My top 10 Blondie songs

We get to see Blondie on Tuesday.

Here are my favourite 10 Blondie songs. The list is dominated, not surprisingly, by some from Parallel Lines (4) and Eat to the Beat (5)

An idea of the quality might some some of the songs that missed out: Picture This; Sunday Girl (I contemplated including the French version); Call Me; The Tide is High; and Maria.

Originally getting their break as one of the bands coming out of New York in the mid 1970s, Blondie always liked to try different styles.

Their first hit anywhere was 'In the Flesh' which went to #2 after Molly Meldrum played it on Countdown, The song was the B side to 'X Offender'. The are questions whether Molly accidentally played it, although with Molly's ear for a hit he probably realised it was much more likely to be a hit than the A side.

My favourite Blondie songs are when they mix rock & dance, and nobody does it as well as they did. And for that another Australian, there producer Mike Chapman deserves much of the credit.

#1 - Atomic 

1980 - Eat to the Beat - (Deborah Harry & Jimmy Destri) - US #39; UK #1; Australia #12

Billy Bragg says that whenever a Musicologist asks him what his songs are about, he says 'shagging'. And when they ask 'even Between the Wars?' he replies 'yes, even Between the Wars'.

So much of rock is about having sex and this is the best rock/pop about having sex.

The song fits brilliantly into the Trainspotting sex when Mark & Diane; Tommy & Lizzie and Spud Gail are having sex, or almost had sex in Spud & Gail's case (although the film makers couldn't get the rights to the Blondie version and instead used a cover by Sleeper).

#2 - Heart of Glass

1979 - Parallel Lines - (Deborah Harry & Chris Stein) - US #1; UK #1; Australia #1

Right from the get to this is a great song. The mix of rock and disco is simply fantastic. Thankfully it wasn't recorded in a reggae style as originally planned.

#3 - The Hardest Part

1980 - Eat to the Beat - (Deborah Harry & Chris Stein) - US #84

Only released as a single in the US (Union City Blue was released as a single elsewhere).

It tells the story of an armored car robbery. Again a fantastic mix of rock with a dance beat. Should have been a big hit.

#4 - Rapture

1981 - Autoamerican - (Deborah Harry & Chris Stein) -  US #1; UK #5; Australia #5

Famous for being the #1 to have some rap it. The rap part of Rapture is pretty ordinary in my opinion, However the rest of the song is fantastic.

It is an example of how the band varied with different musical styles.

#5 - Union City Blue

1979 - Eat to the Beat - (Deborah Harrison & Nigel Harrison) - UK #13

Released as the second single from Eat to the Beat, everywhere apart from the US (where The Hardest Part was released).

Apparently Debbie wrote the song after having a part in the Union City.

#6 - Slow Motion

Not released as a single - Eat to the Beat - (Laura Davis & Jimmy Destri)

Apparently this was going to the be the 4th single released from Eat to the Beat, but the plan was shelved when 'Call Me' from the movie 'American Gigolo' became a hit.

One of Blondie's favourite musical styles was the all girl pop band style, This is their best song in that style.

#7 - 11:59

Not released as a single - Parallel Lines - (Jimmy Destri)

For a long time was my favourite song on Parallel Lines. Would have made a good single, however that album was crammed full of great singles. Debbie's voice sounds out of control, which fits in beautifully with the song.

#8 - Hanging on the Telephone

1978 - Parallel Lines - (Jack Lee) - UK #5;  Australia #39

The 4th single from Parallel Lines (their were six singles released from that one album)

A cover of a song by The Nerves

#9 - Will Anything Happen

Not released as a single - Parallel Lines - (Jack Lee)

I don't know anything about the song. As close to their punk roots as Blondie got on Parallel Lines.

# 10 - Dreaming

1980 - Eat to the Beat - (Deborah Harry & Chris Stein) - US #27; UK #2; Australia #53

The first single released from Eat to the Beat. Much poppier than anything on Parallel Lines.

This is the Blondie song used in Trainspotting 2.