Journey of a Track Part 2 Heart of Glass Retrospective

So, here's another classic track that has had very different beginnings to it's most famous disco version. Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is simply unforgettable as an icon of Disco as well as the late seventies. "Heart of Glass" certainly had it's share of controversy when it's Disco incarnation reached number one in both the U.S and the U.K. soon after it's release in January 1979. Blondie's previous two albums of work had been considered the fore-runners of late seventies New Wave sound. New Wave was a rock genre that grew out of punk music and as such, it was an independent counter-balance to popular music so when Blondie released "Heart of Glass" which shot to number one riding on it's Disco friendly beat, fans were aghast and quick to accuse the band of being sell-outs. Never the less, almost 30 years and many transformations later, "Heart of Glass" remains as ground breaking and pleasing to the ears as it did in 1979.

Here's a clip of the first version of "Heart of Glass" recorded in 1975 and was then called "Once I had a love". The track was never included on either of Blondie's first two albums but was played live when the band toured.



The track was sped up a little and several elements were changed to make it sound less bluesy and more rock, this new version was recorded in 1978. The soon to be famous bass line is prominent in this version and was re-used almost intact in the Disco version.



The most famous version was born when producer Mike Chapman (from Queensland, Australia incidentally) decided to give the track a Disco twist and the rest is history.


What is it about Debbie Harry in this clip that makes her ooze so much sex appeal? I swear, she could make eating a sandwich look sexy. Perhaps its the way she's nonchalantly lip-synching with her now famous casually bored expression in the track's video clip recorded in New York's Studio 54, the famed nightclub for famous people.

Of course, the story of "Heart of Glass" doesn't end here in 1979. There has been a multitude of covers, tributes and remixes since then and some of them are from as leftfield as they can come. I'll write about them in a future post.