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.
Faces
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His space is at the Palace
He sleeps for twenty five cents
Now he's wiping headlights windshields with an old rag
It ain't nine to five
Down and dirty he's an old tramp
He poses like a dead man
The night train passes by Money's not the answer for princes and dancers
He's thinking of his old life
He lost his pretty young wife
The corner is his big plan
His brunch with Jim and jitters
Boston blue laws ain't for shitters
And newsprint is for cheaters
Cement mattress for believers
Now he's shooting power curves
His buddies think he's got some nerve
Missus Face had other lovers
Her arms smothered other numbers
He freezes
Christmas season all Saints protect him
His face is cracked for reason beyond recognition
The song Faces by Blondie portrays the story of a man who was once successful and lived a comfortable life but is now homeless and struggling to survive on the streets. The opening line, "Faces cracked for reasons beyond recognition," suggests that this man's current state is due to factors beyond his control. He now sleeps at the Palace, a shelter, and works for a meagre twenty-five cents cleaning windshields with an old rag. The song describes how he's become a tramp and poses like a dead man while standing under streetlights.
The song includes references to the man's past life, including his "pretty young wife" who he has lost, and his "brunch with Jim and jitters," which suggests that he used to be part of high society. But now he's reduced to thinking of his old life and using the corner as his big plan. He's also described as shooting power curves, which implies drug use.
The final lines of the song mention that it's Christmas season, and the man believes that all Saints protect him. The line "His face is cracked for a reason beyond recognition" may suggest that his hardships have deeply impacted him, and his face now bears the marks of his struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Faces cracked for reason beyond recognition
Their faces are damaged beyond recognition due to a reason unknown.
His space is at the Palace
His living space is at a place called Palace.
He sleeps for twenty five cents
He can afford to sleep for 25 cents only.
Now he's wiping headlights windshields with an old rag
Currently, he is cleaning headlights and windshields using a worn-out rag.
It ain't nine to five
His work schedule is not the regular nine-to-five routine.
Down and dirty, he's an old tramp
He is an old, ill-kept, and miserable person living in poverty.
He poses like a dead man
He appears lifeless or motionless while standing still.
The night train passes by
The train runs during the night.
Money's not the answer for princes and dancers
Wealth or riches alone are not a solution to everything.
He's standing under street lights
He is standing beneath the street lamps.
He's thinking of his old life
He is reminiscing about his earlier life.
He lost his pretty young wife
He lost his lovely, young wife to someone else.
The corner is his big plan
His big plan narrows down to hanging around the corner.
His brunch with Jim and jitters
He is having brunch with Jim and experiencing nervousness.
Boston blue laws ain't for shitters
The Boston blue laws aren't for cowards.
And newsprint is for cheaters
Newspapers are for liars and dishonest people.
Cement mattress for believers
People who believe in justice and fairness are punished by sleeping on cement floors.
Now he's shooting power curves
He is shooting accurately sharp turns with strength.
His buddies think he's got some nerve
His friends think he has a lot of guts.
Missus Face had other lovers
Mrs. Face had other romantic partners beside him.
Her arms smothered other numbers
She embraced other men in her arms and ignored him.
He freezes
He freezes in terror or anxiety over circumstances.
Christmas season all Saints protect him
The Christmas season helps protect him from threats and harm.
His face is cracked for the reason beyond recognition
His face is damaged beyond recognition for unexplainable reasons.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEBORAH HARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kc
on Accidents Never Happen
Judging from the cultural framework at the time i read it as lies being exposed for the middle income layers of the society who ere led to believe that if they follow certain codes they will be happy and prosperous but so many fail so accidents nver happen is a mockery