Blondie Frontwoman Debbie Harry Reflects On Their Big Hit 'Heart Of Glass' On Its Anniversary!

The success of Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" did not turn Debbie Harry's heart into glass!

The Seventies musical icons and New Wave music heroes released a landmark song within their career on April 28th, 1979.

Blondies were previously known for their New York City punk roots and pop/rock tunes. The group experimented with a new sound and the most popular genre at the time on their career-defining LP, "Parallel Lines."

The result, "Heart Of Glass," became one of the band's most popular tunes; the song's legacy still endures! Blondie still performs it live; "Heart Of Glass" was included in the setlist of the band's recent Coachella performance, and today's most prominent pop artists still cover the disco nugget: Miley Cyrus' version was included on her 2020 retro-influenced album, "Plastic Hearts."

"Heart Of Glass," released as a single on April 28th, 1979, may have gone on to be a career-defining song for Blondie and a fan-favorite, but the disco tune didn't resonate for a critical group in Blondie's circle.

"Back then, it was very unusual for a guitar band to use computerized sound," Harry told The Guardian. "People got nervous and angry about us bringing different influences into rock. Although we covered 'Lady Marmalade' and 'I Feel Love' at gigs, many people were mad at us for 'going disco' with 'Heart of Glass.' There was the 'Disco Sucks!' movement, and there had even been a riot in Chicago, with people burning disco records. Clem Burke, our drummer, refused to play the song live. When it became a hit, he said: 'I guess I'll have to.'

Despite the resulting success of "Heart Of Glass," the band had not been influenced by their newfound fame.

Harry continued with her reflection, "It was no. 1 around the world. We had a lot of hits, but this was our first one at home. [producer Mike] Chapman was in Milan with us and said, 'Join me in the bar.' I thought, 'Oh God, I just wanna go to bed.' But we dragged our a**es down, and he told us it was no. 1 in America. We drank a lot," she recalled.

Blondie guitarist and Harry's former partner Chris Stein also reflected on their peers' reluctance to embrace the band's new sound.

"As far as I was concerned, disco was a part of R&B, which I'd always liked. The Ramones went on about us 'going disco,' but it was tongue-in-cheek. They were our friends..." (via The Guardian)

The "Face It" author remained relatively modest when discussing the song's success in an interview with Axs TV.

"I don't know if we were intentionally trying to break the rules," Harry said about "Heart of Glass'' innovative sound. "but we were trying to expand our own experience, and I don't think we were a traditional punk band in that sense. We were trying to be experimental in our way. We were always developing and sort of reaching out and embracing different styles of music that, you know, we admired, and we liked, and we felt, you know, was a part of our reference," the "Dreaming" singer told Dan Rather.

"I mean, that's the great thing about New York City that, you know, there have always been different styles of music, ethnicities, and, you know, jazz," Harry continued. "We've had great influences, and it's always been very expansive. And I think along with the spoken arts and the poets and how all of this has evolved and embraced one another and fed off and bounced off of it. It's just sort of- been fascinating," she said. "I think that's one of the reasons people come to New York. That's why I came to New York," Harry concluded.

Blondie's recent Coachella set was a highlight for attendees! Musical pioneer Nile Rogers joined the band on stage, and the former Chic member and current music producer took a selfie with Harry backstage!

According to Consequence, Rodgers contributed to "Rapture" and played with Blondie as they covered Harry's solo track "Backfired" according to Consequence. "Heart Of Glass" made it onto Blondie's set list!

Blondie released a career retrospective box set, "Against The Odds 1974-1982," last year. A graphic novel also accompanied the collection!