Eight Great Lesser-Known Blondie Songs Worth Another Listen

The iconic punk/new wave/power pop band Blondie is turning 40 years old this month! We all know the band’s chart-toppers like “Call Me,” “Heart of Glass” and “One Way Or Another,” but here are some lesser-known original tracks and covers that speak to Blondie’s versatility and staying-power.

1) “Out in The Streets” (1975 – demo)

This song makes the list due to Harry’s versatile voice, which is multi-tracked here to create some ghostly post-girl group vocals. The musical arrangement is eerier than the original, bringing Blondie’s Bowery-rock sensibilities to their cover of the 1965 Shangri-Las classic.

2) “Platinum Blond” (1975 – demo)

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the first song that Debbie Harry wrote on her own! Interesting in the way it charts her own transformation from naturally brunette singer into the blond bombshell she became, and also the way it draws from the rock songs of her youth for inspiration.

3) “Ring of Fire” (1980 – live)

Who knew that Debbie Harry and her boys would be so adept at covering this Johnny Cash classic? Here they are from the 1980 film Roadie decked out in their country-rock best.

4) “Scenery” (1976 – from the sessions for Blondie)

This song, written by original Blondie bassist Gary Valentine, did not make the cut for the band’s 1976 debut album. It is, however, Blondie at its arty, jangly best and is another example of Valentine’s excellent contribution to the band as a songwriter. He also notably wrote “(I’m Always Touched) By Your Presence Dear,” one of the more popular tracks from Blondie’s second album, Plastic Letters. Valentine also recorded a more manic, herky-jerky demo of “Scenery” with his own band, the Know.

5) “The Hardest Part” (1979)

Although this song was released as a single to accompany 1979’s Eat to the Beat, it tanked at the time and is worth a re-listen. This bouncy number is a great example of Chris Stein’s driving guitar parts that served as inspiration to future art-rockers such as Franz Ferdinand. The entire song takes Blondie’s experimentation with reggae and disco rhythms to new and exciting places. It’s a shame it wasn’t more popular when it was released.

6) “Kidnapper” (1978)

This is a rockabilly rave-up from Blondie’s much-maligned sophomore album effort, Plastic Letters. Notable for its amazing description of a psycho-kidnapper as much as Harry’s affected drawl she puts on the song. This one is a lot of fun. All of Plastic Letters is very good despite the fact that it didn’t do as well critically as later albums.

7) “11:59” (1978)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0hnnkOn4A

It wouldn’t be a Blondie list without at least one track from their hugely popular and influential album Parallel Lines. This song, desperate and dark in tone lyrically, is grounded by some excellent drumming from the always dependable Clem Burke. “11:59” has always been overshadowed by other Parallel Lines songs, such as “Heart of Glass” and “Hanging on the Telephone” but is worth listening to on its own.

8) “Heroes” (1980 – live)

Going to end this list with a wonderful, sweeping, and moving cover of David Bowie’s song “Heroes.” Debbie Harry really makes this song her own, barely moving the early sections above a whisper and then really rocking out along with the rest of the band as the song progresses.

What Blondie deep track would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

Louie Pearlman

Louie Pearlman is a comedic performer, songwriter, producer and pop culture writer living in NYC. He loves bubblegum music and punk in all its forms -- his favorite band is Talking Heads, but the Archies are a close second or third. You can check out his current projects at LouiePearlman.com, come see a show, and say “hi” after!