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.
No Exit
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
laughing down the sun like a jackal will.
With his eyes ablaze and his lips apart
he's gonna fill his cup with the love in your heart
and drink it up til the morning starts.
Circulate the red light vistas.
Get the girls and get their sisters.
Pinch em up and give em blisters.
Bye bye to another life.
Bye bye to another life.
Bye bye to another life.
Bye bye to another life.
Standing on the verge of the edge of the ledge, waiting for me to fall, but then I got a call.
It said "Wait, hold up homie!
You must be trippin!
You can't be putting that simping and whimping up in your pippin!
You better stand tall, fool you was born to ball.
Took a little fall and now you wanna end it all!
You've been chasing dreams like a hound dog on the hunt.
Take your place in the front.
Put your hand on the pump.
And it's right in your grasp, man.
I know they're laughing, but you'll be laughing later cuz time's are gonna get greater.
You's a player, and when I say player I mean player cuz your daddy and your uncle was a player.
Who's gonna cry for ya?
Who's gonna cry over you?
Who's gonna cry for ya?
Who's gonna cry over you?
Put yourself in your position.
You ain't wishin for no food and no warmth and no light, so you must be doing all right.
But wait a minute!
Something's wrong.
It's lunatic, it's mad, insane!
Busted like a water main.
Indulgence in another vein.
What they're saying round the neighborhood is what he's drinking's not aged in wood.
He's filling out.
He's all growed up.
He's all blowed up.
He's gotten fat.
He's filling out.
He's all growed up.
He's all blowed up.
He's gotten fat.
Sure enough at the midnight lounge there's a dent in the seat where the vampire sat.
Bye bye to another life.
Bye bye to another life.
Living dead is doing time, like drowning on the circle line.
Who's gonna cry for ya?
Who's gonna cry over you?
Who's gonna cry for ya?
Who's gonna cry over you?
Who's gonna cry over you?
Cry over you?
Tell me would they lie for you?
Die for you?
You're hoping that it's true for you do for you, fool.
But who's gonna cry?
The lyrics of Blondie's "No Exit" explore the concept of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The song describes a person who is living their life to the fullest, indulging in hedonistic pleasures and seeking out love and affection. The first verse describes someone dressing up to look good, laughing at the sun, and consuming the love of others as if it were a drink. The chorus contributes a dark tone to the song, as it discusses saying goodbye to another life. The second verse features a conversation with a friend who urges the singer to keep going and not give up, despite past failures. The final section of the song reflects on the idea of living the living dead, essentially going through life in a zombie-like state. The song implies that despite our hedonistic tendencies, there is still a sense of uncertainty and fear surrounding death and what will happen after we are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no sin in this: getting dressed to kill,
It's okay to dress up attractively
laughing down the sun like a jackal will.
Being happy and carefree
With his eyes ablaze and his lips apart
Being passionate and in love
he's gonna fill his cup with the love in your heart
Basking in the love of others
and drink it up til the morning starts.
Consuming all the love and acceptance
Circulate the red light vistas.
Going to bars and other nightlife spots
Get the girls and get their sisters.
Trying to hook up with as many women as possible
Pinch em up and give em blisters.
Being rough and abusive in relationships
Kiss em fierce with all his might, forever.
Being passionate and intense in relationships
Bye bye to another life.
Moving on from old ways and behaviors
Standing on the verge of the edge of the ledge, waiting for me to fall, but then I got a call.
Feeling suicidal, but receiving a call giving hope and encouragement
It said "Wait, hold up homie!
The voice on the phone gives reassurance
You must be trippin!
Calling out negative thoughts
You can't be putting that simping and whimping up in your pippin!
Encouraging self-confidence and motivation
You better stand tall, fool you was born to ball.
Urging the person to be assertive and successful
Took a little fall and now you wanna end it all!
Acknowledging the struggles and hard times
You've been chasing dreams like a hound dog on the hunt.
Going after goals and aspirations
Take your place in the front.
Being a leader and taking charge
Put your hand on the pump.
Be in control
And it's right in your grasp, man.
Emphasizing the potential for success
I know they're laughing, but you'll be laughing later cuz time's are gonna get greater.
Laughing in the face of adversity
You's a player, and when I say player I mean player cuz your daddy and your uncle was a player.
Having a reputation as a ladies' man, likened to his father and uncle
Who's gonna cry for ya?
Wondering who truly cares for you
Put yourself in your position.
Looking at your situation objectively
You ain't wishin for no food and no warmth and no light, so you must be doing all right.
Not needing material objects to be content
But wait a minute!
Realizing something is off
Something's wrong.
Feeling uneasy and out of place
It's lunatic, it's mad, insane!
Feeling like things are crazy and out of control
Busted like a water main.
Broken down by life's circumstances
Indulgence in another vein.
Turning to other habits and addictions
What they're saying round the neighborhood is what he's drinking's not aged in wood.
Expressing rumors and gossip about what he's doing
He's filling out.
Gaining weight
He's all growed up.
Matured and changed
He's all blowed up.
Full of himself
He's gotten fat.
Literally or metaphorically gaining excess
Sure enough at the midnight lounge there's a dent in the seat where the vampire sat.
Recognizing the negative influence of certain people and activities
Living dead is doing time, like drowning on the circle line.
Feeling trapped and overwhelmed
Who's gonna cry over you?
Questioning who will be affected by your actions or choices
Tell me would they lie for you?
Questioning the loyalty and sincerity of others
Die for you?
Asking if anyone, including oneself, would be willing to make such a sacrifice
You're hoping that it's true for you do for you, fool.
Desiring love and support from others
But who's gonna cry?
Still questioning who will truly care or mourn for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALBERT JOHNSON, KEJUAN WALIEK MUCHITA, JAMES MOLLICA DESTRI, CHRISTOPHER STEIN, DEBORAH HARRY, LAMONT HAWKINS, JASON HUNTER, ARTIS L. JR. IVEY, ROMY ASHBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@playitlouder451
1 "Screaming Skin" 05:37 00:00
2 "Forgive and Forget" 04:31 05:37
3 "Maria" 04:51 10:08
4 "No Exit" 04:19 14:59
5 "Double Take" 04:12 19:18
6 "Nothing Is Real but the Girl" 03:13 23:30
7 "Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room" 04:08 26:43
8 "Night Wind Sent" 04:40 30:51
9 "Under the Gun" (for Jeffrey Lee Pierce) 04:09 35:31
10 "Out in the Streets" 03:03 39:40
11 "Happy Dog" (for Caggy) 03:24 42:43
12 "The Dream's Lost on Me" 03:19 46:07
13 "Divine" 04:14 49:26
14 "Dig Up the Conjo" 04:55 53:40
@greatsilentwatcher
My favorite album from Blondie.
Double Take is my favorite among this favorite.
@stewartmckeand8953
"I come out shootin' when trouble comes knockin'" Brilliant!
@danfoster-hy8mo
Bang bang
Debbie guns
@goopah
Damn it, I love this album more and more each time I listen to it, whether it be here or on my 1999 CD.
I had this same reaction in 1999, and I think I may have listened to it too many times too quickly back then, because I put the CD away, and didn't dig it back out until I recently started repeating this upload.
This album may in fact be better than any of their original 6 studio albums. It's simply brilliant.
@danfoster-hy8mo
I've rediscovered this album too. Been binge listening. But, Plastic Letters..........
Long Live Debbie!
@johnnyparisMAKEUP
I love this era ,couldn't believe to see and hear them again, wonderful album and good memories from my.youth x
@danfoster-hy8mo
@@BartholomewBrian she's our little Debbie
@henriqueramos3197
An excellent comeback, twenty years ago, in 1999. And, fortunately, it was number three on the UK official album chart. The album deserved to have won first place, but unfortunately it didn't happen! That merit went to the first single taken from this "No Exit", "Maria", which made the honor of being the band's sixth number one on the singles chart! Good thing I have this album in CD format! It is simply irresistible!
@Danny-mx8rb
I agree with Henry
Long live Blondie!
Sincerely, Dan, South Dakota
@goopah
@@Danny-mx8rb Been a fan since the first album. This album was a killer return to form.
All the best. Mark, Bismarck, North Dakota.