Rookie Punk Band Made Fans LIVID When They Took A THROWAWAY Disco Song to #1! | Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- 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.”
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.
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:-)
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
I love it when a band comes up with a song that doesn't fit in any genre, but is all alone and fantastic.
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 .. 😂
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."*
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."
Debbie Harry was at the last Coachella, and at 77 she was still kicking ass! You can see her set here on RUclips!
Still epic and iconic!
Fantastic!
I was there and she’s still a badass!
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😮
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.
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.
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. ❤
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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. ❤
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.
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.
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.
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!
Blondie is one of my favourite bands of all time! This song is just awesome, heck, the whole album is full of awesome songs.
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 ❤
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!
Loved Blondie & 'Heart Of Glass'. Thanks for covering its creation. By the way - digging the ELO Tee!
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.
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 😻
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…
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!
Blondie's music has stood the test of time. Great band and not afraid to let the drums drive tracks.
"Parallel lines" is one of the best albums 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.
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.
My current favorite is Blondies punk inspired cover of Hanging on the Telephone. Took me 40 years to rediscover it!
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.
This is my favorite channel on you tube. Thanks professor...
...we thank him , TOO.... ; )
Thanks for watching Vinny. Any requests?
Thanks my friend!
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.
Worked with Debbie in the studio on her solo album Rockbird. I loved every second of that experience.
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.
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!
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. 😊
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.
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.
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.
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 had such a crush on Debbie back in the day. Totally gorgeous and her voice is angelic.
Professor, this is on a very short list of my very favorite RUclips 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.
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...😎
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.
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!
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.
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 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!
Without "Heart of Glass" there might not have been a "Call Me" for American Gigolo.
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
There is a deep lesson here to be learned from the stories of many albums and releases.
Record company executives don't know what they're doing. Bands, fans, and producers do.
I remember my neighbors across the street played this song really loud on their stereo and I heard it while I was playing in my yard. I loved the song, it was my favorite back then, I think it was 1980.
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.
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 is one of those groups, like the Cars for instance, that takes me back to those days instantly. It is part nostalgia, and part that I was having a LOT more fun in those days. It is really nice to have this information from THE Professor of Rock channel, thank you for the hard work.
You point about cross-genre songs/ music is right on target, having gone to several shows where an artist explores in new directions, experimenting, growing, spreading the experience, and a segment of the audience boos because they are not playing the same old songs that the artists have been playing thousands of times over the years always confounded me. David Byrne, Neil Young, etc., etc. you would have thought it was different band/ artist and it was glorious and enjoyable to me every time (except when Dylan went all Jesusie), even though the perpetrators of correctness to a particular genre, the taste merchants, hated it and told us to hate it too. Sure, some of it was cynical unimaginative commercialism, jingle writing, but most was put out there for people to enjoy, to feel, and to put with your memories of time and place.... but I digress.
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?
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???" 😂
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.
I love that Midnight Special performance, which she self censored, drummer Clem Burke goes insane.
13yrs old, roller skating at the rink, mirror disco ball and chicks in hot pants included. Great memories every time I hear it. I had no idea who sang the song at the time but every girl in there looked angelic when Debbie sang ooh-ooh ahh-ahhh.
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.
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.
Heart of Glass is part of the soundtrack of middle school for me. It remained part of my inner mix tape through high school.
Now Heart of Glass , among so many other great songs, not only take me right back to those times, but bring an instant, vivid, bittersweet sense of the nearness of dear friend I met in sophomore year. At just thirty-two years, the medical condition and physical challenges she had been giving the metaphorical middle finger her whole life, took her from us.
She loved music. There are so many songs that give me the gift not only of great music, but bring my friend back to me with a vividness that few other things can.
Another killer backstory, to a classic 70’s hit. Outstanding information. Thank you Professor !
Being a drummer and 11 when it came out. Clem's style and approach to this song is what caught me. Its aggressive , it has feel and grooves like a mofo..
Some of the best bands with great great drummers came from this era. Clem Burke, Stewart Copeland, David Robinson, Bruce Gary.. great bands with great drummers and musicians over all.
The beat is rhythmic and steady. All the drummers you mentioned should be inducted into the Neil Peart Drummers’ Hall of Fame.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I forgot to mention Neil..though not part of the pop rock style music he and others are huge influnces from other genres!!
@@Camcodrummer Sure enough. Also John Bonham.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 goes with out saying... to me Bonham is the pivot point drummer.. he took from drummers before him, Krupa, Rich , Appice, Elvin, Williams, Baker, Cobham..and fed the drummer of his era and past with influence. He is number 1 in my book..
@@Camcodrummer No doubt!
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!
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!
I loved Blondie, and this was one of my favorite albums back then. My son, who was born in 1987, remembers me playing Blondie in my car while taking him to school in the morning. He too loves Blondie, because of my playing this music for him. I loved Blondie for their versatility such as songs like Sunday Girl, and Fade Away and Radiate.
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.
I never thought of this song as disco. I hated disco growing up. This sounded like what people were calling "New Wave". I loved Blondie. They were just so different from what other bands were playing in my opinion. Thanks for covering the story of this song. I'm sure glad it was a hit for them. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have been introduced to them.
It IS new wave, with that eerie synth backing.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 That's a very accurate way of describing it. Thanks for your input.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Absolutely. It's the synth that makes it American New Wave.....like so many of you I absolutely hated disco growing up in the late 70's/80s. I was much more into Joy Division and Post Punk/New Wave bands. This song, like so many of Blondie's songs was great.
I liked that whole album, “one way or another” “fade away and radiate” among my favorites. Hard to believe one way or another wasn’t released as a single.
I remember Debbie saying that punk is not a style, it's an ATTITUDE. That says reams about their independence from genre "sounds."
The incredible variety of subject matter and viewpoints as well as sounds is one of the great strengths of Blondie. They were the opposite of a one trick pony.
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.
"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.
This was my very first favorite song...I was 7 yrs old. I still love it to this day and now my granddaughter loves it!
I'm born in 69. I remember Blondie from the late 70's. I loved loved loved them. I liked punk music. I'm a New Yorker and I saw them live outside in New York 2004. I remember Debbie Harry had a camouflage outfit on. The show was awesome. I not too long ago realized she was born a year younger than my mother!
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.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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 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".
I was chatting to the neighbour down here in New Zealand while painting my mother's house, when I first heard 'Heart of Glass' on the radio. I, probably quite rudely, told the neighbour to be quiet so I could hear it, and called into the record store on my way home. They didn't have it on the shelf that day so I had to order it. Once heard, never forgotten.
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.
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!
I am enjoying your content so very much. I agree that the group Blondie broke musical barriers. I just remember playing this music at our many summer parties where everyone danced on the lawn and had so much fun. Thanks for reminding me about a fun time in my life.
I found Blondie back in 1983. I was 14 (the summer before my freshman year of high school) an I LOVED THEIR SOUND! I think the song was Hanging on the Telephone that caught my attention. And when I heard Heart of Glass, I never did like it much. It didn’t “move” me, I thought it was kinda cheesy. I even liked their “newer” stuff way better. Has anyone heard Good Boys? Great frickin song that is a dance/disco song…
"Good Boys" is a great song! But it, and the album it came from, got no traction in the US.
Also more recently, "Long Time" from Pollinator is another one that deserves far more play than it ever got.
Some bands made Rock music. Some made R&B music. Some made Pop (Top 40) music. Some made Country music. Some made Jazz music. Some even made Disco music. Blondie on the other hand, made music! ❤
I can say the same for Ray Charles. These folks don’t need genres. They ARE music.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 So true, my fellow music lover. So true.
I have a ticket to see Blondie in August. My Mother loved Blondie. I grew up listening to a lot of Blondie because of my Mom.
Debra Harry was on the Muppet Show too. 😊
I love that episode of the muppets. Seeing Ringo's All Star band tomorrow night. Meeting an actual Beatle! So pumped. Have fun at Blondie!
@@ProfessorofRock That is great! Collin Hayes and Steve Lukather are playing with Ringo this year.
Enjoy rockin' with your mom. My older daughter surprised me and asked if I wanted to see Korn and AIC with her. She told me she liked them, from listening to them in the backseat. Didn't know they paid attention to it.😅 We've recently seen STP, Bush, Robert Plant, etc., SP soon. I miss my "little girls" but my time with "adult girls" is different but meaningful, too. I'm bet your mom feels the same. I know where my missing cds and yes- tapes are now 😅
@@JoyfullOne Very nice. I am grateful my Mom was a music fan. My sister and mom, we always shared are albums with each other. My graduation gift was going to see Billy Joel. My sister wanted to see Janet Jackson in 1990, and I took her to the show because she didn't want to go alone.
@Anna Trail My neighbor saw Ringo Star last week.
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!
When I hear the song, even the opening notes, my eyes well up with tears of joy. As a musician, these videos are work related research, I need the history; it helps.
I absolutely LOVE Heart of Glass and Blondie. People are so anal. I've always felt, if it's a great song and done right.... what's the problem?
I've been around 52 years and I appreciate great music....period. Just like how they treated Billy Squire for the video for Rock Me Tonight..... unbelievable 🙄
Thank you for all you do Adam, love your channel 🥰
Hi Stacy, I agree with all you wrote. Nothing was wrong with the Billy Squier (note last name spelling) video "Rock Me Tonite" (note last word spelling). Have a nice day.
I love this song! I consider it a part of my childhood. My mom had the 45. We listened to it a lot. I remember dancing in the living room with my sister.
This song heart of glass and Jackson's shake you're body down to the ground were the two most played songs at skate rink....they both still make you wanna move in youre 60s..thts great music when u still wanna dance to it 40 years later!!! Love Blondie & Jackson's!
This is probably Blondies biggest hit,in the UK, probably because of the swear word which was often played on British radio. Their success over here wasn’t just because of punk but Debbie’s fashion appealed to the female Mod Revivalists and the band were a favourite among Mods.
Great song for sure! Thanks Stephen.
"Are you a Mod or a Rocker?" "I'm a Mocker" -John Lennon
@@petertrudelljr That was Ringo.
@@petertrudelljr I was a rocker back in the 80’s but now listen to anything except rap.
I figured. Bands like The English Beat and the Specials.