Debbie Harry
Encyclopedia
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry (born July 1, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter
and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock
and new wave
band Blondie
. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers
. Her acting career spans over thirty film roles and numerous television appearances.
. She attended Hawthorne High School
, where she graduated in 1963. She graduated from Centenary College
in Hackettstown, New Jersey
, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965. Before starting her singing career she moved to New York City
in the late 1960s and worked as a secretary at BBC Radio
's office there for one year. Later, she was a waitress at Max's Kansas City
, after which she was a dancer in Union City, New Jersey
, and a Playboy Bunny
.
Deborah Harry began her musical career in the late '60s with the folk rock
group The Wind in the Willows
, who recorded one album for Capitol Records
. Harry then joined The Stilettos, with Elda Gentile and Amanda Jones, in 1974. The Stilettos included her eventual boyfriend and Blondie guitarist Chris Stein
. When Harry and Stein left the Stilletos, they formed Angel and the Snake, with Tish and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, Harry and Stein formed Blondie
, naming it for the term of address men often yelled at Harry. Blondie quickly became regulars at Max's Kansas City
and CBGB
in New York City. After a debut album in 1976, commercial success followed in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, first in Australia and Europe, then in the United States.
While leading Blondie, Harry and Stein became life as well as musical partners, although they never married; Harry has no children. In the mid-1980s, she took a few years off to nurse Stein back to health after he suffered a life-threatening disease. Stein and Harry broke up in the 1990s, but they have continued to work together. In 1999, she was called the 12th greatest woman of rock and roll by VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll and in 2002, she was called the 18th sexiest artist of all time by VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
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With her two-tone bleached-blonde hair, Harry quickly became a punk icon. Her look was further popularized by the band's early presence in the music video
revolution of the era. She was a regular at Studio 54
. In June 1979, Blondie was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
. Harry's persona, combining cool sexuality with streetwise style, became so closely associated with the group's name that many came to believe "Blondie" was the singer's name. The difference between the individual Harry and the band Blondie was famously highlighted with a "Blondie is a Group" button campaign by the band in 1979. In 1981 Harry issued a press release to clarify that her name was not "Debbie Blondie" or "Debbie Harry", but Deborah Harry, though Harry later described her character in the band as being named "Blondie", as in this quote from the No Exit tour book:
During 1976 and 1977, Blondie released their first two albums. The second experienced some marginal success outside the United States. However, 1978's Parallel Lines
(US #6, UK #1) shot the group to international success and included the global smash hit single "Heart of Glass
." Riding the crest of Disco
's domination, the infectious track hit #1 in the US and sold nearly two million copies. The follow-up single "One Way Or Another
" reached #24 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album was the band's biggest success, having sold over 6 million copies in the United States alone. The band were also pioneers of the music video movement with Eat To The Beat being heralded as the first ever music video cassette album.
The release of the platinum-plus Eat to the Beat
album (US #17, UK #1) in 1979 and Autoamerican
(US #7, UK #3) in 1980 continued the band's run of hits, including "Dreaming
", Atomic
" and three more US #1 singles: "The Tide Is High
", "Rapture
" and "Call Me
" from the soundtrack to the film American Gigolo
, which became Billboard's #1 song of 1980.
After a year-long hiatus in 1981, during which Harry released her first solo album (see below), Blondie regrouped and released their sixth studio album The Hunter (US #33, UK #9). The album met with a disastrous reception, peaking at #33 and falling rapidly off the charts. The single "Island of Lost Souls
" briefly cracked the US Top 40. The band's "War Child" was released as a single in the UK. Blondie launched a North American tour to support the release, but it was cut short when Stein fell seriously ill with the rare autoimmune disease
, pemphigus
. Coupled with declining commercial fortunes, the band split up.
Later in the 1980s, the remix
album Once More Into The Bleach was released, featuring remixes of tracks by Blondie and from Harry's solo career. The mid-1990s saw the release of further Blondie remix albums Beautiful
in Europe and Remixed Remade Remodeled
in the US. New mixes of "Heart of Glass
", "Atomic
" and "Union City Blue
" were released as singles and all made the UK Top 40, while remixes of "Atomic", "Rapture
" and "Heart of Glass" had major success on the US dance charts.
, the production trio of two Duran Duran
members, Nick Rhodes
and Warren Cuccurullo
, and producer Anthony J. Resta
. "Studio 54" and "Pop Trash Movie" were scheduled for release on a Blondie compilation, entitled This Is Blondie. However, the project and the tracks were shelved as the four original members (Harry, Stein, Clem Burke
and Jimmy Destri
) embarked on sessions for what would become Blondie's seventh studio album. During this period, they released a cover of Iggy Pop
's "Ordinary Bummer" on the tribute album We Will Fall (1997).
After a final tour of Europe with The Jazz Passengers
in the summer of 1998, Deborah Harry resumed duties as lead vocalist of Blondie. Prior to the release of No Exit
, the band completed a sold out tour of Europe. Dates at London's Lyceum Theatre were recorded by the BBC
and aired on national BBC Radio 1
. A week before the release of No Exit, the lead single "Maria
" debuted at No. 1 in the UK, giving Blondie their sixth UK No.1 hit. "Maria" also reached #1 in 14 different countries, the top 10 on the US Dance Charts and Top 15 on the US Adult Top 40 Charts. No Exit debuted at No.3 in the UK and #17 in the US and Blondie announced dates for a major arena tour that summer, during which they played the Glastonbury Festival
and Party in the Park
in London. "Nothing Is Real but the Girl
" was another UK Top-30 hit, while the title track was released as a limited-edition single to coincide with further arena dates in November of that year.
Tracks culled from dates throughout the 1999 world tour were released as a live album, titled Live
in the US and Livid
in the UK and were released in late 1999 and early 2000, respectively. A Blondie Live companion DVD was also released, recorded at a show in New York City's The Town Hall
.
Although Blondie commenced recording tracks for the follow-up to No Exit in 2001, the sessions were besieged with problems including the loss of master tapes after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In the winter of 2002, Blondie returned with a full-scale UK tour. This preceded the release of a new single in 2003 entitled "Good Boys
" (a hit across the UK and Europe that autumn, and top 10 on the US Dance Charts the following spring) and the release of Blondie's eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie
. The band toured throughout 2003 and 2004, completing two further full-scale tours of the UK.
A second live album, entitled Live By Request
, was released in 2005, along with a companion DVD
set. In that year, the band also released the mash-up "Rapture Riders
," which combined their 1981 hit "Rapture" with The Doors
' "Riders on the Storm
". This track was taken from a greatest hits compilation entitled Sound and Vision (first issued in the UK as Sight + Sound
), released with a companion DVD and new mixes of "In the Flesh" and "Good Boys
".
In the winter of 2005, Blondie toured the UK for the fourth time in as many years. In 2006, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. Around this time, Blondie released a new studio track, a cover of Roxy Music
's 1982 hit "More Than This
". This was to promote their "Road Rage" tour and the single was made available for free download
.
At the end of 2006, a new mix of "Heart of Glass
" became a club hit in Europe, while Harry released the single "New York New York", a collaboration with Moby
. The song debuted on YouTube
, some four weeks before its official release.
In the summer of 2007, Blondie toured in the UK once again. Around this time, Harry delineated the different personas (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) to an interviewer who asked why she played only solo music on the 2007 True Colors Tour: "I've put together a new trio with no Blondie members in it—I really want to make a clear definition between Debbie's solo projects and Blondie—and I hope that the audience can appreciate that and also appreciate this other material."
On July 3, 2008, Blondie commenced a world tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parallel Lines
with a sell-out concert at the amphitheatre in Ra'anana
, Israel
. During the tour, drummer Clem Burke
stated that the tour had inspired the band to make another record, Panic of Girls
, their first new album since the release of The Curse of Blondie
in 2003.
In 2009, Blondie went on tour with Pat Benatar
for the "Call Me Invincible" tour. The majority of the shows were opened by The Donnas
.
In December 2009, Blondie recorded their version of the traditional song "We Three Kings" to coincide with the band's new album.
In the summer of 2010, Blondie began a UK tour, including venues in Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Dublin. They also played festivals including the Isle of Wight and Rockness Festival in Inverness, Scotland. Tracks from their forthcoming album Panic of Girls were performed during their tour of the UK, notably 'D-Day' and 'What I Heard'. In an interview at the Isle of Wight Festival, drummer Clem Burke indicated that Blondie might return for another tour in 2011, depending on how well the record is received.
in 1981. The album peaked at #28 in the US and #6 in the UK; it was later certified gold in the US and Silver in the UK. "Backfired
", the first single from the album, had a video directed by H. R. Giger
(who also painted the album's eye-catching cover featuring Harry's face with metal skewers through it) and climbed to #43 on the Billboard Hot 100
, #29 on the Hot Dance Club Songs and #32 on the UK Singles Chart
. "The Jam Was Moving
" was lifted as the second single and peaked at #82 in the US.
In 1986, Harry released her second solo album on Geffen Records called Rockbird
, which peaked at #97 in the US (where it sold 200,000 copies) and #31 in the UK (where it has been certified Gold for 100,000 sales by the BPI). The single "French Kissin' in the USA" gave Harry her only UK solo top 10 hit (#8) and became a moderate US hit (#57). Other singles released from the album were "Free to Fall
" and "In Love with Love
," which hit #1 on the US Dance Charts and was released with several remixes.
Her next solo venture was the Sire/Red Eye/Reprise album Def, Dumb and Blonde
in 1989. At this point Harry reverted from "Debbie" to "Deborah" for her professional name. The first single "I Want That Man
" was a hit in Europe, Australia, and on the US Modern Rock Charts. The success of the single propelled the album to #12 on the UK chart. However, with little promotion from her record company in the US, it peaked at #123. She followed this up with the ballad "Brite Side
" and the club hit "Sweet and Low
". "Maybe for Sure
", a track originally recorded by Blondie for the Rock and Rule animated film, was the fourth single released from the album in June 1990 to coincide with a UK tour (her second in six months). "Kiss It Better
" was also a Top 15 Modern Rock single in the US.
From 1989 to 1991, Harry toured extensively across the world with former Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, Underworld
's Karl Hyde, and future Blondie bassist Leigh Foxx. In July 1991, she played Wembley Stadium
with INXS
. In 1991, Chrysalis released a "best of" compilation in Europe entitled The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie, containing hits with Blondie as well as solo hits. The collection reached #3 in the UK album chart. The album also included her duet with Iggy Pop
on the Cole Porter
song "Well, Did You Evah!
" from the Red Hot + Blue
AIDS
charity album produced by the Red Hot Organization
and released at the end of 1990.
Harry's fourth solo album, Debravation
, appeared in July 1993. The album's first single was "I Can See Clearly
," which peaked at #23 in the UK and #2 on the US dance charts. This was followed by "Strike Me Pink
" in September. Controversy surrounded the latter track's promotional video, which featured a man drowning in a water tank, resulting in it being banned. US editions of the album feature two additional tracks recorded with pre-recorded music by R.E.M.
: "Tear Drops" and "My Last Date (With You),"
a remake of a 1961 Skeeter Davis
hit.
In November 1993, Harry toured the UK with Stein, Peter Min, Greta Brinkman and . The set list of the Debravation Tour featured an offbeat selection of Harry material including the previously unreleased track "Close Your Eyes" (from 1989) and "Ordinary Bummer" (from the Stein-produced Iggy Pop album Zombie Birdhouse
; a track that, under the moniker "Adolph's Dog," Blondie covered in 1997). Tentative plans to record these shows and release them as a double live CD never came to fruition. However, a cover of The Rolling Stones
' "Wild Horses" is available as a bootleg. At the end of 1993, Chrysalis released the Blondie rarities collection Blonde and Beyond
, which featured the previously unreleased tracks "Scenery" and "Underground Girl." In early 1994, Harry took the Debravation tour to the US.
In 2006, Harry started work in New York City on tracks for her fifth solo album Necessary Evil (2007). Working with production duo Super Buddha (who produced the remix of Blondie's "In the Flesh" for the 2005 Sound and Vision compilation), the first music to surface in was a hip hop
track entitled "Dirty and Deep" in which she spoke out against rapper Lil' Kim
's incarceration.
Throughout 2006, a number of new tracks surfaced on Harry's MySpace
page, including "Charm Alarm", "Deep End", "Love With A Vengeance", "School for Scandal" and "Necessary Evil", as well as duets she recorded with Miss Guy (of Toilet Böys
fame). These were "God Save New York" and "New York Groove". A streaming version of the lead single, "Two Times Blue
", was added to Harry's MySpace page in May 2007. On 6 June 2007, an iTunes
downloadable version was released via her official website.
Harry joined Cyndi Lauper
's True Colors Tour
for the Human Rights Campaign
. She is a strong advocate for gay rights and same-sex marriage
. Though she has stated that she identifies as mostly heterosexual, Harry has said she has had intimate relationships with both men and women.
Necessary Evil was released on Eleven Seven Music
after Harry completed both a solo tour of the US in June 2007 and a European tour with Blondie in July 2007. The first single, "Two Times Blue
", peaked at #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart. The album debuted at #86 in the UK and #37 in the US Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
To promote the album, Harry appeared on various talk shows to perform "Two Times Blue". She also started a 22-date US tour on November 8, lasting until December 9, playing small venues and clubs across the country. On January 18, 2008, an official music video for "If I Had You
" was released.
(with whom she had worked previously on Blondie's "Call Me") on the song "Rush Rush
," which was featured in the film Scarface
and in the video game Grand Theft Auto III
. Rush Rush was also remixed into Rush Rush (get the yayo), sung on by Cam'ron. Harry's single "Feel the Spin
", produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez, was released (as a 12" single only) in 1985. That song, along with the whole soundtrack to the film Krush Groove
, peaked at #5 on the US Dance Charts. The song's "uno dos tres quatro" intro has been sampled
on a number of records, including S'Express
' "Theme from S'Express
".
While recording her fourth album in 1992, Harry collaborated with German heavy metal
band Die Haut
on the track "Don't Cross My Mind", and released the song "Prelude to a Kiss
" on the soundtrack to the film of the same name
. She also released a cover of "Summertime Blues
" from the soundtrack to the film That Night in Australia.
In the mid-1990s, Harry teamed up with New York avant-garde jazz
ensemble The Jazz Passengers
. Between 1994 and 1998 she was a permanent member of the troupe, touring North America and Europe. She was a featured vocalist on their 1994 album In Love singing the track "Dog In Sand". The follow-up album, 1997's Individually Twisted, is credited as "The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry" and Harry sings vocals throughout, teaming up with guest Elvis Costello
for a cover of "Doncha Go Way Mad". The album also features a re-recorded version of the song "The Tide Is High
". A live album entitled Live In Spain, again featuring Harry on vocals, was released in 1998.
Harry collaborated on a number of other projects with other artists. She featured as vocalist on Talking Heads
side project The Heads' 1996 release No Talking, Just Head
(performing the title track and "Punk Lolita"). She also sings on a cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever
" and on the song "Estrella de Mar" by Argentine
band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
. In 1997 she collaborated with Jazz Passenger Bill Ware in his side project Groove Thing, singing lead vocals on the club hit "Command and Obey". Another JP collaboration appeared on the Edgar Allan Poe
tribute album Closed on Account of Rabies
(1997). Harry also reunited with Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri
for a cover of Otis Blackwell
's "Don't Be Cruel" for the 1995 tribute album Brace Yourself. During this period, she also recorded a duet with Robert Jacks entitled "Der Einzige Weg (The Only Way) - Theme from Texas Chainsaw Massacre
," which was recorded in German and in English, although these did not surface until 1999. Likewise, at the end of 1999, Chrysalis Records released a best of her solo recordings entitled Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry
and a remix of "I Want That Man".
Aside from writing and recording material for Blondie, Harry pursued various other projects. She appears on the 2001 Bill Ware album Vibes 4 singing the track 'Me and You' as well as on ex-Police
guitarist Andy Summers
's album Peggy's Blue Skylight on the track "Weird Nightmare". A techno
cover of Stan Jones
' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Three Business Men and was available on her website to download. Harry sings on two tracks on Andrea Griminelli's Cinema Italiano project: "You'll Come To Me" (inspired by Amarcord
s main theme) and "When Love Comes By" (from Il Postino
), as well as on a tribute album reinterpreting the music of Harold Arlen
, on which she sings the title track "Stormy Weather". In May 2002, she accompanied The Jazz Passengers and the BBC Concert Orchestra
in a performance of her jazz material at the Barbican Centre
in London. In 2003, she was featured vocalist on the song "Uncontrollable Love" by electro-clash dance producers Blow Up. She also sang on the version of "Waltzing Matilda" recorded by Dan Zanes and Friends
, released on the 2003 album House Party.
Harry also contributed to Fall Out Boy
's 2008 album Folie à Deux. She sings on the chorus of the album's closer "West Coast Smoker".
Harry is a credited co-writer on a song called "Supersensual" that appears on Australian singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte
's debut album 1000 Stars
. The song samples the recognizable "woo-ooo-wo-oh" refrain from "Heart of Glass
".
with Andy Kaufman
in the wrestling play Teaneck Tanzi. A retitled version of the British play Trafford Tanzi
, the show opened and closed in one night. Later that year Harry, who had already appeared in a number of independent and underground films, made her major motion picture debut in the David Cronenberg
film Videodrome
.
Following the release of Rockbird, Harry took a number of acting roles including the villainous Velma Von Tussle in John Waters
' Hairspray (1988).
A cover of The Castaways
' "Liar Liar" from the soundtrack to the film Married to the Mob
was released as a single in the US. Harry's version of Michael Jay's "Mind Over Matter" was also recorded in this period, but never released. Harry starred in a film called Forever Lulu, also known as Crazy Streets, in 1987 alongside Alec Baldwin
. She had only one line but made appearances throughout the film. She also starred in the film Intimate Stranger as Cory Wheeler, a telephone sex worker being pursued by a serial killer
. Harry's other film roles include Roadie
, Union City
, New York Beat Movie (otherwise known as Downtown '81), Rock & Rule
, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
, Six Ways to Sunday
, The Fluffer
, Cop Land
, Heavy
, My Life Without Me
, Spun
and Full Grown Men
. Her television appearances include roles on Tales from the Darkside
, Will & Grace
, The Muppet Show
, MADtv
, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
, Absolutely Fabulous
, Saturday Night Live
, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Wiseguy
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
. Her acting career spans over thirty film roles and numerous television appearances.
Life and early career
Harry was born in Miami, Florida and adopted by Catherine Harry and Richard Smith, gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne, New JerseyHawthorne, New Jersey
Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,218.Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park,...
. She attended Hawthorne High School
Hawthorne High School (New Jersey)
Hawthorne High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Hawthorne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hawthorne Public Schools....
, where she graduated in 1963. She graduated from Centenary College
Centenary College of New Jersey
Centenary College was founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church. Centenary has evolved from a coeducational preparatory school to a girls' preparatory school , to a Junior college for women , to a four-year women's college , to a coeducational...
in Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965. Before starting her singing career she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the late 1960s and worked as a secretary at BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
's office there for one year. Later, she was a waitress at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
, after which she was a dancer in Union City, New Jersey
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
, and a Playboy Bunny
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
.
Deborah Harry began her musical career in the late '60s with the folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
group The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows (band)
The Wind in the Willows was an American band which included Deborah Harry. The band took its name from British writer Kenneth Grahame's, The Wind in the Willows, a classic of children's literature....
, who recorded one album for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Harry then joined The Stilettos, with Elda Gentile and Amanda Jones, in 1974. The Stilettos included her eventual boyfriend and Blondie guitarist Chris Stein
Chris Stein
Christopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
. When Harry and Stein left the Stilletos, they formed Angel and the Snake, with Tish and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, Harry and Stein formed Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, naming it for the term of address men often yelled at Harry. Blondie quickly became regulars at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
and CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in New York City. After a debut album in 1976, commercial success followed in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, first in Australia and Europe, then in the United States.
While leading Blondie, Harry and Stein became life as well as musical partners, although they never married; Harry has no children. In the mid-1980s, she took a few years off to nurse Stein back to health after he suffered a life-threatening disease. Stein and Harry broke up in the 1990s, but they have continued to work together. In 1999, she was called the 12th greatest woman of rock and roll by VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll and in 2002, she was called the 18th sexiest artist of all time by VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
Blondie
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
revolution of the era. She was a regular at Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. In June 1979, Blondie was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. Harry's persona, combining cool sexuality with streetwise style, became so closely associated with the group's name that many came to believe "Blondie" was the singer's name. The difference between the individual Harry and the band Blondie was famously highlighted with a "Blondie is a Group" button campaign by the band in 1979. In 1981 Harry issued a press release to clarify that her name was not "Debbie Blondie" or "Debbie Harry", but Deborah Harry, though Harry later described her character in the band as being named "Blondie", as in this quote from the No Exit tour book:
During 1976 and 1977, Blondie released their first two albums. The second experienced some marginal success outside the United States. However, 1978's Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American New Wave band Blondie, released in 1978 by Chrysalis Records. Their most popular and best-selling effort, Parallel Lines was the first Blondie album to be produced by Mike Chapman. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom in February 1979...
(US #6, UK #1) shot the group to international success and included the global smash hit single "Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass (song)
"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
." Riding the crest of Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
's domination, the infectious track hit #1 in the US and sold nearly two million copies. The follow-up single "One Way Or Another
One Way or Another
"One Way or Another" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie.-Song information:Written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison for the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines , the song was inspired by one of Harry's ex-boyfriends who stalked her after their break up. The song was released as a...
" reached #24 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album was the band's biggest success, having sold over 6 million copies in the United States alone. The band were also pioneers of the music video movement with Eat To The Beat being heralded as the first ever music video cassette album.
The release of the platinum-plus Eat to the Beat
Eat to the Beat
Eat to the Beat is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It reached no.1 on the UK album charts in October 1979, no.9 in Australia and no.17 in the US.-History:...
album (US #17, UK #1) in 1979 and Autoamerican
Autoamerican
Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by the US new wave band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached #3 in the UK charts, #8 in Australia and #7 in the US....
(US #7, UK #3) in 1980 continued the band's run of hits, including "Dreaming
Dreaming (Blondie song)
"Dreaming" is a song by the American punk/new wave band Blondie. Released in 1979, it was the lead single from their fourth album Eat to the Beat...
", Atomic
Atomic (song)
"Atomic" is a song by the American New Wave band Blondie, written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman. It was released as the third single from the band's 1979 album Eat to the Beat.-Song information:...
" and three more US #1 singles: "The Tide Is High
The Tide Is High
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 song written by John Holt and originally performed by The Paragons with John Holt as lead singer. The song went mainly unnoticed in the rest of the world until it was rediscovered in 1980 when it became a US/UK number 1 hit for the band Blondie...
", "Rapture
Rapture (song)
"Rapture" is a single by the American new wave band Blondie. It was released in January 1981 and was the second and final song to be released from the band's 1980 top 10 album Autoamerican, the first being "The Tide Is High", which had topped the chart in the US and UK. "Rapture" went on to reach...
" and "Call Me
Call Me (Blondie song)
"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK ....
" from the soundtrack to the film American Gigolo
American Gigolo (soundtrack)
American Gigolo is the name of a 1980 soundtrack album to the movie of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. The music was composed and performed by Giorgio Moroder and was released worldwide on the Polydor label. It made number 7 in the Billboard 200 Album charts...
, which became Billboard's #1 song of 1980.
After a year-long hiatus in 1981, during which Harry released her first solo album (see below), Blondie regrouped and released their sixth studio album The Hunter (US #33, UK #9). The album met with a disastrous reception, peaking at #33 and falling rapidly off the charts. The single "Island of Lost Souls
Island of Lost Souls (song)
"Island Of Lost Souls" is a song recorded by Blondie in 1981 and released as a single in April 1982. It was the first single released from their sixth studio album, The Hunter.-Song information:...
" briefly cracked the US Top 40. The band's "War Child" was released as a single in the UK. Blondie launched a North American tour to support the release, but it was cut short when Stein fell seriously ill with the rare autoimmune disease
Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body actually attacks its own cells. The immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks it. This may be restricted to...
, pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pemphigus is a rare group of blistering autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes.In pemphigus, autoantibodies form against desmoglein. Desmoglein forms the "glue" that attaches adjacent epidermal cells via attachment points called desmosomes...
. Coupled with declining commercial fortunes, the band split up.
Later in the 1980s, the remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
album Once More Into The Bleach was released, featuring remixes of tracks by Blondie and from Harry's solo career. The mid-1990s saw the release of further Blondie remix albums Beautiful
Beautiful - The Remix Album
Beautiful - The Remix Album is a remix album of recordings by Blondie released by Chrysalis/EMI Records in the UK during 1995. The album spun off a series of remix singles in various formats...
in Europe and Remixed Remade Remodeled
Remixed Remade Remodeled - The Remix Project
Remixed Remade Remodeled—The Remix Project is a remix album of recordings by Blondie released by Chrysalis/EMI Records in the US and the UK in 1995 as part of EMI’s Brilliant series...
in the US. New mixes of "Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass (song)
"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
", "Atomic
Atomic (song)
"Atomic" is a song by the American New Wave band Blondie, written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman. It was released as the third single from the band's 1979 album Eat to the Beat.-Song information:...
" and "Union City Blue
Union City Blue
"Union City Blue" is a song by the US rock band Blondie. It was written by Deborah Harry and Nigel Harrison, and was featured on their 1979 album Eat to the Beat.-Single information:...
" were released as singles and all made the UK Top 40, while remixes of "Atomic", "Rapture
Rapture (song)
"Rapture" is a single by the American new wave band Blondie. It was released in January 1981 and was the second and final song to be released from the band's 1980 top 10 album Autoamerican, the first being "The Tide Is High", which had topped the chart in the US and UK. "Rapture" went on to reach...
" and "Heart of Glass" had major success on the US dance charts.
Reunion
In 1997, Blondie began working together again for the first time in 15 years. Two tracks were recorded with TV ManiaTV Mania
TV Mania was an electronic band founded in 1995 that consisted of keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, both of Duran Duran and producer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony J. Resta...
, the production trio of two Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
members, Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
and Warren Cuccurullo
Warren Cuccurullo
Warren Bruce Cuccurullo in Brooklyn, New York is an American rock musician who worked with Frank Zappa, was a founding member of Missing Persons, and has been a long term member of Duran Duran. He also has some notoriety in the porn industry after making nude appearances in a magazine and...
, and producer Anthony J. Resta
Anthony J. Resta
Anthony J. Resta is an American record producer and musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is a known for his use of vintage audio gear in creating expansive sonic atmospheres. He has earned twelve RIAA certified gold and multi-platinum awards and has been featured in many articles for his...
. "Studio 54" and "Pop Trash Movie" were scheduled for release on a Blondie compilation, entitled This Is Blondie. However, the project and the tracks were shelved as the four original members (Harry, Stein, Clem Burke
Clem Burke
Clem Burke is an American musician who is the drummer for the band Blondie. Recruited by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry when they were first forming Blondie, Burke remained with the band through its first stage and later returned for its late 1990s reunion and then its extensive 2009 tour.Following...
and Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
) embarked on sessions for what would become Blondie's seventh studio album. During this period, they released a cover of Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
's "Ordinary Bummer" on the tribute album We Will Fall (1997).
After a final tour of Europe with The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
in the summer of 1998, Deborah Harry resumed duties as lead vocalist of Blondie. Prior to the release of No Exit
No Exit (Blondie album)
No Exit is the seventh studio album by the US rock/new wave group Blondie. It was released in February 1999 and marked the first time the band recorded or performed together since 1982, when they released their previous studio album The Hunter....
, the band completed a sold out tour of Europe. Dates at London's Lyceum Theatre were recorded by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and aired on national BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. A week before the release of No Exit, the lead single "Maria
Maria (Blondie song)
"Maria" is a song by the American band Blondie, taken from their 1999 album No Exit. This song was Blondie's comeback single, their first since "War Child" in July 1982. In the UK, it was the band's sixth no.1 single, topping the charts exactly 20 years after their first UK no.1 "Heart of Glass" in...
" debuted at No. 1 in the UK, giving Blondie their sixth UK No.1 hit. "Maria" also reached #1 in 14 different countries, the top 10 on the US Dance Charts and Top 15 on the US Adult Top 40 Charts. No Exit debuted at No.3 in the UK and #17 in the US and Blondie announced dates for a major arena tour that summer, during which they played the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and Party in the Park
Party in the Park
Party in the Park is the generic name given to music concerts organised by various radio stations and local authorities in England and Wales, typically in large parks during the summer.-Leeds' Party in the Park:...
in London. "Nothing Is Real but the Girl
Nothing Is Real but the Girl
"Nothing Is Real but the Girl" is a song from Blondie's 1999 comeback album No Exit. Written by the band's keyboardist Jimmy Destri, the song was released as a single in the UK on June 12, 1999 in various formats. A promotional video for the song was also produced.Due to the incredible success of...
" was another UK Top-30 hit, while the title track was released as a limited-edition single to coincide with further arena dates in November of that year.
Tracks culled from dates throughout the 1999 world tour were released as a live album, titled Live
Livid (Live)
Livid a.k.a. Live is the title of a live album by the band Blondie released in 2000. The album was recorded after their successful 1999 comeback album No Exit and includes all their best-known songs, including "Atomic", "The Tide Is High", "Call Me" and "Heart of Glass", as well as the 1999 UK...
in the US and Livid
Livid (Live)
Livid a.k.a. Live is the title of a live album by the band Blondie released in 2000. The album was recorded after their successful 1999 comeback album No Exit and includes all their best-known songs, including "Atomic", "The Tide Is High", "Call Me" and "Heart of Glass", as well as the 1999 UK...
in the UK and were released in late 1999 and early 2000, respectively. A Blondie Live companion DVD was also released, recorded at a show in New York City's The Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
.
Good Boys
"Good Boys" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 2003, it was the only single to be released from their eighth studio album The Curse of Blondie. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK and was the final single from the band for eight years.The single was released as part...
" (a hit across the UK and Europe that autumn, and top 10 on the US Dance Charts the following spring) and the release of Blondie's eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie
The Curse of Blondie
The Curse of Blondie is the eighth studio album from the US rock band Blondie. It was released in October 2003, and peaked at no.36 in the U.K..The band departed from bankrupt Beyond Records and signed with Sony Music...
. The band toured throughout 2003 and 2004, completing two further full-scale tours of the UK.
A second live album, entitled Live By Request
Live by Request (Blondie album)
Live by Request is a live album by the band Blondie released in the US in 2004, and in the UK in 2005.Following the US release of The Curse of Blondie the band performed on the A&E Network's Live by Request program, taking requests via e-mail and phone from fans - and personal friends like film...
, was released in 2005, along with a companion DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set. In that year, the band also released the mash-up "Rapture Riders
Rapture (song)
"Rapture" is a single by the American new wave band Blondie. It was released in January 1981 and was the second and final song to be released from the band's 1980 top 10 album Autoamerican, the first being "The Tide Is High", which had topped the chart in the US and UK. "Rapture" went on to reach...
," which combined their 1981 hit "Rapture" with The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' "Riders on the Storm
Riders on the Storm
"Riders on the Storm" is a song by The Doors from their 1971 album, L.A. Woman. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number 22 on the UK singles charts and number 7 in the Netherlands.-Overview:...
". This track was taken from a greatest hits compilation entitled Sound and Vision (first issued in the UK as Sight + Sound
Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound
Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound is a two disc compilation album by the band Blondie released in the UK on November 8, 2005. This was the first Blondie hits package to combine the CD and DVD formats...
), released with a companion DVD and new mixes of "In the Flesh" and "Good Boys
Good Boys
"Good Boys" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 2003, it was the only single to be released from their eighth studio album The Curse of Blondie. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK and was the final single from the band for eight years.The single was released as part...
".
In the winter of 2005, Blondie toured the UK for the fourth time in as many years. In 2006, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. Around this time, Blondie released a new studio track, a cover of Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's 1982 hit "More Than This
More Than This (song)
-Track listing:CD single#"More Than This " – 3:17#"Clear" - 3:59#"More Than This " - 7:18-Charts:...
". This was to promote their "Road Rage" tour and the single was made available for free download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
At the end of 2006, a new mix of "Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass (song)
"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
" became a club hit in Europe, while Harry released the single "New York New York", a collaboration with Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
. The song debuted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, some four weeks before its official release.
In the summer of 2007, Blondie toured in the UK once again. Around this time, Harry delineated the different personas (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) to an interviewer who asked why she played only solo music on the 2007 True Colors Tour: "I've put together a new trio with no Blondie members in it—I really want to make a clear definition between Debbie's solo projects and Blondie—and I hope that the audience can appreciate that and also appreciate this other material."
On July 3, 2008, Blondie commenced a world tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American New Wave band Blondie, released in 1978 by Chrysalis Records. Their most popular and best-selling effort, Parallel Lines was the first Blondie album to be produced by Mike Chapman. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom in February 1979...
with a sell-out concert at the amphitheatre in Ra'anana
Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. During the tour, drummer Clem Burke
Clem Burke
Clem Burke is an American musician who is the drummer for the band Blondie. Recruited by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry when they were first forming Blondie, Burke remained with the band through its first stage and later returned for its late 1990s reunion and then its extensive 2009 tour.Following...
stated that the tour had inspired the band to make another record, Panic of Girls
Panic of Girls
Panic of Girls is the ninth studio album by the American New Wave band Blondie. The album was first released digitally on May 30, 2011, followed by physical releases later .-Background and release:...
, their first new album since the release of The Curse of Blondie
The Curse of Blondie
The Curse of Blondie is the eighth studio album from the US rock band Blondie. It was released in October 2003, and peaked at no.36 in the U.K..The band departed from bankrupt Beyond Records and signed with Sony Music...
in 2003.
In 2009, Blondie went on tour with Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
for the "Call Me Invincible" tour. The majority of the shows were opened by The Donnas
The Donnas
The Donnas are an American all-female rock band from Palo Alto, California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, The Runaways, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not...
.
In December 2009, Blondie recorded their version of the traditional song "We Three Kings" to coincide with the band's new album.
In the summer of 2010, Blondie began a UK tour, including venues in Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Dublin. They also played festivals including the Isle of Wight and Rockness Festival in Inverness, Scotland. Tracks from their forthcoming album Panic of Girls were performed during their tour of the UK, notably 'D-Day' and 'What I Heard'. In an interview at the Isle of Wight Festival, drummer Clem Burke indicated that Blondie might return for another tour in 2011, depending on how well the record is received.
Solo albums
Harry has released five solo albums. Harry began her solo career with the Chrysalis Records album Koo KooKoo Koo
KooKoo is the debut solo album by the American singer Debbie Harry, released in 1981.-Album information:KooKoo was made while Harry and boyfriend Chris Stein were taking a year long break from the band Blondie...
in 1981. The album peaked at #28 in the US and #6 in the UK; it was later certified gold in the US and Silver in the UK. "Backfired
Backfired
Backfired is the debut solo single from the American singer-songwriter and Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry. Released in 1981, it was taken from her debut solo album KooKoo.-Song information:...
", the first single from the album, had a video directed by H. R. Giger
H. R. Giger
Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger is a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor, and set designer. He won an Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects for his design work on the film Alien.-Early life:...
(who also painted the album's eye-catching cover featuring Harry's face with metal skewers through it) and climbed to #43 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #29 on the Hot Dance Club Songs and #32 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. "The Jam Was Moving
The Jam Was Moving
-12" vinyl:-Chart positions:-External links:*...
" was lifted as the second single and peaked at #82 in the US.
In 1986, Harry released her second solo album on Geffen Records called Rockbird
Rockbird
Rockbird is the second solo album by the American singer Debbie Harry, released in November 1986.-Album information:Rockbird was Harry's second solo album, and came four years after the split of Blondie in 1982. Harry had largely put her music career on hold during the mid-1980s in order to look...
, which peaked at #97 in the US (where it sold 200,000 copies) and #31 in the UK (where it has been certified Gold for 100,000 sales by the BPI). The single "French Kissin' in the USA" gave Harry her only UK solo top 10 hit (#8) and became a moderate US hit (#57). Other singles released from the album were "Free to Fall
Free To Fall
"Free to Fall" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry, taken from her second solo album Rockbird . It was released as a single in the U.S. and the UK. The single failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or any other significant U.S. chart, and peaked at no.46 in the UK. The B-side to the...
" and "In Love with Love
In Love With Love
"In Love with Love" is the fourth track from the 1986 album Rockbird, and second single to be released from the album by Debbie Harry.-Song information:...
," which hit #1 on the US Dance Charts and was released with several remixes.
Her next solo venture was the Sire/Red Eye/Reprise album Def, Dumb and Blonde
Def, Dumb and Blonde
Def, Dumb & Blonde is the third solo album by the American singer Deborah Harry. Released in October 1989, the album saw Harry reverting from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name...
in 1989. At this point Harry reverted from "Debbie" to "Deborah" for her professional name. The first single "I Want That Man
I Want That Man
"I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:...
" was a hit in Europe, Australia, and on the US Modern Rock Charts. The success of the single propelled the album to #12 on the UK chart. However, with little promotion from her record company in the US, it peaked at #123. She followed this up with the ballad "Brite Side
Brite Side
Brite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit...
" and the club hit "Sweet and Low
Sweet and Low (song)
Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart...
". "Maybe for Sure
Maybe for Sure
"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
", a track originally recorded by Blondie for the Rock and Rule animated film, was the fourth single released from the album in June 1990 to coincide with a UK tour (her second in six months). "Kiss It Better
Kiss It Better
"Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"...
" was also a Top 15 Modern Rock single in the US.
From 1989 to 1991, Harry toured extensively across the world with former Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, Underworld
Underworld (band)
Underworld are a British electronic group, and principal name under which duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have recorded together since 1980.- Early years: 1979–1986 :...
's Karl Hyde, and future Blondie bassist Leigh Foxx. In July 1991, she played Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
with INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
. In 1991, Chrysalis released a "best of" compilation in Europe entitled The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie, containing hits with Blondie as well as solo hits. The collection reached #3 in the UK album chart. The album also included her duet with Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
on the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
song "Well, Did You Evah!
Well, Did You Evah!
"Well, Did You Evah!" is a song written by Cole Porter for his 1939 musical Du Barry Was a Lady, where it was introduced by Betty Grable and Charles Walters....
" from the Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
charity album produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
and released at the end of 1990.
Harry's fourth solo album, Debravation
Debravation
Debravation is the fourth solo album by Deborah Harry. Released in 1993, the album reached no. 24 in the UK. It was also the final album Harry made whilst signed to the Chrysalis label, thus ending a successful partnership that began with Blondie and had endured for over 15 years.The first single...
, appeared in July 1993. The album's first single was "I Can See Clearly
I Can See Clearly
"I Can See Clearly" is a single released by Deborah Harry in 1993 and was the lead single from the album Debravation.-Song information:...
," which peaked at #23 in the UK and #2 on the US dance charts. This was followed by "Strike Me Pink
Strike Me Pink
"Strike Me Pink" is the second and final single from Deborah Harry's fourth solo album Debravation.-Song information:"Strike Me Pink" failed to chart in the US and peaked at #46 in the UK. It's Harry's last single to chart on the UK Singles Chart to date and the single didn't make any other major...
" in September. Controversy surrounded the latter track's promotional video, which featured a man drowning in a water tank, resulting in it being banned. US editions of the album feature two additional tracks recorded with pre-recorded music by R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
: "Tear Drops" and "My Last Date (With You),"
Last Date (song)
"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. "Last Date" peaked at number 11 on the country chart and peaked at number two on the Hot 100.-Chart performance:-Cover versions:...
a remake of a 1961 Skeeter Davis
Skeeter Davis
Mary Frances Penick , better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer best known for crossover pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records. In the late '50s, she became a solo...
hit.
In November 1993, Harry toured the UK with Stein, Peter Min, Greta Brinkman and . The set list of the Debravation Tour featured an offbeat selection of Harry material including the previously unreleased track "Close Your Eyes" (from 1989) and "Ordinary Bummer" (from the Stein-produced Iggy Pop album Zombie Birdhouse
Zombie Birdhouse
Zombie Birdhouse is an album by Iggy Pop released in 1982 on Chris Stein's record label, Animal Records. Stein played guitar and drums were played by Clem Burke, another Blondie member...
; a track that, under the moniker "Adolph's Dog," Blondie covered in 1997). Tentative plans to record these shows and release them as a double live CD never came to fruition. However, a cover of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Wild Horses" is available as a bootleg. At the end of 1993, Chrysalis released the Blondie rarities collection Blonde and Beyond
Blonde and Beyond
Blonde and Beyond is a compilation album of recordings by Blondie released on Chrysalis Records in 1993. Blonde and Beyond gathers some of the band's hit singles like "Heart of Glass", "Denis", "X-Offender", "Picture This" and "Island Of Lost Souls" along with album tracks and a few rarities like...
, which featured the previously unreleased tracks "Scenery" and "Underground Girl." In early 1994, Harry took the Debravation tour to the US.
In 2006, Harry started work in New York City on tracks for her fifth solo album Necessary Evil (2007). Working with production duo Super Buddha (who produced the remix of Blondie's "In the Flesh" for the 2005 Sound and Vision compilation), the first music to surface in was a hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
track entitled "Dirty and Deep" in which she spoke out against rapper Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
's incarceration.
Throughout 2006, a number of new tracks surfaced on Harry's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, including "Charm Alarm", "Deep End", "Love With A Vengeance", "School for Scandal" and "Necessary Evil", as well as duets she recorded with Miss Guy (of Toilet Böys
Toilet Boys
Toilet Böys are an American rock and roll band from New York City, USA. The band's original line-up is made up of Miss Guy, Sean Pierce, Electric Eddie, Rocket, and Adam Vomit. Toilet Böys have toured world-wide supporting musical acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nashville Pussy, Orgy, The...
fame). These were "God Save New York" and "New York Groove". A streaming version of the lead single, "Two Times Blue
Two Times Blue
"Two Times Blue" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, released as the first single from her fifth solo album Necessary Evil.-Song information:"Two Times Blue" was Harry's first solo single in fourteen years, the last one being "Strike Me Pink"...
", was added to Harry's MySpace page in May 2007. On 6 June 2007, an iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
downloadable version was released via her official website.
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's True Colors Tour
True Colors Tour
The True Colors Tour is an annual music tour created by American pop singer Cyndi Lauper. The tour benefits the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the LGBT community and to the straight friends and family who love them, including PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard...
for the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
. She is a strong advocate for gay rights and same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. Though she has stated that she identifies as mostly heterosexual, Harry has said she has had intimate relationships with both men and women.
Necessary Evil was released on Eleven Seven Music
Eleven seven music
Eleven Seven Music is a record label founded by Allen Kovac, who is the CEO of 10th Street Entertainment.Eleven Seven has recently enjoyed success with the rejuvenated Buckcherry, whose label debut has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M...
after Harry completed both a solo tour of the US in June 2007 and a European tour with Blondie in July 2007. The first single, "Two Times Blue
Two Times Blue
"Two Times Blue" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, released as the first single from her fifth solo album Necessary Evil.-Song information:"Two Times Blue" was Harry's first solo single in fourteen years, the last one being "Strike Me Pink"...
", peaked at #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart. The album debuted at #86 in the UK and #37 in the US Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
To promote the album, Harry appeared on various talk shows to perform "Two Times Blue". She also started a 22-date US tour on November 8, lasting until December 9, playing small venues and clubs across the country. On January 18, 2008, an official music video for "If I Had You
If I Had You (Debbie Harry song)
"If I Had You" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, and was the planned second single from her fifth solo album Necessary Evil. The official music video was released in January 2008. However, only promotional singles were released and a commercial release never surfaced....
" was released.
Other musical projects
In 1983, Harry teamed up with Giorgio MoroderGiorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
(with whom she had worked previously on Blondie's "Call Me") on the song "Rush Rush
Rush Rush (Debbie Harry song)
"Rush Rush" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry. Released as a single in 1983, it is taken from the soundtrack album of the film Scarface .-Song information:...
," which was featured in the film Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
and in the video game Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
. Rush Rush was also remixed into Rush Rush (get the yayo), sung on by Cam'ron. Harry's single "Feel the Spin
Feel the Spin
"Feel the Spin" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry, featured on the soundtrack album for the film Krush Groove . The song was co-written by Harry and producers John "Jellybean" Benitez and Toni C....
", produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez, was released (as a 12" single only) in 1985. That song, along with the whole soundtrack to the film Krush Groove
Krush Groove
Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut...
, peaked at #5 on the US Dance Charts. The song's "uno dos tres quatro" intro has been sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
on a number of records, including S'Express
S'Express
S'Express were a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre."Theme from S'Express", based on Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After", was also one of the earliest recordings to capitalize on a resurgence of sampling culture...
' "Theme from S'Express
Theme from S'Express
"Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by English dance music band S'Express from their album Original Soundtrack. It is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in dance music history and is notable for introducing acid house culture to the UK's charts....
".
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Die Haut
Die haut
Die Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
on the track "Don't Cross My Mind", and released the song "Prelude to a Kiss
Prelude to a Kiss (song)
"Prelude to a Kiss" is a 1938 song composed by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Irving Gordon.In 1989, saxophonist Nelson Rangell covered the song from his self-titled album.-Notable Recordings:...
" on the soundtrack to the film of the same name
Prelude to a Kiss (film)
Prelude to a Kiss is a 1992 American romantic fantasy film directed by Norman René and starring Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan and Sydney Walker. The screenplay by Craig Lucas is based on his 1988 play of the same title.-Plot synopsis:...
. She also released a cover of "Summertime Blues
Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
" from the soundtrack to the film That Night in Australia.
In the mid-1990s, Harry teamed up with New York avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
ensemble The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers
The Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
. Between 1994 and 1998 she was a permanent member of the troupe, touring North America and Europe. She was a featured vocalist on their 1994 album In Love singing the track "Dog In Sand". The follow-up album, 1997's Individually Twisted, is credited as "The Jazz Passengers featuring Deborah Harry" and Harry sings vocals throughout, teaming up with guest Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
for a cover of "Doncha Go Way Mad". The album also features a re-recorded version of the song "The Tide Is High
The Tide Is High
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 song written by John Holt and originally performed by The Paragons with John Holt as lead singer. The song went mainly unnoticed in the rest of the world until it was rediscovered in 1980 when it became a US/UK number 1 hit for the band Blondie...
". A live album entitled Live In Spain, again featuring Harry on vocals, was released in 1998.
Harry collaborated on a number of other projects with other artists. She featured as vocalist on Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
side project The Heads' 1996 release No Talking, Just Head
No Talking, Just Head
No Talking, Just Head is an album by The Heads, a band composed of Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, joined by a variety of guest singers...
(performing the title track and "Punk Lolita"). She also sings on a cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
" and on the song "Estrella de Mar" by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is an Argentine ska band from Buenos Aires. Formed in 1985, they released their first album, Bares y Fondas in 1986...
. In 1997 she collaborated with Jazz Passenger Bill Ware in his side project Groove Thing, singing lead vocals on the club hit "Command and Obey". Another JP collaboration appeared on the Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
tribute album Closed on Account of Rabies
Closed On Account of Rabies
Closed On Account of Rabies is a double-CD with poems and tales of Edgar Allan Poe performed by various artists, and produced by Hal Willner...
(1997). Harry also reunited with Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
for a cover of Otis Blackwell
Otis Blackwell
Otis Blackwell was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist, whose work significantly influenced rock 'n' roll...
's "Don't Be Cruel" for the 1995 tribute album Brace Yourself. During this period, she also recorded a duet with Robert Jacks entitled "Der Einzige Weg (The Only Way) - Theme from Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is a 1994 independent American comedy-horror film written and directed by Kim Henkel, and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, both before they became mainstream stars...
," which was recorded in German and in English, although these did not surface until 1999. Likewise, at the end of 1999, Chrysalis Records released a best of her solo recordings entitled Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry
Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry
Most of All – The Best of Deborah Harry is a compilation album of recordings by Debbie Harry, released by Chrysalis Records/EMI shortly after the reformed Blondie had topped the charts all over the world with their comeback single "Maria"....
and a remix of "I Want That Man".
Aside from writing and recording material for Blondie, Harry pursued various other projects. She appears on the 2001 Bill Ware album Vibes 4 singing the track 'Me and You' as well as on ex-Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
guitarist Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
's album Peggy's Blue Skylight on the track "Weird Nightmare". A techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
cover of Stan Jones
Stan Jones (songwriter)
Stan Jones was an American songwriter and actor.Stanley Davis "Stan" Jones was born in Douglas, Arizona, and grew up on a ranch. When his father died, his mother moved the family to Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, competing in rodeos to make money...
' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Three Business Men and was available on her website to download. Harry sings on two tracks on Andrea Griminelli's Cinema Italiano project: "You'll Come To Me" (inspired by Amarcord
Amarcord
Amarcord is a 1973 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale about Titta, an adolescent boy growing up among an eccentric cast of characters in the fictional town of Borgo in 1930s Fascist Italy...
s main theme) and "When Love Comes By" (from Il Postino
Il Postino
Il Postino is a 1994 Italian film directed by Michael Radford. The film was originally released in the U.S. as The Postman, a straight translation of the Italian title...
), as well as on a tribute album reinterpreting the music of Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
, on which she sings the title track "Stormy Weather". In May 2002, she accompanied The Jazz Passengers and the BBC Concert Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra
The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
in a performance of her jazz material at the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London. In 2003, she was featured vocalist on the song "Uncontrollable Love" by electro-clash dance producers Blow Up. She also sang on the version of "Waltzing Matilda" recorded by Dan Zanes and Friends
Dan Zanes and Friends
-History:When Dan Zanes and his wife had a baby, they moved to New York City. Zanes subsequently began playing music with a group of fathers that he had met in West Village playgrounds who were also there with their kids...
, released on the 2003 album House Party.
Harry also contributed to Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's 2008 album Folie à Deux. She sings on the chorus of the album's closer "West Coast Smoker".
Harry is a credited co-writer on a song called "Supersensual" that appears on Australian singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike...
's debut album 1000 Stars
1000 Stars
1000 Stars is the solo debut album by Australian singer and former Rogue Traders lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte. It was released as a digital download on 20 February 2009, followed by a physical release on 21 February 2009...
. The song samples the recognizable "woo-ooo-wo-oh" refrain from "Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass (song)
"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
".
Acting roles
Harry appeared on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
with Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
in the wrestling play Teaneck Tanzi. A retitled version of the British play Trafford Tanzi
Trafford Tanzi
Trafford Tanzi is a play by Claire Luckham. Originally performed in Manchester in 1980, it later played in Liverpool before achieving commercial success in London.-Plot:...
, the show opened and closed in one night. Later that year Harry, who had already appeared in a number of independent and underground films, made her major motion picture debut in the David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg
David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
film Videodrome
Videodrome
Videodrome is a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and singer Deborah Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small cable station who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring...
.
Following the release of Rockbird, Harry took a number of acting roles including the villainous Velma Von Tussle in John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
' Hairspray (1988).
A cover of The Castaways
The Castaways
The Castaways are an American garage rock band from the Twin Cities in Minnesota.Their first and only hit single was "Liar, Liar". Written by band leader James Donna and Denny Craswell, produced by Timothy D. Kehr and released by Soma Records, it reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in...
' "Liar Liar" from the soundtrack to the film Married to the Mob
Married to the Mob
Married to the Mob is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Modine.Michelle Pfeiffer, in something of a departure from her previous roles, gave an acclaimed lead performance as a gangster's widow from Brooklyn, opposite Matthew Modine as the...
was released as a single in the US. Harry's version of Michael Jay's "Mind Over Matter" was also recorded in this period, but never released. Harry starred in a film called Forever Lulu, also known as Crazy Streets, in 1987 alongside Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
. She had only one line but made appearances throughout the film. She also starred in the film Intimate Stranger as Cory Wheeler, a telephone sex worker being pursued by a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Harry's other film roles include Roadie
Roadie (film)
Roadie is a 1980 film directed by Alan Rudolph about a truck driver who becomes a roadie for a traveling rock and roll show. The film stars Meat Loaf and marks his first starring role in a film. There are also cameo appearances by musicians such as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Blondie and Alice...
, Union City
Union City (film)
Union City is a 1980 film starring Deborah Harry and Dennis Lipscomb.-Plot:A man is so obsessed with finding the person responsible for stealing his milk bottles that he ignores his beautiful young wife, who has other ideas on her mind....
, New York Beat Movie (otherwise known as Downtown '81), Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian animated film from the animation studio Nelvana. It was produced and directed by the company's founders, Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. The film features the voices of Greg Salata, Susan Roman, and Don Francks, with Catherine O'Hara, Chris...
, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 movie directed by John Harrison based on the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside...
, Six Ways to Sunday
Six Ways To Sunday
Six Ways to Sunday is a 1997 comedy film directed by Adam Bernstein. It is based on Charles Perry's novel Portrait of a Young Man Drowning.-Plot:...
, The Fluffer
The Fluffer
The Fluffer, a 2001 U.S. independent film, is a triangular story of obsessive love set against the backdrop of the adult video industry. The film was written by Wash West and co-directed by West and his life partner Richard Glatzer...
, Cop Land
Cop Land
Cop Land is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It features an ensemble cast including Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.-Plot:...
, Heavy
Heavy (film)
Heavy is a 1995 independent American drama film written and directed by James Mangold, and starring Liv Tyler, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Shelley Winters, and Deborah Harry...
, My Life Without Me
My Life Without Me
My Life Without Me is a 2003 Spanish/Canadian film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Sarah Polley, Mark Ruffalo, Scott Speedman, and Leonor Watling. Based on the book Pretending the Bed Is a Raft by Nanci Kincaid, it tells a story of the dying process of a 23-year-old woman who has a husband...
, Spun
Spun
Spun is a 2002 American crime dramedy directed by Jonas Åkerlund, and starring Jason Schwartzman, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Mena Suvari, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Eric Roberts, Chloe Hunter, and Debbie Harry. It is Åkerlund's début as a feature-film director, having already become known...
and Full Grown Men
Full Grown Men
Full Grown Men is a 2006 American independent comedy film directed by David Munro and starring Matt McGrath, Judah Friedlander, Alan Cumming, Amy Sedaris, and Deborah Harry, is the bittersweet story of a thirtysomething man with family who grudgingly realizes it is time to trade adolescence for...
. Her television appearances include roles on Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
, Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
, Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Wiseguy
Wiseguy
Wiseguy is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987 to December 8, 1990 for a total of four seasons. Starring Ken Wahl, the series was produced by Stephen J...
.
Current projects
- Harry is one of the faces of MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam VI campaign (2006). The campaign donates every cent of the selling price of their lipstick shades to the MAC AIDS Fund, which helps people living with HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
worldwide. She is also one of the faces of the RockStars of Science Campaign (2010) alongside other musicians Bret Michaels, Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, B.O.B., Keri Hilson, Jay Sean and Timbaland.
- She recently completed recording a new album with Blondie titled Panic Of Girls, which was released on July 4, 2011.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
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| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
NZ |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| Koo Koo Koo Koo KooKoo is the debut solo album by the American singer Debbie Harry, released in 1981.-Album information:KooKoo was made while Harry and boyfriend Chris Stein were taking a year long break from the band Blondie... |
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25 | — | 17 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 6 |
Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... : Gold British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Silver Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold |
| Rockbird Rockbird Rockbird is the second solo album by the American singer Debbie Harry, released in November 1986.-Album information:Rockbird was Harry's second solo album, and came four years after the split of Blondie in 1982. Harry had largely put her music career on hold during the mid-1980s in order to look... |
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , cassette |
97 | — | — | — | 22 | 30 | 31 |
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| Def, Dumb and Blonde Def, Dumb and Blonde Def, Dumb & Blonde is the third solo album by the American singer Deborah Harry. Released in October 1989, the album saw Harry reverting from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name... |
Sire Records Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a... |
123 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 |
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| Debravation Debravation Debravation is the fourth solo album by Deborah Harry. Released in 1993, the album reached no. 24 in the UK. It was also the final album Harry made whilst signed to the Chrysalis label, thus ending a successful partnership that began with Blondie and had endured for over 15 years.The first single... |
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:... |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | |
| Necessary Evil |
Eleven seven music Eleven Seven Music is a record label founded by Allen Kovac, who is the CEO of 10th Street Entertainment.Eleven Seven has recently enjoyed success with the rejuvenated Buckcherry, whose label debut has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M... Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | 37 | — | — | — | — | 86 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
Australia | New Zealand |
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| 1988 | Once More into the Bleach Once More into the Bleach Once More into the Bleach is a remix album released in 1988 by the band Blondie and Debbie Harry. The thirteen-track compilation contains remixes of Blondie songs and material from Debbie Harry's solo career. It was issued as a double vinyl album, double cassette, and compact disc... (Debbie Harry and Blondie Blondie (band) Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s... ) |
— | 50 | 47 | — |
| 1991 | The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie (Deborah Harry and Blondie Blondie (band) Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s... ) |
— | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 1998 | Deborah Harry Collection Deborah Harry Collection Deborah Harry Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Debbie Harry, released by Dutch budget price label Disky Communications in 1998... |
— | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry Most of All – The Best of Deborah Harry is a compilation album of recordings by Debbie Harry, released by Chrysalis Records/EMI shortly after the reformed Blondie had topped the charts all over the world with their comeback single "Maria".... |
— | — | — | — |
| 2004 | French Kissin' - The Collection French Kissin' - The Collection French Kissin' - The Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Debbie Harry, released by EMI's mid-price label EMI Gold in 2004.The album was previously issued by Dutch label Disky with different artwork under the title Deborah Harry Collection... |
— | — | — | — |
Other albums
Harry has made guest appearances on several albums:- Heart on a WallHeart on a WallHeart on a Wall is a solo album by Blondie keyboardist and composer Jimmy Destri, released on Chrysalis Records in 1981.After Blondie's 1980 album Autoamerican, the band members took a break from both recording and touring as a group...
(Jimmy DestriJimmy DestriJimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry) (1981) - Halfway to SanityHalfway to SanityHalfway to Sanity is the tenth studio album by American punk band the Ramones. It was released on September 15, 1987, and the last album to feature Richie Ramone...
(RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Go Lil' Camaro Go") (1987) - Hairspray: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackHairspray (1988 soundtrack)Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack of the 1988 John Waters film, Hairspray. It features one original song and rock and roll and rhythm and blues songs by other artists that were used in the film...
(Debbie Harry features on the song "Hairspray" by Rachel SweetRachel SweetRachel Sweet is an American singer, television writer and actress.-Biography:After beginning her singing career at the age of three, when she won an electric garage door opener in a singing contest, she began recording commercials at the age of six, toured with Mickey Rooney, and performed in Las...
) - Like A Girl, I Want You To Keep Coming (Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Invocation to Papa Legba") (1989)
- Standing in the Spotlight (Dee Dee RamoneDee Dee RamoneDee Dee Ramone was an American songwriter and musician, best known as founding member, bassist and main songwriter of the punk rock band the Ramones....
album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 2 songs: "Mashed Potato Kid" and "German Kid") (1989) - Big TrashBig TrashBig Trash is the seventh album by the British pop group the Thompson Twins. Released in 1989, it was the first release by the band on the Red Eye/Warner Brothers record label. It yielded two singles, "Sugar Daddy" and "Bombers in the Sky," but was a commercial failure...
(Thompson TwinsThompson TwinsThe Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
album featuring backing vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Sugar Daddy", and spoken-word telephone vocals on "Queen of the USA") (1989) - Just Say DaJust Say Da (album)Just Say Da was Sire Records' Volume 4 of Just Say Yes and was originally released on September 4, 1990 as a winter CD sampler. It contained remixes and non-album tracks of artists on the label, most of which were considered New Wave or Modern Rock...
(Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Maybe for Sure (Tunguska Event 7" Mix)Maybe for Sure"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
") (1990) - Prelude to a Kiss SoundtrackPrelude to a Kiss (film)Prelude to a Kiss is a 1992 American romantic fantasy film directed by Norman René and starring Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan and Sydney Walker. The screenplay by Craig Lucas is based on his 1988 play of the same title.-Plot synopsis:...
- (Various artists - Debbie Harry song: "Prelude to a KissPrelude to a Kiss (song)"Prelude to a Kiss" is a 1938 song composed by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Irving Gordon.In 1989, saxophonist Nelson Rangell covered the song from his self-titled album.-Notable Recordings:...
") (1992) - Get Out (Various artists promotional CD issued with Out magazine charter subscriptions - Debbie Harry song: "I Want That Man (Remix/Edit)") (1992)
- Cash Cow (Various artists CD - Debbie Harry song: "Moroccan Rock (Pipe of Pain)") (1993)
- Heck on Wheels Volume 3 (Various artists promotional CD - Debbie Harry song: "Communion") (1993)
- Head On (Die HautDie hautDie Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
album featuring vocals by Debbie Harry on 1 song: "Don't Cross My Mind") (1993) - Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell(various artists tribute album - Debbie Harry song: "Don't Be CruelDon't Be Cruel-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...
") (1994) - In Love (The Jazz PassengersThe Jazz PassengersThe Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
featuring Deborah Harry vocals on 1 song: "Dog in Sand") (1994) - Rey AzúcarRey AzúcarRey Azúcar Released in 1995 is the tenth album by Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. It was produced by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, and contained guest appearances from punk icons Mick Jones of The Clash and Blondie's Debbie Harry , as well...
(Los Fabulosos CadillacsLos Fabulosos CadillacsLos Fabulosos Cadillacs is an Argentine ska band from Buenos Aires. Formed in 1985, they released their first album, Bares y Fondas in 1986...
album - Debbie Harry Vocals on 2 songs: "Strawberry Fields ForeverStrawberry Fields Forever"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
" & "Estrella de Mar") (1995) - Virtuosity SoundtrackVirtuosityVirtuosity is a 1995 techno-thriller film directed by Brett Leonard. The movie tells the story of a virtual villain's successful attempt to escape into the "real world". SID 6.7, the villain program portrayed by Russell Crowe, is eventually transplanted into an android body and escapes...
(Soundtrack album - Debbie Harry vocals on 1 song: "No Talking, Just Head" (with The Heads)) (1995) - No Talking, Just HeadNo Talking, Just HeadNo Talking, Just Head is an album by The Heads, a band composed of Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, joined by a variety of guest singers...
(The Heads album - Debbie Harry vocals on 1 song: "No Talking, Just Head") (1996) - Individually Twisted (The Jazz PassengersThe Jazz PassengersThe Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
featuring Deborah Harry) (1996) - Live In Spain (The Jazz PassengersThe Jazz PassengersThe Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes.The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band The Lounge Lizards. Other regular members include...
featuring Deborah Harry) (1997) - Six Ways to Sunday SoundtrackSix Ways To SundaySix Ways to Sunday is a 1997 comedy film directed by Adam Bernstein. It is based on Charles Perry's novel Portrait of a Young Man Drowning.-Plot:...
- (Soundtrack featuring 2 Debbie Harry songs: "Sunday GirlSunday Girl"Sunday Girl" was a UK number-one single by Blondie for three weeks in May 1979. It was Blondie's second UK number-one single after "Heart of Glass"; it was, however, never released as a single in the US.-Song information:...
" (with BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and "More, More, More" a short speaking part in "Sex Ed") - Covers EP (Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (band)Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
EP featuring the duet "Live Alone") (2011)
Singles
| Artist credit | Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Dance | US Modern Rock | Australia | New Zealand | Canada | UK singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debbie Harry | 1981 | "Backfired Backfired Backfired is the debut solo single from the American singer-songwriter and Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry. Released in 1981, it was taken from her debut solo album KooKoo.-Song information:... " |
43 | 29 | - | 23 | 28 | - | 32 | Koo Koo |
| "The Jam Was Moving The Jam Was Moving -12" vinyl:-Chart positions:-External links:*... " |
82 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| "Chrome Chrome (song) Chrome is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry, featured on her debut album KooKoo in 1981. The song was issued as an advance 12" promo in the United States with the album track "Under Arrest" as the B-side but it never had a commercial release... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1983 | "Rush, Rush Rush Rush (Debbie Harry song) "Rush Rush" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry. Released as a single in 1983, it is taken from the soundtrack album of the film Scarface .-Song information:... " |
105 | 28 | - | 25 | 39 | 42 | - | Scarface Scarface (1983 film) Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana... (soundtrack) |
|
| 1985 | "Feel the Spin Feel the Spin "Feel the Spin" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry, featured on the soundtrack album for the film Krush Groove . The song was co-written by Harry and producers John "Jellybean" Benitez and Toni C.... " |
- | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | Krush Groove Krush Groove Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut... (soundtrack) |
|
| 1986 | "French Kissin'" | 57 | 44 | - | 4 | 2 | 96 | 8 | Rockbird | |
| 1987 | "In Love with Love In Love With Love "In Love with Love" is the fourth track from the 1986 album Rockbird, and second single to be released from the album by Debbie Harry.-Song information:... " |
70 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 45 | ||
| "Free to Fall Free To Fall "Free to Fall" is a song by the American vocalist Debbie Harry, taken from her second solo album Rockbird . It was released as a single in the U.S. and the UK. The single failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or any other significant U.S. chart, and peaked at no.46 in the UK. The B-side to the... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | 46 | |||
| 1988 | "Liar, Liar" | - | - | 14 | - | - | - | - | Married to the Mob Married to the Mob Married to the Mob is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Modine.Michelle Pfeiffer, in something of a departure from her previous roles, gave an acclaimed lead performance as a gangster's widow from Brooklyn, opposite Matthew Modine as the... (soundtrack) |
|
| Deborah Harry | 1989 | "I Want That Man I Want That Man "I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:... " |
- | - | 2 | 2 | 8 | - | 13 | Def, Dumb and Blonde |
| "Kiss It Better Kiss It Better "Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"... " |
- | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | |||
| "Brite Side Brite Side Brite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | 59 | |||
| 1990 | "Sweet and Low Sweet and Low (song) Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart... " |
- | 17 | - | 30 | - | - | 57 | ||
| "Maybe for Sure Maybe for Sure "Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | 89 | |||
| Deborah Harry & Iggy Pop Iggy Pop Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues... |
1991 | "Well, Did You Evah! Well, Did You Evah! "Well, Did You Evah!" is a song written by Cole Porter for his 1939 musical Du Barry Was a Lady, where it was introduced by Betty Grable and Charles Walters.... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | 42 | Red Hot + Blue Red Hot + Blue Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series... |
| Deborah Harry | 1993 | "I Can See Clearly I Can See Clearly "I Can See Clearly" is a single released by Deborah Harry in 1993 and was the lead single from the album Debravation.-Song information:... " |
- | 2 | - | 96 | - | - | 23 | Debravation |
| "Strike Me Pink Strike Me Pink "Strike Me Pink" is the second and final single from Deborah Harry's fourth solo album Debravation.-Song information:"Strike Me Pink" failed to chart in the US and peaked at #46 in the UK. It's Harry's last single to chart on the UK Singles Chart to date and the single didn't make any other major... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | 46 | |||
| Groove Thing featuring Debbie Harry |
1997 | "Command and Obey" | - | 42 | - | - | - | - | - | This Is No Time |
| 1999 | "Command and Obey" (Remix Remix A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song .... ) |
- | 49 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Deborah Harry | "I Want That Man" (Almighty Remix) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry | |
| Moby Moby Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early... featuring Debbie Harry |
2006 | "New York, New York" | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 43 | Go – The Very Best of Moby |
| Debbie Harry | 2007 | "Two Times Blue Two Times Blue "Two Times Blue" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, released as the first single from her fifth solo album Necessary Evil.-Song information:"Two Times Blue" was Harry's first solo single in fourteen years, the last one being "Strike Me Pink"... " |
- | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | Necessary Evil |
| Deborah Harry | 2008 | "If I Had You If I Had You (Debbie Harry song) "If I Had You" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, and was the planned second single from her fifth solo album Necessary Evil. The official music video was released in January 2008. However, only promotional singles were released and a commercial release never surfaced.... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Fit Right In Fit Right In "Fit Right In" is a song recorded by Debbie Harry, and was released digitally after promotion for Necessary Evil, her fifth solo album, ended in 2008. The single was backed with a new version of Heat of the Moment from Necessary Evil, featuring Mecca Dawn... " |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | Digital Single Release Only |
Features
- Unmade Beds (1976)
- Deadly Hero (1976)
- The Blank GenerationThe Blank GenerationThe Blank Generation is the earliest published D-I-Y "home movies" of New York punk's birth filmed by Amos Poe and Ivan Kral, legendary 1970s guitarist with Iggy Pop, Blondie and Patti Smith.- Synopsis :...
(1976) (documentary) - The Foreigner (1978)
- Mr. Mike's Mondo VideoMr. Mike's Mondo VideoMr. Mike's Mondo Video was a 1979 movie conceived by Saturday Night Live writer/featured player Michael O'Donoghue.-Plot:Mondo Video was a spoof of the controversial 1962 documentary Mondo Cane, showing people doing weird stunts. The logo for this film copies the original Mondo Cane logo...
(1979) - Union City (1980)
- RoadieRoadie (film)Roadie is a 1980 film directed by Alan Rudolph about a truck driver who becomes a roadie for a traveling rock and roll show. The film stars Meat Loaf and marks his first starring role in a film. There are also cameo appearances by musicians such as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Blondie and Alice...
(1980) - Downtown 81Downtown 81Downtown 81 is a film that was shot in 1980-1981.This film, directed by Edo Bertoglio, written and produced by Glenn O'Brien with post-production in 1999-2000 by Maripol, is a rare real-life snapshot of ultra-hip subculture of post-punk era Manhattan...
(1981) - Rock & RuleRock & RuleRock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian animated film from the animation studio Nelvana. It was produced and directed by the company's founders, Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. The film features the voices of Greg Salata, Susan Roman, and Don Francks, with Catherine O'Hara, Chris...
(1983 (voice) - VideodromeVideodromeVideodrome is a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and singer Deborah Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small cable station who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring...
(1983) - Terror in the AislesTerror in the AislesTerror in the Aisles is a 1984 documentary film about horror films featuring clips from Friday the 13th I and/or II, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween I and II, Jaws 1 and 2, Alien, John Carpenter's The Thing, The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and The Birds. The film is hosted by...
(1984) - Forever Lulu (1987)
- SatisfactionSatisfaction (film)Satisfaction is a 1988 drama starring Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson. It is one of the few theatrical productions by both Aaron Spelling and NBC.-Plot:...
(1988) - Hairspray (1988)
- New York StoriesNew York StoriesNew York Stories is a 1989 anthology film; it consists of three shorts with the central theme being New York City.The first is Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The second is Life Without Zoë, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and written by...
(1989) - Tales from the Darkside: The MovieTales from the Darkside: The MovieTales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 movie directed by John Harrison based on the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside...
(1990) - Intimate Stranger (1992)
- Body Bags (1993)
- Dead Beat (1994)
- Drop Dead Rock (1995)
- HeavyHeavy (film)Heavy is a 1995 independent American drama film written and directed by James Mangold, and starring Liv Tyler, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Shelley Winters, and Deborah Harry...
(1995) - Wigstock: The MovieWigstock: The MovieWigstock: The Movie is a 1995 documentary film focusing on Wigstock, the annual drag music festival that had been held New York City's East Village through the 1980s and 1990s. The film presents a number of performances from the 1994 festival, including Crystal Waters, Deee-Lite, Jackie Beat,...
(1995) (documentary) - Cop LandCop LandCop Land is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It features an ensemble cast including Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.-Plot:...
(1997) - Six Ways to SundaySix Ways To SundaySix Ways to Sunday is a 1997 comedy film directed by Adam Bernstein. It is based on Charles Perry's novel Portrait of a Young Man Drowning.-Plot:...
(1997) - Joe's Day (1998)
- Zoo (1999)
- Red Lipstick (2000)
- The FlufferThe FlufferThe Fluffer, a 2001 U.S. independent film, is a triangular story of obsessive love set against the backdrop of the adult video industry. The film was written by Wash West and co-directed by West and his life partner Richard Glatzer...
(2001) - Deuces WildDeuces WildDeuces Wild is a 2002 American action-crime film directed by Scott Kalvert and written by Paul Kimatian and Christopher Gambale, who also created the story. It stars Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, James Franco, Matt Dillon, and Fairuza Balk amongst others. The film is set in 1958 Brooklyn, New York City...
(2002) - SpunSpunSpun is a 2002 American crime dramedy directed by Jonas Åkerlund, and starring Jason Schwartzman, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Mena Suvari, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Eric Roberts, Chloe Hunter, and Debbie Harry. It is Åkerlund's début as a feature-film director, having already become known...
(2002) - Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
(2002) (Voice) - All I WantAll I Want (film)All I Want is a 2002 coming-of-age dramedy film, directed by Jeffrey Porter and written by Charles Kephart. It stars Elijah Wood, Franka Potente, and Mandy Moore...
(2002) - End of the Century: The Story of the RamonesEnd of the Century: The Story of the RamonesEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones is a 2003 documentary film about highly influential New York punk rock band the Ramones. The film, produced and directed by Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia, documents the band's history from their formation in the early 1970s and 22 subsequent years of...
(2003) (documentary) - My Life Without MeMy Life Without MeMy Life Without Me is a 2003 Spanish/Canadian film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Sarah Polley, Mark Ruffalo, Scott Speedman, and Leonor Watling. Based on the book Pretending the Bed Is a Raft by Nanci Kincaid, it tells a story of the dying process of a 23-year-old woman who has a husband...
(2003) - A Good Night to Die (2003)
- Ghostlight (2003)
- The Tulse Luper SuitcasesThe Tulse Luper SuitcasesThe Tulse Luper Suitcases is a multimedia project by Peter Greenaway, initially intended to comprise three "source" and one feature films, a 16-episode TV series, and 92 DVDs, as well as Web sites, CD-ROMs and books...
(2003) - Mayor of the Sunset StripMayor of the Sunset StripMayor of the Sunset Strip is a 2004 documentary film on the life of Rodney Bingenheimer directed by George Hickenlooper, and produced by Chris Carter.-Interviews:...
(2003) (documentary) - Picture This: Blondie and Debbie Harry (2004) (documentary)
- Kiki and Herb Reloaded (2005) (documentary)
- Face Addict (2005) (documentary)
- Too Tough to Die: A Tribute to Johnny Ramone (2006) (documentary)
- Full Grown MenFull Grown MenFull Grown Men is a 2006 American independent comedy film directed by David Munro and starring Matt McGrath, Judah Friedlander, Alan Cumming, Amy Sedaris, and Deborah Harry, is the bittersweet story of a thirtysomething man with family who grudgingly realizes it is time to trade adolescence for...
(2006) - AnamorphAnamorph (film)Anamorph is an independent psychological thriller film directed by Henry S. Miller and starring Willem Dafoe. Dafoe plays a seasoned detective named Stan Aubray, who notices that a case he has been assigned to bears a striking similarity to a previous case of his...
(2007) - ElegyElegy (film)Elegy is a 2008 drama directed by Spanish director Isabel Coixet and based on a Philip Roth novel, The Dying Animal. Staring Penélope Cruz and Ben Kingsley. The film is set in New York City, but was filmed in Vancouver.-Plot:...
(2008) - Hotel Gramercy Park (2008) (documentary)
Short subjects
- A New Face of Debbie Harry (1982)
- Sandman (1996)
- Who Is Harry Smith? (1998)
- Drive (2002)
- Honey Trap (2005)
- Patch (2005)
- I Remember You Now... (2005)
Official sites
- Debbie Harry — official website & blog
- www.dhbis.com — Deborah Harry & Blondie Mailing List
- Deborah Harry discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- www.blondie.net/deborah_harry.shtml, Deborah Harry's personal blog on Blondie site
Media links
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry
- Blondie at Rolling Stone Magazine
- Debbie Harry Pop Culture Madness interview
- Debbie Harry Interview on The Hour with George StroumboulopoulosGeorge StroumboulopoulosGeorge Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and being a VJ for Canadian music television channel MuchMusic...
- Debbie Harry at NNDBNNDBThe Notable Names Database , produced by Soylent Communications, the same entity that produces Rotten, Daily Rotten, Dr. Sputnik's Society Pages and Penny Postcards, is an online database of biographical details of over 36,000 people of note...