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.
In The Flesh
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
I can't wait to see you
Your picture ain't enough
I can't wait to touch you in the flesh
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
I can't wait to hear you
Is nothing without you in the flesh
Went walking one day on the lower East side
Met you with a girlfriend, you were so divine
She said, "Hands off this one sweetie, this boy is mine."
I couldn't resist you, I'm not deaf, dumb, and blind
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
Now you're out of town
Those girls that you run with
They bring my head down
Ooh Darlin' darlin'
Watch out if I see you
'Cause if you say hello
It'll mean you want to see me in the flesh
Ooh warm and soft, in the flesh
Ooh close and hot, in the flesh
Ooh
The lyrics to Blondie's song "In The Flesh" are about somebody who is in long-distance love with another person. The singer is singing about how their lover's picture isn't enough for them, as they long to touch and be with them in person. The song is quite sensual in nature, with the singer using provocative language to describe their desire to be with their lover. The lyrics also detail a time when the singer met their lover in New York City's lower East side, and how their lover's girlfriend warned the singer to stay away, but they couldn't resist the attraction they felt.
The song is an ode to the physical desire and longing for another person. The lyrics speak to the powerful human drive to be close to another person, and how there can be no substitute for the real thing. The singer communicates raw desire and vulnerability, expressing how incomplete they feel without their lover in the flesh.
Line by Line Meaning
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
The singer is eagerly longing to see and hear their lover
I can't wait to see you
The sight of the lover's picture is not enough. The singer craves to see them in person
Your picture ain't enough
The singer needs to see their lover in the flesh to feel satisfied
I can't wait to touch you in the flesh
The singer desires to feel the physical presence of the lover instead of just seeing them in a picture
I can't wait to hear you
The singer misses the sound of the lover's voice
Remembering your love
The singer reminisces about the times spent with the lover
Is nothing without you in the flesh
The singer realizes that memories are not enough and they need the lover's physical presence to feel complete
Went walking one day on the lower East side
The singer narrates a personal anecdote where they went for a walk in a particular neighborhood
Met you with a girlfriend, you were so divine
The singer describes how they met the lover when they were with their friend and acknowledges their attractiveness
She said, 'Hands off this one sweetie, this boy is mine.'
The lover's girlfriend warned the singer not to pursue a relationship with them
I couldn't resist you, I'm not deaf, dumb, and blind
Despite the warning, the singer was unable to resist the charm of the lover
Now you're out of town
The lover is currently away from the singer
Those girls that you run with
The singer is referring to the friends of the lover
They bring my head down
The singer is envious of the time that the lover spends with their friends instead of with them
'Cause if you say hello
The singer is excited at the prospect of the lover greeting them
Watch out if I see you
The singer is implying that they might act impulsively if they encounter the lover
It'll mean you want to see me in the flesh
If the lover greets the singer, it will imply that they also desire to meet them in person
Ooh warm and soft, in the flesh
The singer emphasizes the physical sensations they desire to experience with the lover
Ooh close and hot, in the flesh
The singer continues to describe their desire for physical closeness with the lover
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES L. STEWART, COURTENAY HENDERSON, DANTE LAMAR GIVENS, LUCAS CHRISTIAN MACFADDEN, MARC F. STUART, MARK ALI POTSIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ModelManiacThailand
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
I can't wait to see you
Your picture ain't enough
I can't wait to touch you in the flesh
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
I can't wait to hear you
Remembering your love
Is nothing without you in the flesh
Went walking one day on the lower East side
Met you with a girlfriend, you were so divine
She said, "Hands off this one sweetie, this boy is mine."
I couldn't resist you - I'm not deaf, dumb, and blind
Darlin' darlin' darlin'
Now you're out of town
Those girls that you run with
They bring my head down
Ooh Darlin' darlin'
Watch out if I see you
'Cause if you say hello
It'll mean you wanna see me in the flesh
Ooh warm and soft, in the flesh
Ooh close and hot, in the flesh
Ooh
@bodders4167
I think she's the most beautiful woman of all time. Totally mesmerising whatever she does and she can even make a bin liner look the business. Atomic and that brilliant outfit she was wearing and Heart of Glass. That dress and scarf were dynamite 👌🏼
@vittorioflender7628
confermo tutto, incredibile in Atomic, ma in tutto
@Brewbroz
agreed, mesmerizing indeed
@josephsmall4270
I agree with you.
@davidberlin3042
Debbie is the ultimate package! The lips, the cheekbones, the hair, the swagger and ohhh the voice! Plus living the 1970s mean street New York punk scene!
@thingfish000
Looks like she's channeling Nancy Sinatra here, fashion-wise.
@paulgreenway8766
She sure is, just my type of girl:) I love girls who are small, sexy, good looking and mysterious and deep :)
@Jimmy911ism
Isn't she British?
@ladygrinningsoul
Nope, American.
@tony1967ames
So dam special , doesn't even have to try she's just got IT