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.
Sunday Girl
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold as ice cream but still as sweet
Dry your eyes Sunday girl
Hey, I saw your guy with a different girl
Looks like he's in another world
Run and hide Sunday girl
Hurry up, hurry up and wait
I got the blues, please come see
What your loving means to me
She can't catch up with the working crowd
The weekend mood and she's feeling proud
Live in dreams Sunday girl
Baby, I would like to go out tonight
If I go with you my folks'll get uptight
Stay at home Sunday girl
Hey, I saw your guy with a different girl
Looks like he's in another world
Run and hide Sunday girl
When I saw you again in the summertime
If your love was as sweet as mine
I could be Sunday's girl
Hurry up, hurry up and wait
I stay away all week and still I wait
I got the blues, please come see
What your loving means to me
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and wait
I got the blues, please, please, please come see
What you do to me
I got the blues
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and wait
Hurry up, please come see what you do to me
In Blondie's hit song "Sunday Girl," the lyrics seem to tell the story of a young woman who is a bit of an outsider and has trouble fitting in with the working crowd. The singer describes her as coming "from a lonely street" and having a "weekend mood," which suggests that she is not comfortable with the fast-paced, career-driven lifestyle of the people around her.
However, despite her outsider status, the singer seems to have fallen for her and is eager to convince her to spend time with him. He sings, "Hurry up and wait, I stay away all week and still I wait, I got the blues, please come see what your loving means to me." He wants to show her how much he cares and what he is willing to do for her.
Throughout the song, there are also references to a man who is cheating on the Sunday girl, and the singer encourages her to "run and hide" from him. However, he also suggests that if the Sunday girl could be with someone who loves her truly, as much as he does, then she could be "Sunday's girl."
Overall, the lyrics to "Sunday Girl" seem to touch on themes of loneliness, outsider status, and the desire for connection and love. The singer clearly cares for the Sunday girl, but it is unclear whether they will be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I know a girl from a lonely street
There's a girl I'm familiar with who hails from a desolate area
Cold as ice cream but still as sweet
Although she appears to be distant and unapproachable, she's still endearing
Dry your eyes Sunday girl
Cheer up, girl from Sunday street
Hey, I saw your guy with a different girl
I recently spotted your partner with another woman
Looks like he's in another world
It seemed like he was lost in thought or absent-minded
Run and hide Sunday girl
Escape from this situation, girl from Sunday street
Hurry up, hurry up and wait
Be quick, but then prepare to be patient
I stay away all week and still I wait
Despite staying away for a whole week, I'm still waiting
I got the blues, please come see
I'm feeling down, please come and visit me
What your loving means to me
I want to know the significance of your affection for me
She can't catch up with the working crowd
She can't keep up with the pace of the people who work
The weekend mood and she's feeling proud
She revels in the feeling of the weekend atmosphere
Live in dreams Sunday girl
She dreams of a better life, girl from Sunday street
Baby, I would like to go out tonight
Darling, I want to go out tonight
If I go with you my folks'll get uptight
If I accompany you, my parents will get upset
Stay at home Sunday girl
Don't go out, girl from Sunday street
When I saw you again in the summertime
During the summertime, when I saw you again
If your love was as sweet as mine
If your affection was as endearing as mine
I could be Sunday's girl
I could be the girl from Sunday street's partner
Hurry up, hurry up and wait
Be quick, but then prepare to be patient
I got the blues, please come see
I'm feeling down, please come and visit me
What your loving means to me
I want to know the significance of your affection for me
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and wait
Be quick, but then prepare to be patient
I got the blues, please, please, please come see
I'm feeling down, please come and visit me
What you do to me
I want to understand the effect you have on me
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and wait
Be quick, but then prepare to be patient
Hurry up, please come see what you do to me
Be quick, please come and see how you affect me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER STEIN
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