50 Fun Facts About Blondie

Which Blondie single, the first US number one with a hip-hop verse, name-checks Fab 5 Freddy?

Rapture carried hip-hop to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and its video became the first rap video ever broadcast on MTV.

Which passers-by shouted the catcall at Debbie Harry that gave the New York band Blondie its name?

Truck drivers yelled "Hey, Blondie" at Harry as they drove past, and by October 1974 the group, first billed as Angel and the Snake, had made the name its own.

Which Blondie theme for the Richard Gere film American Gigolo was Billboard's number one single of 1980?

Call Me spent six straight weeks at number one in America, and Debbie Harry says she wrote its words in just a few hours.

Chris Stein wrote the Blondie hit 'Sunday Girl' about which runaway pet belonging to Debbie Harry?

A cat named Sunday Man had recently run away from Harry, which is why Stein's tune for the UK number one sounds so plaintive.

Which soft drink did Blondie want to name their 1980 album after, until the drink's maker said no?

Coca-Cola sounded "very American" to guitarist Chris Stein, but the company turned the idea down and the record needed a new title.

Which Blondie song did Debbie Harry base on an ex-boyfriend who stalked her after they broke up?

One Way or Another turned a frightening episode into pop: Harry said the man's relentless pursuit forced her to move out of New Jersey.

In which country did Blondie score a first hit after the TV show Countdown aired the wrong song by mistake?

Australia took to the ballad 'In the Flesh' when it was shown in place of the band's punkier A-side, sending it to number two in 1977.

Which Bee Gees hit has the drum pattern that Blondie's drummer tried to copy on 'Heart of Glass'?

Stayin' Alive gave Clem Burke the groove he was chasing, and he said the German group Kraftwerk inspired the revamped song too.

Which 1999 comeback single gave Blondie a sixth UK number one, twenty years after 'Heart of Glass'?

Maria went straight in at number one in February 1999; its writer was thinking back to his Catholic school days and his idea of the perfect girl.

Which 1978 Blondie album contains 'Heart of Glass' and became the band's biggest seller worldwide?

Parallel Lines sold around 20 million copies, yet the band had rejected its now-famous cover photo; their manager chose it anyway.

Which New York painter played the DJ in a 1981 Blondie video after Grandmaster Flash failed to show?

Basquiat stepped in behind the turntables, and that same year he sold his first painting to Debbie Harry for $200.

Which producer of Donna Summer's disco hits composed the music for Blondie's theme to a 1980 Richard Gere film?

Giorgio Moroder handed Debbie Harry an instrumental titled 'Man Machine', and she wrote the words from the viewpoint of the film's lead character.

Blondie drummer Clem Burke played two 1987 gigs with the Ramones under which borrowed first name?

Elvis Ramone was his billing for shows in Providence and Trenton, where he filled the drum stool after Richie Ramone's sudden departure.

Which 1960s vocal trio featuring John Holt first recorded 'The Tide Is High', later a Blondie chart-topper?

The Paragons released it on their 1967 album On the Beach; Blondie's cover added horns and strings and went to number one in both the US and the UK.

Which Blondie album pairs 'The Tide Is High' with a torch song from the Broadway musical Camelot?

Autoamerican was recorded in Los Angeles, far from the band's New York home, and also takes in acoustic jazz and an avant-garde instrumental.

Chris Stein has described the Blondie single 'Dreaming' as "pretty much a cop" of which ABBA hit?

Dancing Queen was the model, Stein admitted, though he was unsure whether the band started there or simply ended up sounding like it.

Blondie took the title of the 1999 comeback album No Exit from a play by which French philosopher?

Jean-Paul Sartre's play appealed to Chris Stein for its idea that madness lies in groups rather than individuals, an apt thought for a band getting back together.

Which designer of the creature in Alien made the cover for KooKoo, the solo debut by Blondie's Debbie Harry?

H. R. Giger pictured Harry's face pierced by metal skewers, a look she described as a mix of punk, acupuncture and sci-fi.

In which 1988 John Waters film did Blondie's Debbie Harry play the scheming mother Velma Von Tussle?

Hairspray could have featured her music as well: Harry says John Waters wanted her to perform for the film, but her record label objected.

Blondie's Debbie Harry starred opposite James Woods in which 1983 body horror film by David Cronenberg?

Videodrome cast Harry as radio host Nicki Brand, who goes to audition for the sinister broadcast of the title and never returns.

Before forming Blondie, Debbie Harry spent a year as a secretary in the New York office of which broadcaster?

BBC Radio hired Harry soon after she moved to New York in the late 1960s, before her singing career began; she later waited tables and worked as a Playboy Bunny.

Blondie's Debbie Harry was adopted and raised in New Jersey after being born in which Florida city?

Miami was where she was born Angela Trimble; adopted at three months, she grew up as Deborah Harry in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

Which progressive rock guitarist guests on 'Fade Away and Radiate' from Blondie's 1978 breakthrough album?

Robert Fripp, the leader of King Crimson, makes his guest appearance on a record that also holds the hits 'Heart of Glass' and 'Sunday Girl'.

Which Los Angeles-based power pop trio first recorded 'Hanging on the Telephone' before Blondie's 1978 cover?

The Nerves' guitarist Jack Lee wrote the song, and Blondie's version opens with a ringing phone effect added by their producer.

Which 1950s rock and roll star's 'I'm Gonna Love You Too' did Blondie cover as a 1978 American single?

Buddy Holly's song was the label's pick to launch the album in America, which proved a miscalculation: the single failed to chart.

Which Johnny Cash classic did Blondie perform in the 1980 Meat Loaf film Roadie?

Ring of Fire got the new wave treatment during the band's bit part, and the live recording went onto the film's soundtrack.

Which singer performed the Bond theme 'For Your Eyes Only' after a Blondie song of that name went unused?

Sheena Easton sang the theme co-written by Bill Conti, while Blondie's own 'For Your Eyes Only' ended up on their 1982 album The Hunter.

Which Scottish singer gave the speech inducting Blondie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006?

Shirley Manson of Garbage did the honors, at a ceremony where a former guitarist asked on stage to be allowed to play with the band and was refused.

Which singer was first choice for the American Gigolo theme before Debbie Harry of Blondie took the job?

Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac had to say no because of a newly signed record contract, so the film's composer turned to Harry instead.

Which Blondie hit, sung partly in French, reworked a 1963 doo-wop song by Randy & the Rainbows?

Denis dropped the final 'e' of the original's title to address a French boy, and Debbie Harry partly improvised her French verse.

Which Blondie UK number one did Debbie Harry say was given "the Spaghetti Western treatment" by the band?

Atomic began as keyboardist Jimmy Destri's attempt at a second 'Heart of Glass'; its video shows Harry wearing a garbage bag as a futuristic costume.

Which debut Blondie single was retitled because the label Private Stock was uneasy about its original name?

X Offender was first titled 'Sex Offender'; Harry's words tell of a prostitute attracted to the police officer who arrested her.

Which producer of Blondie's 1978 breakthrough album also produced 'My Sharona' for the Knack?

Mike Chapman bluntly told the band he would make them a hit record, and he went on to produce three more of their albums.

Which early Blondie bassist wrote '(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear' and later became an author?

Gary Valentine wrote it for his girlfriend before leaving in 1977, and has since published books on the occult under his real name, Gary Lachman.

Blondie's first bassist Fred Smith left in 1975 to replace Richard Hell in which New York band?

Television gained a bassist and Blondie lost one, but Chris Stein and Debbie Harry carried on and held auditions for a new rhythm section.

Blondie toured America in early 1977 as support to David Bowie and which singer promoting The Idiot?

Iggy Pop and Bowie invited the band along after hearing their debut album, which had yet to find much of an audience.

Which Bowery club became famed for Blondie, Talking Heads and the Patti Smith Group in the mid-1970s?

CBGB's full name promised country, bluegrass and blues, yet the Manhattan bar became the launch pad for New York punk and new wave.

Which 1979 Blondie album came with a promotional video for every song, making it an early video album?

Eat to the Beat had all its videos directed by David Mallet, mostly in and around New York, and the record went to number one in the UK.

At which Manhattan nightspot, a favorite of Andy Warhol's crowd, did Blondie's Debbie Harry once wait tables?

Max's Kansas City gave its back room over to Warhol and his 'superstars', and Blondie later became regular performers on its stage.

Before Blondie, Debbie Harry sang backing vocals on a 1968 Capitol album by which folk rock band?

The Wind in the Willows released just that one album; a second, said to feature more of Harry's singing, has never surfaced.

Which rapper guests on the title track of No Exit, the album that relaunched Blondie in 1999?

Coolio trades raps with Debbie Harry on the gothic-sounding track, nearly two decades after the band first took a rap verse to number one.

Which fashion designer made the silver dress Debbie Harry wears in the video for Blondie's 'Heart of Glass'?

Stephen Sprouse had lived in the same Bowery loft as Harry, and the song's success brought his designs a great deal of media exposure.

Which Manhattan nightclub appears in Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' video, though the band was filmed elsewhere?

Studio 54 appears in one shot only; Chris Stein recalled the performance being filmed in a short-lived club he thought was named the Copa.

Which show did Blondie's Debbie Harry host in 1981, bringing on the first hip-hop group seen on national TV?

Saturday Night Live welcomed Funky 4 + 1 as musical guests that night, and Harry later asked them to open for the band on tour.

Which place in New Jersey, where Debbie Harry once lived and worked, is named in the title of a 1979 Blondie single?

Union City sits across the Hudson from Manhattan, and Harry also starred in a 1980 neo-noir film that shares its name.

Which photographer shot Blondie for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in June 1979?

Annie Leibovitz photographed the group at the peak of their US breakthrough, weeks after 'Heart of Glass' topped the American chart.

Which British label signed Blondie in 1977 after the band bought back its contract from Private Stock?

Chrysalis reissued the debut album within weeks and promoted the band heavily across Europe and Asia, well before America caught on.

On a 2017 tour, Blondie's Debbie Harry appeared on stage dressed as which insect to highlight its decline?

A honey bee costume was Harry's statement about dwindling bee numbers and the health of the environment on the co-headlining tour with Garbage.

Which former Disney Channel star's 2020 festival cover of Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' became a viral hit?

Miley Cyrus sang it at the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival, and fan demand was high enough that the live recording came out as a single ten days later.

Glen Matlock, who joined Blondie's touring line-up in 2022, was once the bassist of which punk band?

Sex Pistols veteran Matlock stepped in when the regular bassist hurt his back, and he went on to record with the band for a new album.