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Blondie

Certain Songs #220: The Clash – “Lost in the Supermarket”

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The-Clash-London-Calling-30th-Anniversary-EditionAlbum: London Calling
Year: 1979

My high school didn’t have a newspaper the year I was a Senior. If I remember correctly, it was a punishment for our class being terrible, rowdy trouble-makers and continually needing to be disciplined. Or something.

And if so, it was a weirdly arbitrary punishment, as it only affected folks who wanted wanted to use their talents to contribute something to the universe.

Maybe they were scared of what we would write: editorials in favor of legalizing weed, stories about hanging out in the Figs, the lyrics to Fugs songs.

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Certain Songs #69: Blondie – “Dreaming”

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Album: Eat to the Beat.

Year: 1979.

For a four-year period between 1979 – 1982, Blondie were probably the premier singles act going. In terms of both quality and quantity, their only peers during that period were The Clash, The Police, Squeeze and, er Rush. But none of those acts cranked out as many singles that were as disparate, experimental AND popular.  And out of all of the classic Blondie singles from that era, my favorite is easily 1979’s “Dreaming”

And the reason I love “Dreaming” so much can be summed up in two words: Clem Burke.

I don’t know if it was Burke’s idea, or Chris Stein’s idea, or even producer Mike Chapman’s to allow Burke to do Keith Moon-style drumming underneath a pretty standard new wave tune, but it’s one of my most favorite drum performances on a huge hit single.

And the best part, of course, is the stop-time bit at the end of the bridge where Debbie Harry is so blown away, she can’t help tossing in a little “Whoo!”:

Fade away!

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Whoo! Radiate!

Because Debbie Harry was so striking and such a great singer, the focus was always on her so much that the band countered with a “Blondie is a Group” campaign. Just in case you couldn’t tell from “Dreaming.”

“Dreaming” music video

My Certain Songs Spotify Playlist:

Every “Certain Song” Ever