Hanging on the Telephone
Encyclopedia
"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee and first performed by Lee's short-lived US West Coast power pop
trio The Nerves
, who placed it as the lead-off track on their 1976 EP, the band's only release. New Wave
band Blondie
popularised the song when it was released as the second single off Parallel Lines
in both the U.S. and the UK, eventually reaching number 5 in the UK in November 1978 as well as inspiring other cover versions.
Like Blondie's follow up single, "Sunday Girl
", the drumming pattern of "Hanging on the Telephone" employs a double backbeat rhythm.
US 7" (CHS 2271)
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
trio The Nerves
The Nerves
The Nerves were a mid-'70s American power pop trio based in Los Angeles, featuring guitarist Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins. All three members composed songs and sang. They managed an international tour in the U.S. and Canada, including dates with The Ramones, and...
, who placed it as the lead-off track on their 1976 EP, the band's only release. 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...
popularised the song when it was released as the second single off 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...
in both the U.S. and the UK, eventually reaching number 5 in the UK in November 1978 as well as inspiring other cover versions.
Like Blondie's follow up single, "Sunday Girl
Sunday 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:...
", the drumming pattern of "Hanging on the Telephone" employs a double backbeat rhythm.
Release history
UK 7" (CHS 2266)- "Hanging on the Telephone" (Jack Lee) – 2:17
- "Will Anything Happen" (Lee) – 2:55
US 7" (CHS 2271)
- "Hanging on the Telephone" (Lee) – 2:17
- "Fade Away and Radiate" (Chris SteinChris SteinChristopher "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....
) – 3:57
Chart peaks
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 39 |
| Ireland | 16 |
| Netherlands | 20 |
| New Zealand | 43 |
| UK | 5 |
Cover versions and appearances in other media
- In 2001 Polish rock band HeyHey (band)Hey is a Polish rock band founded in Szczecin in 1991 by guitarist Piotr Banach and lead singer Kasia Nosowska. It is one of the most popular Polish music acts of the 1990s....
released a cover of the song on their studio album - In late 2005, an unreleased version of the song recorded by Cat PowerCat PowerCharlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
was used for a Cingular commercial - In 2006, both UK girl band Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
and Def LeppardDef LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
released covers of the song, on a limited edition bonus disc to The Sound of Girls AloudThe Sound of Girls AloudThe Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits anthology by British and Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2006 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, making it Girls Aloud's first number one album. As of...
and on Yeah!, respectively - The song has been covered by Alexi LaihoAlexi LaihoAlexi "Wildchild" Laiho is a Finnish singer, composer, and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead guitarist as well as lead vocalist for melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and he is also the guitarist for Sinergy and Kylähullut...
's Finnish extreme power metal band SinergySinergySinergy was a Finnish power metal band started in 1998 by American musician, Kimberly Goss. Aside from Sinergy, the most notable bands Goss has been involved with are Dimmu Borgir; as keyboardist, and Children of Bodom; where she filled in live for Janne Wirman and also contributed lyrics...
on the album To Hell and BackTo Hell and Back (album)To Hell and Back is the second album by the power metal band Sinergy, it was released in the year of 2000. It featured a cover-version of "Hanging on the Telephone", originally by Blondie. The song Last Escape is probably inspired by the game Resident Evil 3. Also, the song "Gallowmere" is inspired... - A studio band named Jack covered the song for inclusion in the 2005 edition of the PC game You Don't Know Jack
- A cover of this song appeared on punk rock band RehasherRehasherRehasher is a punk rock band based in Gainesville, Florida. They are currently signed to their vanity label, Moathouse Records and have released a second album...
's 2009 album, High Speed Access to My Brain - The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 2006 video game True Crime: New York CityTrue Crime: New York CityTrue Crime: New York City is an urban sandbox-style action-adventure videogame published by Activision and developed by Luxoflux for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube consoles and Windows based computers. It is the second game of the True Crime series, released after True Crime: Streets of LA...
- The master recording of Blondie's version of the song is available as downloadable contentDownloadable contentDownloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the music video gameMusic video gameA music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
series Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was... - A cover of this song appears on the 1995 Soundtrack to "The Jerky Boys" by L7.
- Swedish legendary duo RoxetteRoxetteRoxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
covered the song during their Crash! Boom! Bang! world tour 94-95. - The SharpThe SharpThe Sharp was a 3-piece pop/rock band from Melbourne, Australia.The band formed in 1988 with Allan Catlin on double bass and lead vocals, Charlie Rooke on guitar and lead vocals, and Danny Simcic / Piet Collins on drums....
covered the song on their EP Yeah I Want YouYeah I Want YouYeah I Want You is the third single release of the This is the Sharp Album by Australian pop-rock band The Sharp. It was recorded at Platinum Studios in Melbourne, Australia.-Track listing:#"Yeah I Want You"#"Love Cats"...
.