Blondie was co-founded by lead singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein in 1974. The band’s name was inspired by New York City truck drivers who shouted, “Hey, Blondie,” at Debbie. Blondie was a pioneer of the mid-1970s new wave scene. Their first two albums contained strong elements of new wave and punk, but the band later incorporated elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early hip-hop.

Blondie’s breakthrough came in 1977 with the release of their third studio album, Parallel Lines. The band split up after releasing their sixth album, The Hunter, in 1982. Debbie Harry continued her career as a solo artist and actress, appearing in such notable films as Hairspray (1988), Heavy (1995), Cop Land (1997), and Elegy (2008).

The band reunited in 1997 and regained some of their earlier success, especially in the UK. Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Here are three of their biggest singles:

• Heart of Glass (1979)

  When the punk/new wave band released the disco-tinged “Heart of Glass” as a single in 1979, they took some flack for it. Blondie had the last laugh, though, when the song went to #1 in the U.S., UK, and half a dozen other countries. Debbie Harry had a fascination with the disco sound that had swept the nation and she looks right at home on the dance floor in this video.

• Call Me (1980)

  “Call Me” was the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo, as well as the 2022 reboot series on Showtime. It was also Blondie’s second chart-topper on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as in Canada and the UK. The video was stitched together with clips of Debbie Harry on stage, at the beach, and walking the streets of New York City. Occasionally, some of the lyrics are splashed across the screen.

• Rapture (1981)

  A combination of new wave, disco and hip-hop, “Rapture” was Blondie’s fourth and final #1 hit in the U.S. The video made its debut on Solid Gold in January of 1981, and was the first rap video ever shown on MTV. Much of the video is a one-take shot of Debbie Harry dancing down a street set. Hip-hop pioneer Fab Five Freddy and graffiti artists Lee Quiñones and Jean-Michel Basquiat made cameo appearances.

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