that song one of my first memories.
I agree. Pat Benatar, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Annie Lennox, and more.
One Way Or Another isnt a Joan Jett song?
Punk, Rock and Rap Debbie sang it all. She may have been high maintenance but her singing is worth it. The band all had talent to play the variety of music they did.
Thank you for the info. Its one of my favorite song, and I never knew the little stories of making the song and behind the scene.
I remember seeing this on top of the pops when I was about 8 years old. Debbie just blew me away and still does. Great video 👍🏻
There was no punk rock on Louisville radio in the late 70's. The first insight I ever got was from _Punk Rock_ magazine, which I picked up on a lark, and i fell in love. Parallel Lines was reviewed in that edition, and a month later, Blondie was on Amerucan Bandstand. Heart of Glass started playing on the radio and at the roller rink. It paved the way for other new wave and punk bands on Louisville radio. And thank God for MTV!
....mine, was "Creem!" ...and. "Dynamite" Magazine....don't judge me, that was all I could snatch for the libraries!! ...ha-HAAA!!
@@RBS_ actually had a subscription to _Dynamite._
@@Whisper_292 ...I shoulda borrowed yours, so I didn't have to ste-al MINE! ...ha-HAAA!!
@@RBS_Hey, you worked harder for yours. 😂
Parallel Lines is one of my favorite albums ever.
Blondie was a staple in our house parties and in punk shows in abandoned buildings (some hade electricity). Also, Tide is High was what many Ska bands used as their opening song. Such a versatile band. Great choice!!
I love this channel... going back in time *and* finding out new things about songs I grew up to.
That ELO shirt...
I was a Blondie fan from the beginning. And I can still remember when "Parallel Lines" released. I couldn't wait to grab my copy from the local Record Bar. When I got it home I threw it on my turntable, dropped the needle, and fell head over heels for the whole thing! Yes, I heard all the ""sell out" complaints but I couldn't turn away from the power and energy Blondie brought! Thank you, Professor, for your thoughtful and thorough exposition regarding the origins of an amazing song and album!
One of my all-time favorite songs. I heard it as a kid when it first hit the charts in '79. Even though disco was hot at that time and dominated radio, Heart of Glass sounded like it was it's own style, at least to me. It wasn't until I got older and developed a more seasoned ear for music that I realize it was built on a disco rhythm.
Funny how controversial one three-letter word was back then. Today, it'd be nothing to bat an eyelash over.
Sometimes I don't know why they don't censor words that SOUND bad. I still don't know how Salt n Pepa got away with the whispering intro to "Push It." It sounds like they're saying something else. 😏
@BillGraper1 It DID sound like "BS". lol
Even I say it regularly.
@@WorgenGrrl I still remember the very first time I heard "Push It" on the radio. My eyes went 😳as I thought "Are they really playing this on the radio???" 😂
My favorite Blondie song and one of my all time favorite songs. Thanks so much for the background info! I’d heard that Blondie had faced backlash, but never realized that it was that bad.
You are a wealth of info, my good prof. Thank you! We rockers can’t get enough about the past rnr magic years!👍🎸🥁🇺🇸❤️
Heart of Glass was one of my favorite songs as a 10yr old. I thought she was so beautiful and intriguing. After hearing more music from Blondie I realized Debbie was actually disco, punk, new wave, R&B ,techno and rap. She has no distinct genre. I like to call her punk because "Detroit 442" blew me away. I still have that same school boy crush on her.
For sure!
Debbie can be a rapture of things.
Detroit 442 was a great one. I felt the Plastic Letters LP wasn't as consistent as Blondie or Parallel Lines, but it had some of their best songs too.
I was 10 too. Welcome to 55!😅
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980Rapture...😎
I am so glad you mentioned the unusual rhythm! That is why I have always loved this song - because they drop a beat on the measures if the instrumental section. It makes it so much more interesting!
Great song...great episode! Well done Professor!
That was a great story and analysis, thank you for putting it together. I was 17 in 1978 (in England) where the choice was metal or motown, so we chose punk, new and vibrant with young angry bands belting out great singalong songs, then Parallel Lines arrived and everybody loved it.
I'm 62 now and play my music online, so I sold my record collection, but I kept 3 albums to hang on the wall, The Raven by the Stranglers, Can't stand the Rezillos, and Parallel Lines.
I was familiar with all Blondie's major hits but when I bought The Best of Blondie I discovered Atomic and Dreaming. Love the drums, Debbie's low tones and beautiful phrasing.
Atomic is underrated! The guitar...the bass...and her vocal dynamics... Love Dreaming, too. Really features her vocal power.
The way Blondie worked the Disco sound, while keeping the punk style that was popular at the time! Ultimately they almost single handed created the coming New Wave sound that came to the 80’s!
Great job, great story, one of my favorites as a kid, had the 45, just a beautiful song.
I was 10 years old and on a family holiday at Christmas in New York City. My sister and I were in our hotel room watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve, and I saw her singing Dreaming and knew I had to have that record. I thought she was the coolest on the planet, and being young and from Sweden, I spoke almost no English. My parents bought me Eat to the Beat and Parallel Lines before we left NYC. Blondie was the reason I would attend university in NYC eight years later. It was magic. Something just went off in my head during that holiday. Blondie is still one of my favourite bands, and every time I’m alone in my car and Blondie comes through the speakers, I turn it up loud and sing along. Deborah Harry is still the coolest woman on the planet. When my son was young, we used to sing One Way or Another in the car during the school run. He’s still a secret Blondie fan. When I’m dead and gone, I like to believe when he hears Blondie he’ll think of me. Their music will be heard for generations.
"maximum boogie power", well now, you're gonna wanna have that. I mean, I can't imagine anything less. 😂
You just reminded me of Foghat's "Boogie Motel." A different kind of boogie, haha. Add a "woogie" after "boogie," and different again, haha. In all cases, "four beats per minute" would be pretty darn slow, though. I'd choose four beats per measure.
Boogie was everywhere back then!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 "One night I was layin' down, I heard mama 'n papa talkin',
I heard papa tell mama 'Let that boy boogie-woogie... It's in him, and it got to come out...' And I felt so good...
And I went on boogie'n just the same" (from "Boogie Chillun" by John Lee Hooker, covered by George Thorogood.) But as you probably know by now, I love disco kind of boogie, too, the kind that seemed everywhere while Blondie's popularity was gradually rising with the first few albums. :-)
@@bobdavis4848 The disco songs with “boogie” in their title are clear enough for you so you won’t be asking people what it’s about. It says it in the title, easily!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 "Boogie Fever," "Boogie Nights," "Boogie Wonderland," "Boogie Oogie Oogie," "Get Up & Boogie" and so on from the late 70s left no doubt what kind of music it was from just the title, right. If the cover art had platform shoes, gold spandex or a disco ball, people could know what to expect before purchase, too. Or before leaving it in the rack, haha. But when I bought the "Weird Al" Yankovic 45 of "Another One Rides The Bus" with "Gotta Boogie" on the back, I just knew the B side would not be what I might guess.
Parallel Lines is a fantastic album. Fantastic. In my case I bought it when Heart of Glass was on it's way to becoming a monster and fell in love with almost every track on the album on first listen.
To borrow a phrase, this album is gonna getcha getcha getcha.
By far favorite channel on TH-cam! Great story!
Iconic. The Professors tops himself. Thanks for this video!
Heart of Glass made to every cassette tape I made. Still #1 in my Apple playlists.
Parallel Lines was one of the first albums I ever bought.
Debbie, Pat and Joan, my 3 favorite rock chicks.
Awesome!
You do love rock and roll, Paul.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Love Blondie!
One Way Or Another.
Rapture.
Tide Is High.
Thanks for this Professor. Have a great soggy Monday.
You too! Thanks Roger!
Great songs.
Great story Adam on Heart of Glass. A lot of cool info. You are the man bro.
I was born in 1970, and the first time that I remember staying up until midnight on New Years Eve, I remember Blondie playing on Dick Clark's show. As a 9 or 10 y.o. boy, I thought WOW! I still can feel that same emotion. Thanks, Professor of Rock!
To be fair, it IS the most punk disco song of all time. 🤘
Ha ha. For sure. Thanks Raymond! I've never seen you one here I don't think.... You new?
@@ProfessorofRock lol, been watching for a minute, dude. I was born in '73 and have four older (10-17 years) brothers, so I was raised in the golden age of vinyl. One of my earliest memories is at age 5, helping my 15 year old brother Brian figure out the lyrics to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," because the record he bought at a garage sale didn't have the sleeve with the lyrics 🤣. So TL;DR you cover the shit I grew up with and still listen to exclusively lol. Rock on 🤘🎶✌️
Or the most disco punk song of all time. 😄
I can get behind that.
I was in my late teens when Heart of Glass came out, and firmly entrenched in the “disco sucks!” movement. This one song, however, proved to be the exception for me. It wasn’t a strict disco beat, and there was just something to it. It had an intangible quality that elevated it above and beyond anything else that was considered to be disco at the time.
I just hope they didn’t burn records of this at the disco demolition night…
Parallel Lines was one of the first albums I ever bought back in the late '70's. 8th grade! Lol
Absolutely incredible story on how this song came to be and really the power and courage to Blondie and to make what they want ❤️🤘🏼 thanks Adam!!
I'm so excited you FINALLY did an episode on Blondie!!!!! Hope you find a way to do another vid on this massively underrated band
So true!