Band lore states that their name came from both a flippant reference to Adolf Hitler's dog Blondie as well as vocalist Harry's bright blond hair. Previously having been a Playboy Bunny, Harry fronted the early version of the band. initially known as "Angel and the Snakes". They built up underground fame in NYC. Blondie released their first album, 'Blondie', in 1976. The album was mildly successful and spawned the Australian hit single "In The Flesh". Gary Valentine left the band later that year, and they continued briefly as a foursome, recording 'Plastic Letters' and gaining more airplay with their track "Denis". Still in touch with their punk roots, having played in clubs such as CBGBs and hung out with rock artists such as the Ramones, the band broke out into other, more diverse influences such as older dance and pop music, particularly interested in Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' technique.
Valentine was replaced by Los Angeles-based musician Frank Infante (guitar, bass guitar) in 1977. Infante had already played guitar on one track on 'Plastic Letters'. The band went out playing live with Infante and Stein swopping between playing guitar and bass guitar throughout each concert. The band also added British born but LA-based Nigel Harrison (bass guitar), making Blondie a six piece group for the first time. Harrison was a former member of the glam rock band Silverhead.
In 1978, they released the album that would make them international stars, titled 'Parallel Lines'. The album spawned several hit singles, including the number one hit "Heart Of Glass", "Sunday Girl", "Hanging On The Telephone" (a cover of the famous power pop track by The Nerves), and "One Way Or Another". The success of the heavily disco influenced "Heart of Glass", a song sometimes censored for its use of strong language for the time and considered by the band as tongue-in-cheek, proved controversial among many fans of the band's punk background, but it managed to break them through at a massive level.
They released three more albums (1979's Eat To The Beat, 1980's Autoamerican (containing the number one singles "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture") and 1982's The Hunter) as well as a number one single "Call Me", from the score of the 1980 film "American Gigolo".
In 1980, Harrison contributed several unused Blondie songs to ex-Silverhead singer Michael Des Barres solo album I'm Only Human. In 1981, Harry released a solo album Koo Koo, Destri released a solo album Heart On A Wall. Burke recorded and played live with the Eurythmics, and Stein started a record label named Animal Records.
In 1982, health problems for Stein, declining sales and inter-band tension caused the band to split. Harry kept a low profile for a few years while she nursed (now former) boyfriend Stein through a serious illness, but then continued a solo career as an actress/singer.
Reformation plans begun in 1997 with a line-up that included Harry, Stein, Destri, Burke, Valentine, and Harrison. Infante was not invited to the reunion. Valentine and Harrison were eventually (and unceremoniously, they claim) replaced by Paul Carbonara (guitar) and Leigh Foxx (bass).
The band released No Exit in 1998, which did quite well in both US and UK charts and contained the number one hit single "Maria".
The album did not include any song contributions from Valentine or Harrison, despite them recording early sessions for the album and Valentine being assured by Stein that they would use his already recorded song "Amor Fati". Harrison and Infante later filed an unsuccessful lawsuit claiming breach of contract for not including them in the reunion.
The Curse Of Blondie was released in 2003 and, while not matching its predecessor in sales, was critically acclaimed and spawned the global dance hit "Good Boys".
Destri retired from touring in 2004. Kevin Patrick (keyboards), Destri's former keyboard tech and assistant, replaced him soon followed by Matt Katz-Bohen in 2008.
The band's 2006 induction ceremony into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was the scene of an awkward moment between Infante and Harry, during which he asked that the former members be allowed to play along with fellow inductees Harry, Stein and Burke during the band's set, since it was the original band that was being inducted. Harry replied "Can't you see my band is up there?" prompting Infante to counter "I thought it was Blondie that was being inducted."
In 2006, the band toured as the opening act for The New Cars on the "Road Rage Tour." Although Harry was more than 60 years old, the band still managed incendiary versions of their old hits, while playing with enough fire to remind the audience of their punk roots.
In 2007, the band embarked on a tour of Europe, to coincide with the DVD release of the first ever music video album "Eat To The Beat".
Harry has since resumed her solo career, releasing 2007's Necessary Evil.
On June 5, 2008, Blondie commenced a world tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parallel Lines with a concert at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland. The tour covered some Eastern and Midwestern US cities throughout the month of June. In July, the tour took the band overseas to Israel, the UK, Russia, Europe and Scandinavia, wrapping up on August 2, 2008 at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway.
Clem Burke and Paul Carbonara both recently told interviewers that the band is working on another record, which would be their first new album since the release of The Curse of Blondie in 2003. Carbonara described it as "a real Blondie record.
Blondie undertook a North American tour of mid-sized venues with Pat Benatar and The Donnas in the summer of 2009. Following the tour, in October, the band began recording sessions for their ninth studio album with producer Jeff Saltzman in Woodstock, New York. In December 2009, the band released the song "We Three Kings" to coincide with the Christmas holiday.
The new album, to be titled Panic of Girls, which was being mixed at the time, was said to follow in 2010. Chris Stein stated that Dutch artist Chris Berens will provide the cover art. In April 2010, it was announced that guitarist Paul Carbonara had amicably left Blondie to pursue other projects and was replaced by Tommy Kessler. Panic of Girls is tentatively set to be released in 2010/2011.
In June 2010, Blondie began the first leg of a world tour named "Endangered Species Tour", which covered the United Kingdom and Ireland, supported by UK band Little Fish. The set lists featured both classics and new material from the forthcoming Panic of Girls. After a break in July the tour will resume in August and cover the United States and Canada over a course of six weeks. Blondie is then set to take the "Endangered Species Tour" to Australia and New Zealand in November and December. It was revealed that the bands album will be released on the Australian Sony label in November 2010, and elsewhere in January 2011.
Songfacts reports that Mother, the first single from Panic of Girls received its global premiere on BBC Radio on March 17th, 2011 and was made available for purchase on May 23, 2011.
In May 2017 a new album was released named Pollinator with the single "Long Time" which saw the daylight in March.
In 2021, the band released a short film along with a soundtrack EP titled Vivir en la Habana. They also released an alternate version of their song Rapture titled “Yuletide Throwdown” which featured Fab 5 Freddy.
In 2022, Blondie released a Sunday Girl EP consisting of an unreleased demo and live version
of the song as well as the previously released french version of the track in honor of Record Store Day. The band went on a UK tour with support from Johnny Marr followed by a US tour with support from The Damned titled “Against The Odds Tour”, which Chris Stein did not attend due to health problems. They also announced the release of their first archival project and box set, titled Against The Odds: 1974 - 1982, which took six years to compile, began recording their twelfth studio album and remastered their music videos in HD.
End Of The World
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fallen by fear
Blood on the sidewalk
Staining the rest of the year
Talking to the voices you hear
No more companion
Alone in the sky
An older invention
Raised by a shout and a cry
And I listen to this
To this voice out of pitch
The excitement or the panic of girls
And all that I heard had its own kind of reason
Was it really the end of the world?
I know you feel guilty and it's driving you wild
But the weight you've been shedding is heading to the critical side
Avanishing act just to hide
How else can I put it?
What more can I say?
An ounce of truth diminishes everything that you said
It's your turn to put things away
He told me he talks to the buildings
He told me he speaks to the sky
Once he conversed with a road full of holes
While he whispered his little white lies
And I listen to this
To this voice out of pitch
The excitement or the panic of girls
And all that I heard had its own kind of reason
Was it really the end of the world?
You love the lightning, thunder and all
Talk to the pavement
Listen to the will and the call
Voices come out of the wall
Some other surface
Standing alone
Points of remembrance only help sharpen the tone
Sharpen right down to the bone
He told me he talks to the buildings
He told me he speaks to the sky
Once he conversed with a road full of holes
While he whispered his little white lies
And I listen to this
To this voice out of pitch
The excitement or the panic of girls
And all that I heard had its own kind of reason
Was it really the end of the world?
Was it really the end of the world?
The lyrics of Blondie's song "End of the World" are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song appears to be about someone who is struggling with guilt and paranoia, feeling like the world is ending around them. The opening lines describe someone who is fainting from hunger and fallen by fear, with blood on the sidewalk. They are talking to voices they hear, but have no more companions and are now alone in the sky. The lyrics continue to paint a picture of someone who is struggling internally, looking for meaning in the chaos around them.
The chorus asks, "Was it really the end of the world?" suggesting that the singer is questioning whether the chaos they are experiencing is real or just imagined. The verses describe someone who talks to buildings and the sky, whispering little white lies, which could be interpreted as a sign of mental illness or paranoia. The imagery in the song is vivid and unsettling, painting a picture of a world in turmoil.
The repeated line "And I listen to this, to this voice out of pitch" suggests that the singer is listening to their own internal monologue, which is struggling to make sense of the world around them. The song ends with the line "Was it really the end of the world?" leaving the listener to ponder what it all means.
Line by Line Meaning
Fainting from hunger
Experiencing weakness and dizziness due to lack of food
Fallen by fear
Overcome by a feeling of dread or apprehension
Blood on the sidewalk
Visible evidence of an injury or violence on the pavement
Staining the rest of the year
Leaving a lasting mark or memory for the entire year
Talking to the voices you hear
Engaging in conversation with auditory hallucinations
No more companion
Being alone without a partner or friend
Alone in the sky
Being isolated or abandoned in the vast expanse of the atmosphere
An older invention
Referring to a traditional or historical creation
Comes from a native reply
Derived from a familiar, indigenous source
Raised by a shout and a cry
Born from a loud or emotional outburst
And I listen to this
Opening statement of the singer affirming they are actively listening
To this voice out of pitch
Referring to the unconventional or undesirable tone of a specific sound
The excitement or the panic of girls
Describing the wild, frenzied emotions of young females
And all that I heard had its own kind of reason
Suggesting that each individual utterance has a purpose or motive
Was it really the end of the world?
Questioning if a catastrophic or apocalyptic event had truly occurred
I know you feel guilty and it's driving you wild
Sympathizing with someone who is experiencing intense, uncontrollable emotions of shame and regret
But the weight you've been shedding is heading to the critical side
Warning that the negative consequences of their actions are becoming severe
Avanishing act just to hide
Performing an action to disappear or conceal oneself
How else can I put it?
Implying that there is no other way to phrase or describe something
What more can I say?
Expressing frustration at a lack of additional information or explanation
An ounce of truth diminishes everything that you said
Stating that a small amount of honesty makes everything else said seem false or trivial
It's your turn to put things away
Suggesting that it is time for the other person to take responsibility or action
He told me he talks to the buildings
Narrating a story about a person who claims to communicate with inanimate objects
He told me he speaks to the sky
Describing a person who asserts they can converse with the heavens
Once he conversed with a road full of holes
Recalling a time when the same individual claimed to have spoken to a damaged street
While he whispered his little white lies
Implying that the person is not being truthful and telling small, insignificant falsehoods
You love the lightning, thunder and all
Addressing someone who enjoys or is fascinated by dramatic and intense natural phenomena
Talk to the pavement
Encouraging the addressee to express themselves to the ground
Listen to the will and the call
Advising the listener to pay attention to their inner desires and the sounds of their surroundings
Voices come out of the wall
Suggesting that strange or eerie sounds are emanating from the building itself
Some other surface
Referring to a different material or area other than the existing one
Standing alone
Existing in solitude or not being accompanied by any others
Points of remembrance only help sharpen the tone
Asserting that memories or triggers can enhance or intensify a feeling or sensation
Sharpen right down to the bone
Exaggerating or emphasizing the strength or depth of a specific emotion
Contributed by Alaina M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@michaelmcmahon1855
First time hearing this. Love it. Great vocals!
@rideonoverme
Amazing
@Robbo1159
Debbie has the most soothing voice. Amazing.
@KannibalKrunch
I am in love with this song... Thank you, Debbie and Chris. xx
@featmyself
It's hard to find in Europe too, tbh. It's not available in Poland, couldn't find it in France... It's pretty rare, I believe. Such a shame, since it's one of my absolute favourites from Blondie.
@petersp63
great song and as to twentty3tv's comment this has made my mind up to order another copy of the cd so not killing music but actually helping sales in fact ive helped 10 people buy the album on my facebook page! now if everyone did that it'd sell tems of billions!!!!!
@Michael7878
The best song on "Panic with Girls" does not appear on the U.S. version of the cd though- which was a bonus track off the German version. So will have to find out how to get that version of the CD now. LOVE the song Blondie!!!!!! Please tour the U.S. again soon!!!!!!!!!
@georgebosse9393
This is about Chris getting sick. It sounds very personal.
@thatman103
This is so beautiful. Does anyone know the writing credits? Is it a Harry/Stein?
@kristianheadrick9428
I mean it has the name of the album in it so how could they just leave it out??