Top Ten Songs by Blondie

Before Blondie inflated into a group of six musicians, it was a tight foursome. The nucleus was the writing/performing duo of Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Buzzing around them like a proton and neutron were Clem Burke, one of the best rock drummers in years, and Jimmy Destri, keyboardist and auxiliary songwriter. As products of the famed CBGB club in New York, their roots were early 1970s punk and their style was rough irony. Then came “Heart of Glass” in 1978 which brought an upscale sound of slickness. Still good, but slick.

Here is an offering of the ten best songs of Blondie with particular fondness for the early days:

1. Rip Her To Shreds – The ultimate cat fight song. “You know her. Miss groupie supreme. Red eye shadow. Green mascara. Eeeeccch! She’s too much. Well, bye-bye sugar. And not a minute too soon.” From the first album simply titled “Blondie” which was produced by Richard Gottehrer in 1976. Was it really that long ago?

2. X Offender – A punk parody of Phil Spector love ballads about cool guys and cooler girls. This one involves a sex offense, entrapment, an arrest and a vow of everlasting devotion. Co-written by Debbie Harry and one-time band member Gary Valentine.

3. In The Sun – Just listen to Clem Burke’s super drumming on this proto surf punk track for a visceral thrill.

4. A Shark in Jets Clothing – Finger snapping has never been so menacing since West Side Story. Written by Jimmy Destri. “Don’t wear those clothes again, they don’t make it in this crowd,” sings Debbie Harry, who was wearing saddle shoes and picnic tablecloth shirts in those days.

5. The Attack of the Giant Ants – “Giant ants from space waste the human race. Then they eat your face. Never leave a trace. La la la la la la la. Can’t we stop it all? Buildings start to fall. Soldiers shoot all day, and then they run away. La la la la la la la la.” All to a happy calypso beat.

6. (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear – From the 1977 album titled “Plastic Letters” produced once again by Richard Gottehrer, this is Blondie at its ironic best. This track has Who-like qualities, with Clem Burke sounding a bit like Keith Moon.

7. Contact in Red Square – A spy tale that blasts like a blizzard in Moscow, full of espionage icons and Russian folk riffs. “Although I’m young, I’ve got a job to do: give the microfilm in the lining in my shoe. Got a little business trip. Gotta hide inside my trench coat and be clever. Bang, bang, you’re dead. You won’t have to worry. Kiss me quick! Now I have to hurry.”

8. Hanging On the Telephone – Almost everything on the 1978 album titled “Parallel Lines” was upstaged by the mega hit “Heart of Glass,” but there was a wealth of remarkably strong material on that breakthrough record. This was one of several terrific tracks with crisp performances and the grown-up production values of Mike Chapman. “Parallel Lines” was such a commercial success, that the Blondie arc can be characterized as pre-Chapman and post-Chapman.

9. One Way Or Another – A completely infectious song about the incredibly short shelf life of obsessive love. This was much easier to enjoy before it was appropriated for television commercial jingles.

10. I Know But I Don’t Know – Harkening back to the punk days, this low key tribute to nihilistic non sequiturs was written by new band member and guitarist Frank Infante. “I could, but I won’t be. You can, but not with me. It’s all a mystery. Locked out without a key.”