Picture This (song)
Encyclopedia
"Picture This" is track number 3 from the 1978 album Parallel Lines
by Blondie
, the first collaboration with producer Mike Chapman, and was also the fourth single release from Chrysalis Records
. "Picture This" was chosen as the lead single for Parallel Lines in the UK, reaching number 12 in the autumn of 1978, giving them their third UK Top 20 hit and also charting in most other parts of the world - it was however never issued as a single in the US.
, Debbie Harry
and Jimmy Destri
. Debbie Harry wrote the lyrics while Destri and Stein each wrote portions of the music. This would be the only time Harry and Stein would collaborate together with Destri. Destri co-wrote the song Detroit 442 from the Plastic Letters album with Chris Stein, and co-wrote the number one hit "Atomic
" with Debbie Harry from the Eat To The Beat album.
The B-side of the single, "Fade Away And Radiate" featuring Robert Fripp
on guitar, is also one of Blondie's best known songs and appears on the hits compilations Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie
(1998) , Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound
(2005) and Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (2006).
"Picture This" was included on the international version of the band's very first 'greatest hits' compilation The Best of Blondie
, released in October 1981.
"Picture This: The Many Faces of Blondie" is a book by photographer Mick Rock
published in 2004 with a foreword by Deborah Harry. The photograph featured on the "Picture This" single, showing Harry licking a record, is one of the most famous images associated with the band. It was used for the Parallel Lines
picture disc in 1978 and also on the cover of the US edition of the 1994 CD anthology The Platinum Collection
.
.
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...
by 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...
, the first collaboration with producer Mike Chapman, and was also the fourth single release from Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
. "Picture This" was chosen as the lead single for Parallel Lines in the UK, reaching number 12 in the autumn of 1978, giving them their third UK Top 20 hit and also charting in most other parts of the world - it was however never issued as a single in the US.
Song information
"Picture This" was written by what were to become the principal song writers for the band; Chris SteinChris 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....
, Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry 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...
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...
. Debbie Harry wrote the lyrics while Destri and Stein each wrote portions of the music. This would be the only time Harry and Stein would collaborate together with Destri. Destri co-wrote the song Detroit 442 from the Plastic Letters album with Chris Stein, and co-wrote the number one hit "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:...
" with Debbie Harry from the Eat To The Beat album.
The B-side of the single, "Fade Away And Radiate" featuring Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
on guitar, is also one of Blondie's best known songs and appears on the hits compilations Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie
Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie
Atomic – The Very Best of Blondie is a compilation album of recordings by the band Blondie released by EMI/Chrysalis Records in the UK and the rest of Europe in late 1998, shortly before the band issued their successful comeback album No Exit and the UK #1 single "Maria"...
(1998) , Greatest Hits: 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...
(2005) and Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (2006).
"Picture This" was included on the international version of the band's very first 'greatest hits' compilation The Best of Blondie
The Best of Blondie
- Chart positions :- References :# [ Allmusic]...
, released in October 1981.
"Picture This: The Many Faces of Blondie" is a book by photographer Mick Rock
Mick Rock
Mick Rock is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, and Blondie...
published in 2004 with a foreword by Deborah Harry. The photograph featured on the "Picture This" single, showing Harry licking a record, is one of the most famous images associated with the band. It was used for the 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...
picture disc in 1978 and also on the cover of the US edition of the 1994 CD anthology The Platinum Collection
The Platinum Collection (Blondie)
The Platinum Collection is a two disc compilation album of recordings by Blondie released by EMI/Chrysalis in 1994. The forty-seven track compilation contains the A- and B-sides of all singles issued by the band in the U.S...
.
Music Video
A music video was produced to promote the single featuring Debbie Harry wearing a yellow dress designed by Stephen SprouseStephen Sprouse
Stephen Sprouse was a fashion designer and artist credited with pioneering the 1980s mix of "uptown sophistication in clothing with a downtown punk and pop sensibility" .-Career:...
.
Release history
UK 7" (CHS 2242, August 1978)- "Picture This" (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....
, Deborah HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry 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...
, 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...
) – 2:53 - "Fade Away And Radiate" (Chris Stein) – 3:57
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK | 12 |
| Sweden | 15 |
| Australia | 88 |