The Breakout of Blondie

I was born in the early 1970’s and this decade is my absolute must have for music. My earliest memories were artists like Elton John, Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles. If I find myself in a reminiscing mood I will definitely play songs from these artists, sit back and think back to those good old days. Songs like “Don’t Let the sun go down on me” takes me back to my days when I was living in Virginia Beach. Ah, there was nothing like the old style vintage stereo and those warm days of being a vibrant three years old. The Eagles classic “Hotel California” is another song that recaptures my early years of wonder and discovery.

Towards the end of the decade is one particular artist who I have admired since I very first heard her sing. Debbie Harry, song writer and lead vocalist for the band Blondie is my pick for the decade. Debbie Harry began her musical journey in New York City in the late 1960’s. She met guitarist Chris Klein while singing with a trio called the “Stilettos” and they formed a band that would later become known as “Blondie.” They were popular in the United Kingdom first with a self-titled debut album released in 1976. In 1978 their third album release, “Parallel Lines” would take the United States by storm. The single “Heart of Glass” topped the charts, shooting them to stardom. The sound was classified as new wave which is music shaped by styles like punk, reggae, funk and electronica.

I was eight years old when I found my love for Blondie. As a small girl I loved to draw and design unique clothing. I would indulge myself for hours, creating with my fashion plates which were a toy many little girls loved. I also began writing short stories at this time. From a very young age I knew that I was going to follow the beat of my own drum. Debbie Harry’s bleach blonde, pushed back hair and unforgettable cheekbones, along with her flair for fashion, all inspired me to maintain my own sense of creativity and self-expression. Rounding out the 70’s, the album “Eat to the Beat”, produced one of my favorite Blondie songs, “Dreaming.”

As I grew, the inspiration of Blondie stayed with me. In 1980 the album Auto American produced “The tide is high” and “Rapture” known for the introduction of rap lyrics by a female. When I became a teenager I saw her influence in another artist, Madonna. I think it is very important for girls to see women making it big being just who they are. In an industry that isn’t always kind to women, the stand out style of Debbie Harry was simply nothing short of amazing. I would often find comfort in her courage when I was feeling down or needed a boost of encouragement to never sway from my own sense of self.

Although Blondie disbanded in 1982, the groundwork put in the previous decade would continue to bring them success. Debbie Harry branched out on her own with several solo albums, including “Koo Koo”, “Rock bird”, “Def, Dumb & Blonde” and “Debravation.” Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2006, and the group did reform. Debbie Harry took on acting in addition to switching up musical styles by performing lead vocals for the Jazz Passengers 1997 album “Individually Twisted.” Today, Debbie Harry is 75 years old and truly an icon in the music industry. She has survived drug addiction and proven her diverse talent in the entertainment industry by her longevity.

I am a huge music lover. I enjoy everything from rap to country but never will there be a time that can compare to the musical era of the 1970’s. I suppose it is partly due to the fact that this time period helped shape me into the woman I am today. I think of some of the most memorable lyrics and the free flowing vibration of a simpler time. I love nothing more than to kick back with a glass of wine, listening to some old Blondie, thinking how about how far I have come in life. The inspiration, the era; there is nothing like it or will there ever be.