Songs That Changed Music: Blondie - Heart Of Glass
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- čas přidán 4. 05. 2021
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In 1979 Blondie, the New York band fronted by Debbie Harry, had their first US hit with “Heart of Glass”,a propulsive, glitter-smothered track about a love affair gone wrong, and a shoo-in for radio playlists. It was a bold new sound for the new-wavers whose first album had combined Sixties pop melodies with choppy guitars and a snarly attitude. Blondie played regularly at the punk mecca CBGB, and hung around with Television, The Ramones and the New York Dolls. With “Heart of Glass” they had gone full disco, and not everyone was happy about it.
The beginnings of the song had emerged five years earlier. Harry and her partner and bandmate Chris Stein had written a new track inspired by The Hues Corporation’s “Rock the Boat”,but weren’t keen on the result. “We tried it as a ballad, as reggae, but it never quite worked,” Harry said in 2013. “At that point, it had no title. We just called it ‘The Disco Song’.” And so they shelved the demo until 1977 when they played it to Mike Chapman, who was producing their third album, Parallel Lines. He spied a hit, and suggested they rearrange it with what he called “a Donna Summer vibe”. This sat well with Harry, who had been known to cover Summer’s “I Feel Love” at gigs.
The final version of “Heart of Glass” was an irresistible collision of Giorgio Moroder-esque synth and Harry’s dreamily dispassionate vocals. In a symbolic merging of rock and disco, a Roland CR-78 drum machine was laid over live drums in the studio - no small achievement, given they had to be synchronised manually.
“Heart of Glass” went to number one in the UK and the US. The band appeared on the front of Rolling Stone, and Andy Warhol threw them a party at Studio 54. But feathers were ruffled. These were tribal times for musicians and their fans, and the song had arrived in the build-up to the Disco Sucks! campaign, which culminated in dinosaur rockists blowing up records at Chicago’s Comiskey Park baseball stadium during the so-called Disco Demolition Night.
Shortly after the song’s release as a single, The New York Times reported it had “appalled Blondie’s fans and fellow musicians on the underground new‐wave scene” - so much so that bassist Nigel Harrison felt compelled to apologize for their “compromise with commerciality”. Clem Burke, Blondie’s drummer, initially refused to play it live, though he relented when it became a hit. Stein stood firm, meanwhile, and shrugged off the criticism. “It’s not selling out,” he said. “It’s only one song.”
In December 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 255 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It was ranked at number 259 when the list was updated in April 2010. Slant Magazine placed it at number 42 on their list of the greatest dance songs of all time and Pitchfork named it the 18th best song of the 1970s.
In 2018, “Heart of Glass” ranked at number 66 in the UK’s official list of biggest selling singles of all-time, with sales of 1.32 million copies.
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What other songs do you think changed music? Let me know below!
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@@Bodyknowledge77 agreed 100%!!
Metallica's Master Of Puppets or Ride The Lightning changed music. The first time I heard Fight Fire With Fire it blew my mind. ;-)
@@deadmaydie great ideas!
I'd love one of Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover". The sound of that snare is amazing. I've read they used an AKG 451 with the ck1 capsule for that, but can't find anymore info on it. Being a one man project, I think this song deserves an in depth video of yours. Excellent work you're doing there. Thanks for all of that!
Blondie was amazing, original and cool. They were the commercial end of the post punk scene. Debbie harry was the Marilyn Monroe of punk
Yes, indeed
I remember being 14 when this song was released. My best buddy and I were heading to the strip mall on our bikes and his older sister asked us to pick up two singles for her at the record store. They were Heart Of Glass and Sultans of Swing. It was the most 1979 day ever.
Thanks ever so much for sharing that! Agreed, that is a very 1979 day!
someone other than me has now mentioned sultans of swing !!!
Both amazing tracks that will never go out of style.
I can relate, I was born in 1964
Heart of Glass sounded like nothing else on the radio at the time.
Agreed 100%!
Yes, totally agree. It stood out so much
Sounds like nothing else now.
It sounded like a Donna Summer record.
Jimmy Destri deserves more credit. He's largely responsible for the sound of this song. I think him and Greg Hawkes from the Cars have been vastly underrated in terms of their role in shaping that late 70's new wave electro-rock sound that preceded the synth pop of the 80s.
Yes give Jimmy his due.
I think Debbie had listened to Donna Summer's I Feel Love in '77 and she knew what the disco doctor would order. Those airy vocals that float up high sure make me feel that.
Thanks ever so much for sharing
Somehow they seem to have that art-punk feel even when they're making pure pop songs. I think everyone likes them, quite amazing band.
Agreed! Amazing band! Thanks ever so much
Clem mocking the "hairdresser" vibe with that poofy, Davey Jones hair style is hilarious.
Speaking as a bassist, I always found it easier to play along to drum machines than live drums.
This is an epic presentation with lots of concrete details fleshing out a real story. There's a slightly poorer alternate universe where the producer never asked, "Have you got anything else?"
Thanks ever so much!! That’s an alternative universe I wouldn’t want to be in!
The reason why Blondie were big in Australia before anywhere else was due to a music TV show called 'Countdown'. Countdown used to play music clips from all over the world (years before MTV came along). The Chrysalis label were quite proactive in making music clips and they sent two Blondie clips, 'X Offender' and its B-side, the doo-woppy 'In the Flesh'. Countdown decided to play 'In the Flesh' and it ended up becoming a massive #2 hit -- the first time that Blondie made the charts anywhere.
Interesting! Possibly the most obvious case of Countdown leading the way was with ABBA, whose post-Waterloo success kicked off in Australia before anywhere else.
In (relatively) more recent times, radio station JJJ has also led the world at times. Apparently "Cantaloop" (now there's a candidate for Songs That Changed Music) was given airplay on JJJ before anywhere else. And I can remember being in NYC just as Moby hit the big time in the US thinking, "but JJJ was playing this years ago"
And Mike Chapman is Australian so that fits together nicely! :)
Molly Meldrum for the win!!
Thanks ever so much for sharing that New Falconer Records! Very cool to know!
I think this happend to Meat Loaf as well during this time
As a 14yo in 1979 in the UK, I painted by bedroom walls all the way around black and white 20cm lines from floor to ceiling to mimic the cover of the parallel lines album.
Mike Chapman and Blondie was a very fortuitous collaboration. He really pushed them like they've never experienced before and all for the better! Thanks for covering this enduring classic!
Thanks ever so much!
Nice one!
I considered him the 7th member of Blondie
Professional top shelf content for music lovers and fellow producers!
Thanks ever so much!
This song never gets old for me. I was too young for the discos, but I remember grooving under the mirror ball at the roller disco. Mike Chapman was a songwriter and producer for The Sweet's early hits before working with Blondie. He knew how to make a pop single for sure.
The Sweet were writers of their own stuff, and did some good covers before Chinn-Chapman but Chapman got them the hits and the media profile they had been lacking, same for blondie
Fantastic! Yes, Chapman was such a hugely talented Producer and writer!
@@highpath4776 yes, huge fan of all concerned, Sweet, Blondie and Mike Chapman!
The first album I gave my daughter was "Plastic Letters" ... A couple of years ago she took me to see Blondie on a reunion tour.
That was a very good investment indeed! You both have great taste!
I was 13 when this came out and remember it sounding very chic, very adult, very NYC and very futuristic. Anything that came out with well-produced synths and drum machines really stood out from what was on the radio at the time.
Chic! That’s the adjective one is looking for with this song.
Thanks ever so much for sharing Nathan!
@@purpurina5663 absolutely
I had forgotten how stunning Deborah Harry was.
Love her Halston dress in the video
“Hanging On The Telephone” is my all time favorite
Wonderful song!
Love Blondie. The music of my tween and teen years.
Agreed Loren!
@@Producelikeapro Debbie and Giger, the visuals of my teen sexiest nightmares...
Where are my roller skates? Back in the 70s this song came on everybody got on the rink.
Haha thanks for sharing!
Blondie are a bomb of energy. Debbie harry done a very good work in the punk scene ,and gave it the freshness thats the genre has needed. The drums are also on a point,in almost every their songs
Agreed 100%!!
Blondies whole catalouge of music changed music
No arguments from me!!
@@Producelikeapro Such a good band 😁
This was the first radio song that entered my consciousness as a young boy. It sent a zing up my spine and let me know that there was another, much more interesting world out there!
Yes, huge song for me too!
I didn't realise how melodic the guitar line was until I just heard it isolated. Interesting.
In her autobiography Making Tracks, Debbie wrote that Chris Stein would lie on the bed with her and play that guitar riff over and over, years before they set lyrics to it 🥰
Dan Harris - Interesting snippet that. Thanks.
When Blondie incorporated a drum machine with their real drums, it was virtually unheard of before in the context of a pop/rock band. But by the '80s it was everywhere. Just ask Tears For Fears!
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
I'm old enough to remember this release. I didn't want to play the dance but I learned from it....
Amazing Karl!
Blondie is like NOTHING else
Punk, pop, rock
Even RAP.
They’ll never get the credit they deserve for opening music up to the world.
Agreed! Although they were huge in the UK, Europe and Australia!
@@Producelikeapro
Oh they were big here, just not commercial so they didn’t get the airplay on traditional rock radio stations.
I was literally a fan at the age of seven from watching late night video shows that my sitter watched
(She’d let me stay up if I was quiet and just watched)
It sounded so different than the radio here in the states.
One way or Another was the first 45 I ever bought.
@@Heavywall70 fantastic! I think I bought most of the singles when they came out, I would take my pocket money and the 25p my Mum gave me for lunch and would buy one single a week, usually the number one!
Blondie combined awesome music with one of the sexiest women of the 20th Century. Did we buy their records? Yes!
I have had a Blondie album, with Heart of Glass on it since the late 70's. It is not typical of music that I'd normally listen to and I still listen listen to it and still love it.
We were so lucky as young kids in the UK watching 'Top Of The Pops' in early 1978...first, Kate Bush, then a few weeks later Blondie's first appearance with 'Denis'. Both changed my life in many ways, but without Blondie (my *all-time* favourite band) I would be a very different person. Another great episode (I'm obviously biased)...to be honest I'd love it if you covered practically every Blondie song in this series.
Got to mention Robert Fripp ‘s involvement with the band , they even played I feel love together
Their live version of Heroes with RF is my favorite non-album Blondie track.
This is one of my first memories of hearing music: this and SOS by ABBA
Fantastic!!
Incredible that Chapman had to push and hone the instruments so much, while Harry appears to almost effortlessly provide perfect vocals. I don't mean to slander the band (I love everything Blondie's done), I only wish to marvel at Harry's truly unique talent.
Excellent story! 👏
It just wasn't normal for a punk band to play to a click track back then.
In one of the candid liner notes he did for the Blondie CD releases, Chapman rated only one of the Blondie members to be a superb technical musician, and to my surprise it wasn't Clem Burke. It was guitarist Frank Infante.
Great episode, thanks! I remember the very first time I heard this song when it came out, the 12” version, on my friend’s father’s stereo. It was a B&O system which we pushed to 11 and it just blew us away. Happy days!
I cannot even begin to explain what this song does to me...i first heard it at the age of 7 and it still sounds like nothing else since.
same-its got the pulse of the universe flowing through it, sounded like the future THEN, and STILL DOES!
Thanks ever so much Kevin! Yes, amazing song
Warren. Fantastic. Thank you for your articulate perspective. I always learn so much from your videos. And I can't believe that you got the stems/tracks!!! So cool to hear the individual parts. This song, and Blondie is eternal for sure! Cheers!!!
I used to put this record on and just play my father’s drums to each song until I felt like I was getting better. Clem Burke was a drumming influence on me for sure!!
That's great to hear! Thanks ever so much
Thanks for putting this back out there!
Thanks ever so much!!
Songs that changed music is becoming rather epic! What a great series of videos!
Thank you so much for this. Parallel Lines was the first album [cassette] I ever owned, and I have obsessed over the details of the production ever since, devouring all the alternate versions and breaking them down in my head. Last year I was in my office alone at night and had a stroke, which hit the cognitive area of my brain. After laying on the floor a bit, I looked around and saw the lyrics to Heart of Glass hanging on my wall, it had been custom made for me by a dear soul and hung proudly. I couldn't speak or stand up, but I could hear in my head, "Lost inside, adorable illusion and I cannot hide..." I knew I was okay. I dragged myself to the door and got out of there. So yeah, I kind of like the song a little.
Finally I can see this one. For me it reminds me of the Rolla Disco that I used to go to as a teenager in Sydney Australia. Great song!
Thanks mate
I still have the 45 rpm single of this somewhere. I remember buying it in 1979 when it came out and I was still a pre-teen. Loved the song ever since!
That year had so much effect on me musically,this song one of them,along with M pop music,Heart of glass etc etc,for a 15 tear old what fantastic vibe memory's they have given me.Was a fantastic year for all sorts of shifts in culture and creativity.
Fantastic episode, Warren! You are the best!
Thanks ever so much Ivan!
After Chapman finished the tracks at Record Plant, he and Peter Coleman came to my studio to do the mix, Forum Studio. Chapman and Coleman had made the first two Exile albums there with great success. We were glad to have them back for a third time.
While the end result speaks for itself the actual sessions were fraught with technical concerns. Specifically the master tapes began shedding oxide, in concerning amounts. We had a Stephens 24 track which has no capstan and was purchased partly because it was easier on tapes. Stephens himself was flown in and found no issues. Needless to say Chapman was not happy. As I said, it all turned out just fine.
This popped up on my You Tube last night and it took me straight back to that control room and those historic sessions. Cheers all, thanks for letting an old man reminisce.
Thanks for the story.
@@rogerwilco2 Chapman was a force in the studio and Peter Coleman was the epitome of an engineer. I feel honored to have been up close and personal with recording history. After the 3 albums and two number one singles with Chapman and Coleman came the Halverson years at Forum Studio. Bill Halverson came and lived in Kentucky and became our house producer. While my role at the studio was director of operations, I spent most of my time sitting next to him behind the Sphere Eclipse console. As I recall Bill's tenure was nearly two years I believe he's in Nashville now.
My all time favorite band and from a production standpoint I love how in that era you could chase and achieve perfection, but you really had to work for it. Now someone would just sample the kick and paste it in and copy and paste the the guitar riffs etc. I really think something's been lost. because of that.
Yes, such an incredible time for music!!
The "lush" synth parts at 10:07 and further sound like an accordion. Don't deny it.
The first time I heard this song, I was in college (1979) and I went into the dorm room and my roommate had it on. I just had to stop whatever I was about to do and let my ears indulge in that production and arrangement. It can really take over your head. Didn't hurt that in those days, stereos were still analog and pretty loud.
Great stuff (as always) thanks a lot!! The raw separated tracks are always great to hear!
I can remember first hearing the track on the radio. It was a paradigm shift in music, combining elements of disco, punk and electronica for the first time to create this unique exciting sound. It was one step beyond Donna Summer's I Feel Love released 15 months earlier. It blew everyone's mind and broke down many barriers.
Sweet. Back up in the US. Love your work, Warren.
Thanks ever so much!
@@Producelikeapro Also, thanks to the folks working with you. Lets not forget them. Thanks to them too.
my mom used to clean house to blondie records when i was a kid when they were new....dreaming is still one of my fav songs....nice choice guys
Thank you Warren! This is really one of my favorite songs. It brings back so many good childhood memories and is one of the reasons I wanted to be a musician.
Strange....but this song sounded like my future when I heard this as a kid. It still tickles the spine like a great song does.
Always welcome to the ears.
I loved this song when I was a kid. I love it today. It just brings me joy.
I remember this songs arrival! I was in college in NJ and a big Blondie fan, as were my friends.
"OMG, Blondie made a disco song!!!" was all anyone was saying!
Love it or hate it, it did help bring the band into the US music consciousness!
Blondie was always progressive and exploring different genres, lest we forget "Rapture"!!
I wouldn’t necessary call “Heart of Glass” disco, I consider it new wave with a bit of funk and a small dose of disco sprinkled in
oh finally a in depth video on this song!!!!!!! thank you thank you thank you
Thanks ever so much Jasmine
Addicted to this channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Massive Attack would be a great band to know more about. I was truly floored the first time I heard “Blue Lines”. “Unfinished Sympathy” still gives me chills anytime I give it a listen. Keep up the great work.
The intro to Unfinished Sympathy is stunning. Those strings are just pure bliss
I like how your 'sideways' camera angle now makes sense, with the info on-screen, Warren 😀👍 And of course, a great song bringing back many nice memories - including seeing Blondie perform it on a German TV music show as a nine-year old and suddenly realising that there's more to girls than just being silly and annoying 😄
Some songs are so good they can stand to be uploaded 3 times! (Thanks for sticking with it Warren. Still love Blondie's music today. It still sounds fresh!)
Would love to see something on Talk Talk ❤️
Thank you so much. I have always admired this song, and your analysis/explanation made me appreciate it even more. Hard to believe this much went onto making this song what it is. Awesome. Thanks again.
Seriously enjoying this whole series on songs that changed music. The videos are so well put together - you could almost say ‘like a pro’ 😁. Thank you so much for all that you do here on the channel Warren - your content is truly excellent 👍🏻
Thanks ever so much Jack!
Parallel Lines was a huge influence on me. Also check out the very left-field and utterly fabulous album "Autoamerican".
I love Autoamerican! My friend Lenise worked in that album!
This is one of the first songs I liked because I liked it rather than because my older siblings liked it. I am floored by how complicated the recording technique was. Worth it but zinkies!
Wouldn’t be the first time a producer made someone a better musician
Blondie was the first 8 track i ever bought in 1979.
This song was massive in Brazil in 1979... and not just in the big cities. I was way in a interior town; remember my middle school friends arguing about what she was singing about haha. The song got all our attention!
Born in the mid 90’s, but I grew up to my parents always playing this song. Now, I always have to include this song in my playlists. Such a good song
Yes Blondie was one of my major crushes when I was a teenager but she was actually a good singer and she just oozed confidence and she spoke out about the war,and nuclear weapons she was what was seen by many as being genuine.
I have become addicted to your wonderful videos. I love music and learn so much each time. Thanks for such high quality content.
your videos are just wonderful. So is your voice and intonation. A really HUGE thankyou
thanks P.L. a Pro. you have given me new insight and appreciation of songs that i love.
I was born in 1982, and this song is so f***ing cool.
It’s pretty darn amazing
Perfect series to watch for breakfast, fantastic music education program 😎 This track is just amazing!
Awesome Series!!! NAZZ! NAZZ!
Thank you Warren .Another fascinating episode.CHEERS!
I loved this video. Great stuff and I learned so much. Blondie is now blasting of course. I'm an American that grew up in Australia for ten years starting in 1976. It was great to hear about how Blondie did well in Oz from their first album and it certainly validates my own experience of them having a sort of Supergroup status. Along with so many boys and men of all ages I feel in love with Harry's voice and sultry vibe and then Harry! Of course, the band just grooved out to all our delight. My older brother's first concert was a Blondie gig in Perth, Western Australia. I was always jealous I couldn't go, alas I was 8 or 9. I had to wait until 11before I saw my first concert (KISS, 1980 Perth Entertainment Center). LOL
I was in High School when this came out -- loved it then and love it now.
Thanks ever so much
Still have a copy of this vinyl record in the original shrink wrap, never opened. Bought it way, way back there as a 2nd back up copy, in case I wore out my first copy. I could listen to that liquid voice for hours.
Debbie Harry just oozes cool.
Blondie. One of my fave bands of all time.
Mine too!!
I was lucky enough to see them a live at Cornbury about 10 years ago.
Mind blowing amazing.
Well, I like Sweet Child Of Mine.
Speaking of New York bands from the same era… How about doing a video about Television’s “Marquee Moon”? And moving to the other coast how about doing The Doors’ “L.A. Woman”? Once again… I love your videos Warren. Thanks for the constant quality content. ✌🏽
One of the greatest channels on CZcams and consistently good content
Wow! Thanks ever so much Chad!!
Great choice. Marvellous stuff Warren - thank you.
Amazing video!! loved it
Ahhh Blondie... Believe it or not, she did the very first Rap song I ever heard! Back when MTV became a thing, almost anyone who could come up with a Music video, could get their Music shown!
I do believe it!
@@Producelikeapro The Rap song I believe was mid 70's, I am sure, Rap music was almost unheard of back then, Blondie knew about it though. Great Musicians!
Thank you for sharing this insight.
Thanks ever so much
I really appreciate these vids. Thank you for doing them.
Absolutely agree with you. They were SO good.
that little girl still gives me goosebumps
Another great episode, Warren!
Brilliant as always.
Thanks ever so much
One of the first few 12" singles I bought.
After a while I got tired of the long mix, but I still think it really is a remarkable thing.
Another solid video. Thank you.
Thanks ever so much!
Loving this series of videos. What surprises me (or maybe not)...is that, particularly with all the "post punk / new wave" stuff is that I bought most of them when they were released. Got this one on 12". I had to wait weeks for Hong Kong Garden. Ordered it from Threshold Records in Andover. (Threshold ...yes The Moody Blues Label, they had a couple of record shops..!)
Great song and great B-Side too.
Thank you Warren, As Alway's