Blondie

Biography

Blondie is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer of the new wave genre emerging from the CBGB scene of the mid-1970s. They achieved global commercial success with their third album, Parallel Lines×Parallel Lines8 September 1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Hanging on the Telephone2:24A2One Way or Another3:36A3Picture This2:57A4Fade Away and Radiate4:02A5Pretty Baby3:22A6I Know but I Don’t Know3:55B111:593:19B2Will Anything Happen?3:01B3Sunday Girl3:06B4Heart of Glass3:49B5I’m Gonna Love You Too2:10B6Just Go Away3:27 (1978), and a string of multi-genre hit singles including "Heart of Glass×Heart of Glass1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHeart of Glass5:49BHeart of Glass (instrumental)5:17", "Call Me×Call MeFebruary 1980 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACall Me3:30BCall Me (instrumental)3:27", and "Rapture×Rapture12 January 1981 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksARapture (special disco mix)6:29BLive It Up (special disco mix)4:06". Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, the band has sold over 40 million records worldwide.
Although the band's first two albums, Blondie (1976) and Plastic Letters×Plastic Letters1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Fan Mail2:43A2Denis2:22A3Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)2:53A4Youth Nabbed as Sniper3:06A5Contact in Red Square2:04A6(I’m Always Touched) By Your Presence, Dear2:47A7I’m on E2:22B1I Didn’t Have the Nerve to Say No2:58B2Love at the Pier2:32B3No Imagination3:00B4Kidnapper2:42B5Detroit 4422:31B6Cautious Lip4:27 (1978), were successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the US until the release of their critically acclaimed third album Parallel Lines (1978). Over the next two years, the band released a string of hit singles, including "Heart of Glass" (US and UK No. 1), "One Way or Another×One Way or Another1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOne Way or Another3:31BJust Go Away3:21", "Dreaming×Dreaming14 September 1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADreaming3:02BSound‐A‐Sleep4:12", "Call Me" (US and UK No. 1), "Atomic×Atomic23 February 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAtomic3:50BDie Young, Stay Pretty3:30", (UK No.1), "The Tide Is High×The Tide Is High1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThe Tide Is High3:50BSuzy and Jeffrey4:06" (US and UK No. 1), and "Rapture" (US No. 1).
Blondie disbanded after the release of their sixth studio album, The Hunter×The Hunter14 May 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Orchid ClubA2Island of Lost SoulsA3DragonflyA4For Your Eyes OnlyA5The BeastB1War ChildB2Little CaesarB3DancewayB4(Can I) Find the Right Words (to Say)B5English BoysB6The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game (1982). Harry continued to pursue a moderately successful solo career after taking a few years off to care for her partner Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin. The band re-formed in 1997, achieving renewed success with their seventh album No Exit×No Exit23 February 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Screaming Skin5:352Forgive and Forget4:323Maria4:514No Exit4:195Double Take4:126Nothing Is Real but the Girl3:137Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room4:098Night Wind Sent4:409Under the Gun (For Jeffery Lee Pierce)4:0910Out in the Streets3:0311Happy Dog (For Caggy)3:2412The Dream's Lost on Me3:1913Divine4:1514Dig Up the Conjo4:55Disc 21Call Me (live)4:472Rapture (live)7:073Dreaming (live)3:224Heart of Glass (live)6:49 (1999) and their sixth number one single in the UK with "Maria×Maria1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Maria (Soul Solution full remix)9:292Maria (Talvin Singh remix)7:283Maria (Talvin Singh rhythmic remix edit)4:394Maria (album version)4:49" in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK number one single, "Heart of Glass".
The group toured and performed throughout the world during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Blondie has sold over 40 million records worldwide and continues to actively perform. The band's eleventh studio album, Pollinator×Pollinator5 May 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Doom or Destiny2:542Long Time4:353Already Naked4:074Fun4:195My Monster3:296Best Day Ever3:597Gravity3:488When I Gave Up on You4:039Love Level4:1910Too Much3:0811Fragments / Tonight13:34, was released on May 5, 2017, charting at number 4 in the UK. A new studio album, High Noon, has been announced as being in progress. A previously announced tentative release date in 2025 was later revised to spring 2026, but was missed; the band has issued no further updates about the album.

1974–1978: Early career

Inspired by the burgeoning new music scene at the Mercer Arts Center in Manhattan, musician Chris Stein sought to join a similar band. He joined the Stillettoes in 1973 as their guitarist and formed a romantic relationship with Debbie Harry, who was one of the band's vocalists, a former waitress and Playboy Bunny. Harry had been a member of a folk-rock band, The Wind in the Willows, in the late 1960s. In July 1974, Stein and Harry parted ways with the Stillettoes and Elda Gentile, the band's originator, forming a new band with ex-Stillettoes bandmates Billy O'Connor (drums; born 1953, died 2015) and Fred Smith (bass). Originally billed as Angel and the Snake for two shows in August 1974, they had renamed themselves Blondie and the Banzai Babies, and then shortened the band name to Blondie by October 1974, while Ivan Kral joined the band on guitar, as well as Tish and Snooky Bellomo on vocals, who, according to Harry, "sang backup with us, on and off for over a year and a half". The new name derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Harry as they drove past.
By the spring of 1975, O'Connor had left the music business and Smith replaced Richard Hell in Television, while Kral eventually joined the Patti Smith Group. Stein and Harry continued the band, and proceeded with auditions to recruit drummer Clem Burke and bassist Gary Valentine (Gary J. Lachman). Within weeks, the Bellomo sisters were let go without notice.
Blondie became regular performers at Max's Kansas City and CBGB. In June 1975, the band's first recording came in the way of a demo produced by Alan Betrock. To fill out their sound, they recruited keyboard player Jimmy Destri in November 1975. The band signed with Private Stock Records and released their first single "X-Offender" in June 1976, while their debut album, Blondie, was issued in December 1976. Neither was initially a commercial success, and the band spent the rest of the year touring with Television and visiting the UK. Blondie opened for David Bowie and Iggy Pop on the latter's US tour in early 1977 supporting The Idiot. Blondie was invited by Bowie and Pop after the pair had heard their debut. In July 1977, Valentine decided to leave the band and form his own group, the Know; he was replaced by Frank Infante.
In September 1977, the band bought back its contract with Private Stock and signed with British label Chrysalis Records. The first album was re-released on the new label in October 1977. Rolling Stone's review of the debut album observed the eclectic nature of the group's music, comparing it both to Phil Spector and to the Who, and commented that the album's two strengths were Richard Gottehrer's production and the persona of Debbie Harry.

The band's first commercial success occurred in Australia in 1977, when the music television program Countdown mistakenly played their video "In the Flesh×In the FleshOctober 1976 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIn the Flesh2:26BMan Overboard3:20", which was the B-side of the single "X-Offender". Jimmy Destri later credited the show's Molly Meldrum for their initial success, commenting that "we still thank him to this day" for playing the wrong song. In a 1998 interview, drummer Burke recalled seeing the episode in which the wrong song was played, but he and Stein suggested that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge on the part of Meldrum. Stein asserted that "X-Offender" was "too crazy and aggressive [to become a hit]", while "In the Flesh" was "not representative of any punk sensibility. Over the years, I've thought they probably played both things but liked one better. That's all." In retrospect, Burke described "In the Flesh" as "a forerunner to the power ballad".
The single reached number two in Australia, and the album entered the Australian top twenty in November 1977. A subsequent double-A release of "X-Offender" and "Rip Her to Shreds×Rip Her to ShredsNovember 1977 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksARip Her to Shreds3:20B1In the Flesh2:26B2X Offender3:11" reached number 81. A successful Australian tour followed in December 1977, though it was marred by an incident in Brisbane when disappointed fans almost rioted after Harry cancelled a performance due to illness.
In February 1978, Blondie released their second album, Plastic Letters×Plastic Letters1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Fan Mail2:43A2Denis2:22A3Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)2:53A4Youth Nabbed as Sniper3:06A5Contact in Red Square2:04A6(I’m Always Touched) By Your Presence, Dear2:47A7I’m on E2:22B1I Didn’t Have the Nerve to Say No2:58B2Love at the Pier2:32B3No Imagination3:00B4Kidnapper2:42B5Detroit 4422:31B6Cautious Lip4:27 (UK number 10, US number 78, Australia number 64). The album was recorded the summer of 1977, with the group officially a quartet. Frank Infante was brought in as a session musician to play bass on the album, and is credited on all issues of the record with bass and rhythm guitar." Stein is credited with lead guitar, bass, e-bow and vibes. Plastic Letters was promoted extensively throughout Europe and Asia by Chrysalis Records. The album's first single, "Denis×DenisFebruary 1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Denis (Denee)2:152Contact in Red Square1:563Kung Fu Girls2:29", was a cover version of the Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit "Denise". It reached number two on the British singles charts, while both the album and its second single, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear", reached the British top ten. Chart success, along with a successful 1978 UK tour, including a gig at London's Roundhouse, made Blondie one of the first American new wave bands to achieve mainstream success in the UK. After the album's release, Infante was made an official band member and moved to guitar, and the British musician Nigel Harrison was hired as the group's full-time bassist. This expanded Blondie to a six-piece for the first time and marked a stabilization in the band's line-up.

1978–1981: Mainstream success

Blondie completed the recording of their third album, Parallel Lines×Parallel Lines8 September 1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Hanging on the Telephone2:24A2One Way or Another3:36A3Picture This2:57A4Fade Away and Radiate4:02A5Pretty Baby3:22A6I Know but I Don’t Know3:55B111:593:19B2Will Anything Happen?3:01B3Sunday Girl3:06B4Heart of Glass3:49B5I’m Gonna Love You Too2:10B6Just Go Away3:27, during the summer of 1978 together with Australian producer Mike Chapman. It was released in September of that year and reached number one in the UK, number six in the US, and number two in Australia. It finally broke the band into the American market on the strength of the worldwide hit single "Heart of Glass×Heart of Glass1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHeart of Glass5:49BHeart of Glass (instrumental)5:17". Parallel Lines became the group's most successful album, selling 20 million copies worldwide. The album's first two singles were "Picture This×Picture This26 August 1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAPicture This2:53BFade Away and Radiate3:57" (UK number 12) and "Hanging on the Telephone×Hanging on the Telephone30 October 1978 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHanging on the Telephone2:17BWill Anything Happen?2:55" (UK number five). As the band previously had success with a cover, Chrysalis Records chose their version of Buddy Holly's "I'm Gonna Love You Too" as the lead single from Parallel Lines in the US. This turned out to be a miscalculation as the single failed to chart.
"Heart of Glass" was released in early 1979 and the disco-infused track topped the UK charts in February 1979, and the US charts in April 1979. It was a reworking of a rock and reggae-influenced song that the group had performed since its formation in the mid-1970s, updated with strong elements of disco music. Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive", whose drum beat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections. Although some critics condemned Blondie for "selling out" by dabbling in disco, the song became a worldwide success and one of the biggest selling singles of 1979. As the focal point for the band, Harry began to attain a celebrity status that set her apart from the other band members. She also embarked on an acting career and appeared in the film The Foreigner directed by Amos Poe.
Blondie's next single in the US was a more aggressive rock song, "One Way or Another×One Way or Another1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOne Way or Another3:31BJust Go Away3:21" (US number 24), though in the UK, an alternate single choice, "Sunday Girl×Sunday Girl1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Sunday Girl (en francais)2Sunday Girl (en anglais)", became a number one hit. Parallel Lines has been ranked number 140 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest albums of all time. Blondie, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in June 1979. The band returned to the studio with Chapman to record their next album in the summer of 1979.
Blondie's fourth album, Eat to the Beat×Eat to the Beat28 September 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Dreaming3:07A2The Hardest Part3:42A3Union City Blue3:21A4Shayla3:57A5Eat to the Beat2:40A6Accidents Never Happen4:14B1Die Young Stay Pretty3:33B2Slow Motion3:28B3Atomic4:39B4Sound-a-Sleep4:17B5Victor3:18B6Living in the Real World2:42 (UK number one, US number seventeen, Australia number nine), also produced by Chapman, was released in September 1979. Although well received by critics as a suitable follow-up to Parallel Lines, the album and its singles failed to achieve the same level of success in the US. In the UK, the album delivered three top 20 hits, including the band's third UK number one ("Atomic×Atomic23 February 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAtomic3:50BDie Young, Stay Pretty3:30", UK number one, US number thirty-nine). The lead track off the album, "Dreaming×Dreaming14 September 1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADreaming3:02BSound‐A‐Sleep4:12", reached number two in the UK. But it only made it to number 27 in the US. The second single "Union City Blue×Union City BlueNovember 1979 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAUnion City Blue3:18BLiving in the Real World2:41" (UK number 13) shared the title of a film featuring Harry, directed by Marcus Reichert. Along with the inspiration from the film, "Union City Blue"'s lyrics derived from her living in Union City, New Jersey. She worked various jobs across the Hudson River from Manhattan, noting the scenic skyline and passion she embraced while living there, before giving birth to Blondie. The single was not released in the US in favor of the track "The Hardest Part×The Hardest Part1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThe Hardest Part3:37BSound‐a‐Sleep4:12". Chrysalis Records' Linda Carhart asked Jon Roseman Productions US division to shoot videos for every song and create the first ever video album. David Mallet directed and Paul Flattery produced it at various locations and studios in and around New York. It was nominated for a Grammy, the first year the Recording Academy instituted an award for music videos. At the end of the year, the show filmed at the Apollo theatre in Glasgow was broadcast by the BBC on the Old Grey Whistle Test. In March 1980, "Atomic" reached number one in the UK and the album was certified gold the following month.
Blondie's next single, the Grammy-nominated "Call Me×Call MeFebruary 1980 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACall Me3:30BCall Me (instrumental)3:27", was the result of Debbie Harry's collaboration with Italian songwriter and producer Giorgio Moroder, who had been responsible for many of Donna Summer's biggest hits. The track was recorded as the title theme of the Richard Gere film American Gigolo. Released in the US in February 1980, "Call Me" spent six consecutive weeks at number one in the US and Canada. Released in the UK in April 1980, it reached number one and became a global hit. The single was also number one on Billboard magazine's 1980 year-end chart. In the summer of 1980, the band appeared in a bit part in the film Roadie starring Meat Loaf. Blondie performed the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire", and the live recording was featured on the film soundtrack and on a later CD reissue of the Eat to the Beat album.
In November 1980, Blondie's fifth studio album and third with Chapman, Autoamerican×Autoamerican19 November 1980 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Europa3:32A2Live It Up4:10A3Here’s Looking at You2:58A4The Tide Is High4:40A5Angels on the Balcony3:36A6Go Through It2:40B1Do the Dark3:53B2Rapture6:33B3Faces3:51B4T‐Birds3:58B5Walk Like Me3:46B6Follow Me3:00 (UK number three, US number seven, Australia number eight), was released. Autoamerican contained two more US number one hits: the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High×The Tide Is High1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThe Tide Is High3:50BSuzy and Jeffrey4:06", a cover version of a 1967 song written by John Holt of the Paragons, and the rap-flavored "Rapture×Rapture12 January 1981 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksARapture (special disco mix)6:29BLive It Up (special disco mix)4:06", which was the first song featuring rapping to reach number one in the US. In the song, Harry mentions the hip-hop and graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy who also appears in the video for the song. Autoamerican featured a far wider stylistic range than previous Blondie albums, including the avant-garde instrumental "Europa", the acoustic jazz of "Faces", and "Follow Me" (from the Broadway show "Camelot"). The album went platinum in both the US and the UK.

Blondie took a break for most of 1981. Debbie Harry appeared on Saturday Night Live in February 1981 as both the guest host-actor and as a singer, with Stein and Burke backing her during musical performances. Harry and Destri both released solo albums. Stein worked on Harry's album KooKoo (UK number six, US number twenty-eight) produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. He also joined Burke on Destri's album Heart on a Wall. Burke also played drums on Eurythmics' debut album In The Garden. Harry, Stein and Destri also worked together on music for the 1981 John Waters film Polyester. In October 1981, Chrysalis Records released The Best of Blondie (UK number four, US number thirty, Australia number one), the group's first greatest hits compilation.

1982: The Hunter and breakup

The band reconvened in December 1981 to record a new album, The Hunter×The Hunter14 May 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Orchid ClubA2Island of Lost SoulsA3DragonflyA4For Your Eyes OnlyA5The BeastB1War ChildB2Little CaesarB3DancewayB4(Can I) Find the Right Words (to Say)B5English BoysB6The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game, released in May 1982 (UK number nine, US number thirty-three, Australia number fifteen). Infante was initially not included in the new album due to friction with other group members, but began legal proceedings and was later reinstated after an out-of-court settlement. Infante's name appears in the credits of The Hunter, and he is pictured as a member of the group, but Harry has averred in interviews that Infante's contributions to the finished record are minimal to non-existent.
In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter was poorly received. The album had two moderate hit singles: "Island of Lost Souls×Island of Lost SoulsApril 1982 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Island of Lost Souls3:482Dragonfly5:58" (UK number 11, US number 37, Australia number 13) and "War Child×War ChildJuly 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWar Child (extended version)8:02BLittle Caesar3:00" (UK number 39). The album also included "For Your Eyes Only", a track the band had been commissioned to write and record for the 1981 James Bond film of the same name, which was rejected by the film's producers who ultimately chose another song with the same title recorded by Sheena Easton.
In June 1982, Harry contributed backing vocals to the Gun Club's second album, Miami, being credited as "D.H. Lawrence Jr". Stein produced the record, and is credited as "bongos" and "cover photos/design". The Gun Club's singer Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a fan, emulating Harry's hairstyle and founding the West Coast Blondie Fan Club, before becoming friends with the band in New York.
For the brief North American tour (July to August 1982) to promote the Hunter album, guitarist Infante was replaced with session musician Eddie Martinez. Also added to the live lineup were second keyboardist Abel Domingues and a three-man horn section comprising Douglas Harris, Joseph Kohanski, and Arthur Pugh. A UK and European tour was cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
In November 1982, the band publicly announced that they had disbanded. In 1983, Stein was diagnosed with the life-threatening illness pemphigus, and Harry cared for him.
Harry embarked on solo career in the mid-1980s, including two singles—the 1983 track "Rush Rush" from the film Scarface, and the 1985 track "Feel The Spin"—released while she continued to feature in films. Harry released the album Rockbird in 1986, with active participation from Stein. The album was a moderate success in the UK where it reached gold certification and gave her a UK top 10 hit with "French Kissin'". Meanwhile, Burke became a much-in-demand session drummer, playing and touring with Eurythmics for their 1986 album Revenge, and Destri maintained an active career as a producer and session musician.
A remix album entitled Once More into the Bleach×Once More Into the Bleach17 December 1988 · Album · RemixSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Denis5:252Heart of Glass6:523Call Me7:074Rapture6:565Rapture (Bonus Beats)2:246The Tide Is High5:377The Jam Was Moving3:318In Love With Love7:149Rush Rush4:4810French Kissin' in the USA5:1511Feel the Spin6:4912Backfired6:0313Sunday Girl (French version)3:13 was released in 1988, and featured remixes of classic Blondie tracks and material from Harry's solo career, including "Denis×DenisFebruary 1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Denis (Denee)2:152Contact in Red Square1:563Kung Fu Girls2:29". Harry continued releasing solo albums, Def, Dumb and Blonde (1989) and Debravation (1993), while continuing to tour. Further collections follow with The Complete Picture - The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie reaching number three in UK charts in 1991. In 1993, a rarities album Blond and Beyond appeared while The Platinum Collection×The Platinum Collection1 November 1994 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 47 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11X Offender3:122In the Flesh2:303Man Overboard3:214Rip Her to Shreds3:215Denis2:186Contact in Red Square2:007Kung Fu Girls2:328I’m on E2:129(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear2:4310Poets Problem2:2011Detroit 4422:2812Picture This2:5613Fade Away and Radiate4:0014I’m Gonna Love You Too2:0915Just Go Away3:2616Hanging on the Telephone2:2317Will Anything Happen3:0018Heart of Glass4:1019Rifle Range3:402011:593:2021Sunday Girl3:1322I Know but I Don’t Know3:5523One Way or Another3:2824Dreaming3:0525Sound‐a‐Sleep4:1426Living in the Real World2:41Disc 21Union City Blue3:202The Hardest Part3:413Atomic3:494Die Young Stay Pretty3:335Slow Motion3:276Call Me3:327The Tide Is High3:538Susie and Jeffrey4:089Rapture4:5810Walk Like Me3:5011Island of Lost Souls3:5012Dragonfly5:5813War Child4:0014Little Caesar3:0115Out in the Streets2:2216Platinum Blonde2:1917The Thin Line2:2718Puerto Rico2:0719Once I Had a Love3:5820Atomic (Diddy remix)4:0321Rapture (K‐Klass remix)4:22 was released a year later in the US. A second remix album Beautiful: The Remix Album×Beautiful: The Remix Album17 July 1995 · Album · RemixSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Union City Blue (Diddy’s Power & Passion mix)8:352Dreaming (Utah Saints mix)6:213Rapture (K-Klassic Radio mix)4:214Heart of Glass (Diddy’s Adorable Illusion mix)7:275Sunday Girl (Hardly Handbag mix)7:366Call Me (Debbie Does Dallas mix)6:197Atomic (Diddy’s 12″ mix)6:518The Tide Is High (Sand Dollar mix)7:049Hanging on the Telephone (Nose Bleed Handbag mix)6:1010Fade Away and Radiate (108bpm mix)5:1811Dreaming (The Sub-Urban Dream mix)5:5812Atomic (Armand’s Short Circuit mix)5:07 was released in 1995 and a live album Picture This Live×Picture This Live7 October 1997 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Dreaming4:082In the Sun2:483Hanging on the Telephone2:184Look Good in Blue3:395Slow Motion3:226Sunday Girl3:397X Offender3:008Picture This2:549Denis3:1010Fade Away and Radiate5:0611A Shark in Jet's Clothing / I Know but I Don't Know8:2612One Way or Another6:4813Heart of Glass6:211411:594:1515Bang a Gong / Funtime15:27 followed in 1997.

1997–2007: Re-formation, No Exit and The Curse of Blondie

During the 1990s, Blondie's past work began to be recognized again by a new generation of fans and artists including Garbage and No Doubt. Chrysalis/EMI Records also released several compilations and collections of remixed versions of some of their biggest hits.
Harry continued her moderately successful solo career after the band broke up, releasing albums in 1989 and 1993 which helped keep the band in the public eye. In 1990, she reunited with Stein and Burke for a summer tour of mid-sized venues as part of an "Escape from New York" package with Jerry Harrison, the Tom Tom Club and the Ramones.
In 1996, Stein and Harry began the process of reuniting Blondie and contacted original members Burke, Destri, and Valentine. Valentine had by this time moved to London and become a full-time writer under his real name, Gary Lachman—his New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation (2002) is a memoir of his years with the band. Reportedly, long-time bassist Nigel Harrison (Valentine's eventual replacement in the late 1970s) was considered to fill the role for the reunion and even contributed to some new demos with the group, but ultimately he and fellow former member Frank Infante did not participate in the reunion, with the two unsuccessfully suing to prevent the reunion under the name Blondie.
In 1997, the original five-piece band re-formed—including Valentine on bass—and made three live appearances, all at outdoor festivals sponsored by local radio stations. Their first reunion performance occurred on May 31, 1997, when they played the HFStival at R.F.K. Stadium in Washington, D.C. An international tour followed in late 1998 and early 1999. During this period, but without Valentine, they released a cover of Iggy Pop's song "Ordinary Bummer" on the tribute album We Will Fall: The Iggy Pop Tribute (1997) under the pseudonym "Adolph's Dog".
A new album, No Exit×No Exit23 February 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Screaming Skin5:352Forgive and Forget4:323Maria4:514No Exit4:195Double Take4:126Nothing Is Real but the Girl3:137Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room4:098Night Wind Sent4:409Under the Gun (For Jeffery Lee Pierce)4:0910Out in the Streets3:0311Happy Dog (For Caggy)3:2412The Dream's Lost on Me3:1913Divine4:1514Dig Up the Conjo4:55Disc 21Call Me (live)4:472Rapture (live)7:073Dreaming (live)3:224Heart of Glass (live)6:49 (UK number three, US number eighteen), was released in February 1999. The band was now officially a four-piece, consisting of core original members Harry, Stein, Burke and Destri. By this point, Valentine had left the group and did not play on the album or contribute to the writing of any songs—two songs on the album co-authored by "Valentine" were in fact co-authored by Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's, no relation to Gary Valentine. Session musicians Leigh Foxx (bass) and Paul Carbonara (guitar) played on this and subsequent Blondie releases.
No Exit reached number three on the UK charts and the first single "Maria×Maria1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Maria (Soul Solution full remix)9:292Maria (Talvin Singh remix)7:283Maria (Talvin Singh rhythmic remix edit)4:394Maria (album version)4:49", which Destri had written thinking about his high school days, became Blondie's sixth UK number one single 20 years after their first chart-topper "Heart of Glass×Heart of Glass1978 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHeart of Glass5:49BHeart of Glass (instrumental)5:17". This gave the band the distinction of being one of only two American acts to reach number one in the UK singles charts in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s (the other being Michael Jackson who had number one hits with the Jacksons and solo in the same decades).
The re-formed band released the follow-up album The Curse of Blondie×The Curse of Blondie13 October 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Shakedown5:052Good Boys4:183Undone4:284Golden Rod5:235Rules for Living5:126Background Melody (The Only One)3:547Magic (Asadoya Yunta)4:058End to End3:599Hello Joe4:0610The Tingler3:5211Last One in the World4:3112Diamond Bridge4:0713Desire Brings Me Back5:3114Songs of Love (for Richard)6:43 (UK number 36, US number 160) in October 2003. Curse proved to be Blondie's lowest-charting album since their debut in 1976, although the single "Good Boys×Good Boys22 September 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Good Boys (album version)4:182Good Boys (Giorgio Moroder single mix)4:063Good Boys (Dead Guys Ghost remix)7:144Good Boys (Scissor Sisters’ Gyad Byas Myax Ya mix extended)5:15" managed to reach number 12 in the UK charts.
In 2004, Jimmy Destri left the group in order to deal with drug addiction, leaving Harry, Stein and Burke as the only members of the original line-up still with the band. Though Destri's stint in rehab was successful, he was not invited back into the band. He intended to work on their 2011 album Panic Of Girls×Panic of Girls30 May 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1D-Day3:372What I Heard3:153Mother3:094The End, the End3:415Girlie Girlie3:256Love Doesn't Frighten Me3:187Words in My Mouth4:198Sunday Smile4:489Wipe Off My Sweat4:1310Le Bleu4:2811China Shoes4:21, but did not contribute as either a songwriter or a musician on the finished product, nor to any future Blondie release.
In 2005, a new CD/DVD hits package titled Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound was released, peaking at number 48 in the UK.
Blondie co-headlined a tour with the New Cars in 2006, releasing a cover of the Roxy Music hit "More than This" in support of the tour.

2008–2012: Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary Tour and Panic of Girls

On June 5, 2008, Blondie commenced a world tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parallel Lines with a concert at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland. The tour covered some Eastern and Midwestern US cities throughout the month of June. In July, the tour took the band overseas to Israel, the UK, Russia, Europe and Scandinavia, wrapping up on August 4, 2008, at Store Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark. Inspired by attendances for the tour, Burke and Carbonara both told interviewers in 2008 and 2009 that the band was working on another record, which would be their first new album since the release of The Curse of Blondie×The Curse of Blondie13 October 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Shakedown5:052Good Boys4:183Undone4:284Golden Rod5:235Rules for Living5:126Background Melody (The Only One)3:547Magic (Asadoya Yunta)4:058End to End3:599Hello Joe4:0610The Tingler3:5211Last One in the World4:3112Diamond Bridge4:0713Desire Brings Me Back5:3114Songs of Love (for Richard)6:43 in 2003. Carbonara described it as "a real Blondie record."
Blondie undertook a North American tour of mid-sized venues with Pat Benatar and the Donnas in the summer of 2009. Following the tour, in October, the band began recording sessions for their ninth studio album with producer Jeff Saltzman in Woodstock, New York. After playing with the band for over a decade, both Foxx (bass) and Carbonara (guitar) were elevated to official membership status with Blondie. Keyboard player Matt Katz-Bohen, who had replaced Destri, was also made an official member, making Blondie a six-piece band.
In December 2009, the band released the song "We Three Kings×We Three Kings12 December 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1We Three Kings2:44" to coincide with the Christmas holiday. The new album, to be titled Panic of Girls×Panic of Girls30 May 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1D-Day3:372What I Heard3:153Mother3:094The End, the End3:415Girlie Girlie3:256Love Doesn't Frighten Me3:187Words in My Mouth4:198Sunday Smile4:489Wipe Off My Sweat4:1310Le Bleu4:2811China Shoes4:21, which was being mixed at the time, was said to be ready to follow in 2010. Stein stated that Dutch artist Chris Berens would provide the cover art. In April 2010, it was announced that guitarist Carbonara had amicably left Blondie to pursue other projects and was replaced by Tommy Kessler (the finished Panic of Girls album credits both Kessler and Carbonara as official members).
In June 2010, Blondie began the first leg of a world tour named "Endangered Species Tour", which covered the UK and Ireland, supported by UK band Little Fish. The set lists featured both classics and new material from the forthcoming Panic of Girls. After a break in July, the tour resumed in August and covered the US and Canada over the course of six weeks. Blondie then took the "Endangered Species Tour" to Australia and New Zealand in November to December 2010, co-headlining with the Pretenders.
It was first revealed that the band's album was going to be released first in Australia through the Australian Sony label in December 2010, but Sony later backed out of the deal, leaving the album still unreleased. The album's release date was finally set for mid-2011 without the involvement of a major record label. The album was first released in May 2011 as a limited edition "fan pack" in the UK with a 132-page magazine and various collectible items, before being released as a regular CD later in the summer. The lead single "Mother×Mother20 May 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Mother3:09" was released beforehand as a free download. A music video for the song was released on May 18, 2011. It was directed by Laurent Rejto and features cameos by Kate Pierson from the B-52's, James Lorinz (Frankenhooker), Johnny Dynell, Chi Chi Valenti, the Dazzle Dancers, Rob Roth, Barbara Sicuranza, Larry Fessenden, Alan Midgette (Andy Warhol's double), The Five Points Band, Guy Furrow, Kitty Boots, and Hattie Hathaway. A second single from the album, "What I Heard×What I Heard2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What I Heard3:192What I Heard (instrumental)3:19", was available as a digital release in July 2011.
On August 20, 2011, Blondie performed a live set for "Guitar Center Sessions" on DirecTV. The episode included an interview with program host Nic Harcourt. The band continued to tour regularly into 2012. A concert in New York City was streamed live on YouTube on October 11, 2012. The same week, the band listed three previously unreleased songs recorded during the Panic of Girls sessions ("Bride of Infinity×Bride of Infinity10 October 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Bride of Infinity3:34", "Rock On×Rock On10 October 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Rock On3:07", and "Dead Air×Dead Air10 October 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Dead Air3:39") on Amazon.com which were made available for free download in the US, and in the UK via the band's official website. Another track, "Practice Makes Perfect×Practice Makes Perfect13 November 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Practice Makes Perfect4:02", was also made available as a free download in November 2012.

2013–2023: Ghosts of Download and Pollinator

On March 20, 2013, Harry and Stein were interviewed on the radio show WNYC Soundcheck in which they confirmed they were working on a new Blondie album and previewed a new song entitled "Make a Way". In June and July 2013, the band held a "Blast Off Tour" of Europe. The US "No Principals Tour" followed in September and October 2013. The first single from the album, "A Rose by Any Name×A Rose by Any Name2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1A Rose by Any Name3:34", was released digitally in Europe on June 24, 2013. A second single, "Sugar on the Side×Sugar on the Side27 December 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sugar on the Side3:47", was released digitally in the US in December 2013.
The album Ghosts of Download was released in May 2014 as part of a two-disc package titled Blondie 4(0) Ever to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary. The package also includes Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux, a compilation of re-recordings of Blondie's past singles. The band's official worldwide 40th anniversary tour began in February 2014.

Blondie recorded a concert for PBS's Soundstage to be aired some time in 2016 and included two new tracks, "My Monster" and "Gravity". In 2015, Blondie members Harry and Stein made a guest appearance alongside the Gregory Brothers in an episode of the YouTube series Songify the News, where they collaborated again to parody the 2016 US presidential election debates.
In January 2017, it was announced that the band would support Phil Collins at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on June 25, 2017, as part of his Not Dead Yet tour. The band also toured Australia and New Zealand on a co-headlining tour with Cyndi Lauper.
In the March 2017 issue of Mojo magazine, the band announced that their eleventh studio album, Pollinator×Pollinator5 May 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Doom or Destiny2:542Long Time4:353Already Naked4:074Fun4:195My Monster3:296Best Day Ever3:597Gravity3:488When I Gave Up on You4:039Love Level4:1910Too Much3:0811Fragments / Tonight13:34, would be released on May 5, 2017. The album was recorded at The Magic Shop in SoHo, New York City, and featured songs written by the likes of TV on the Radio's David Sitek, Johnny Marr, Sia, Charli XCX, and Dev Hynes. Pollinator spawned hit singles "Fun" and "Long Time×Long Time24 March 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALong Time4:35BThe Breaks4:15" and embarked Blondie on a promotional tour in North America, South America and Europe. The album peaked at number four in the UK and is Blondie's most successful studio album since No Exit×No Exit23 February 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Screaming Skin5:352Forgive and Forget4:323Maria4:514No Exit4:195Double Take4:126Nothing Is Real but the Girl3:137Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room4:098Night Wind Sent4:409Under the Gun (For Jeffery Lee Pierce)4:0910Out in the Streets3:0311Happy Dog (For Caggy)3:2412The Dream's Lost on Me3:1913Divine4:1514Dig Up the Conjo4:55Disc 21Call Me (live)4:472Rapture (live)7:073Dreaming (live)3:224Heart of Glass (live)6:49.
On December 21, 2019, Blondie announced through their social media that they would release an EP and mini-documentary entitled Vivir en La Habana×Vivir en la Habana16 July 2021 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1The Tide Is High8:402Long Time5:123Wipe Off My Sweat4:014Heart of Glass7:335Rapture9:536Dreaming4:14. It was recorded during the band's residency in Havana, Cuba, in March 2019, and directed by Rob Roth and was shown at several film festivals around the globe. The EP is not entirely a "live" recording as Stein, who was not present at the Havana concerts, added guitar parts in the studio to enhance the live tracks. In October 2020, Harry and Stein appeared in Schmoyoho's parody of the 2020 US presidential debates between vice presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Mike Pence in a song titled "One Heartbeat Away", where they played the role of moderators.
On October 20, 2020, Blondie announced that they would be embarking on a ten-date arena tour of the UK in November 2021 with Garbage as the opening act. The tour was postponed until April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths, replaced Garbage on the tour. Additional dates were subsequently added in the US. In April 2022, prior to the launch of the UK/US tour, it was announced that Stein would be unable to tour with the group due to heart issues. "I've been dealing with a dumbass condition called Atrial Fibrillation or AFib which is irregular heartbeats and combined with the meds I take for it I'm too fatigued to deal", Stein said. He was replaced by Andee Blacksugar. Bassist Foxx, too, was absent due to a back injury. Former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock filled in for Foxx. Matlock also recorded with the band for the forthcoming Blondie album.
Blondie performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023.

2024–present Upcoming twelfth studio album, High Noon

In a June 2024 interview for BBC Radio 6 Music, Harry and Stein stated that Blondie's upcoming twelfth album will be released in Spring 2025. This was followed up on November 6, 2024, by images posted onto Stein's and Blondie's official social media, showing Harry in the recording studio, captioned 'Whatever. Blondie album next year. Alea iacta est'. However, the album has yet to be released.
Exactly fifty years after first joining Blondie, drummer Clem Burke died of cancer on April 6, 2025.
On August 19, 2025, the band revealed that their new studio album, High Noon, would be released in the spring of 2026 and would feature drums recorded by Burke before his death. On October 9, 2026, the album was teased on the band's official social media pages.

Style and legacy

By 1982, the year the band initially broke up, Blondie had released six studio albums, each exhibiting a stylistic progression from the last. The band is known not only for the striking stage persona and vocal performances of Harry, but reaching from their punk roots to embrace new wave, power pop and dance-rock, with elements of disco, pop, rap, and reggae. The New York Times's Ann Powers stated the modernised girl-group style Blondie perfected became a blueprint for other female-fronted bands. With over 40 million records sold, they became the punk era's best-selling group.
In March 2006, Blondie, following an introductory speech by Shirley Manson of Garbage, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Seven members (Harry, Stein, Burke, Destri, Infante, Nigel Harrison, and Valentine) were invited to the ceremony, which led to an on-stage spat between the extant group and their former bandmate Infante, who asked during the live broadcast of the ceremony that he and Nigel Harrison be allowed to perform with the group, a request refused by Harry who stated that the band had already rehearsed their performance. On May 22, 2006, Blondie was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame at Guitar Center on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard. New inductees are voted on by previous Rock Walk inductees.

Headlining (main tours)

Plastic Letters Tour (1978)
Parallel Lines Tour (1979–1980)
Tracks Across America Tour '82 (1982)
No Exit Tour (1998–1999)
Camp Funtime Summer Tour (2002)
Phasm 8 Tour (2003–2005)
Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary Tour (2008)
Endangered Species Tour (2010)
Panic of Girls Tour (2011)
Blast Off/No Principals Tour (2013)
Pollinator Tour (2017–2019)
Against the Odds Tour (2022)
Ball of Confusion Tour (2024)

Co-headlining

Road Rage Tour with The New Cars (2006)
Call Me Invincible Tour with Pat Benatar (2009)
Endangered Species Tour with The Pretenders and Cheap Trick (2010)
Whip It To Shreds Tour with Devo (2012)
No Principals Tour with X (2013)
Rage and Rapture Tour with Garbage (2017)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Blondie Co-Headlining 2019 Tour with Elvis Costello & The Imposters (2019)
Pandemonium 2024 with Alice Cooper (2024)