Blondie

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What a great beginning to Blondie's fourth album! -- Inspired by ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and written by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry -- according to band keyboardist Jimmy Destri, the song was recorded live in the studio! Drummer Clem Burke said: "The reason why 'Dreaming' came out the way it did is because [producer Mike Chapman] really gave me free rein and it was really a surprise. That take of 'Dreaming' was just me kind of blowing through the song. It's not like I expected that to be the take. I was consciously overplaying just for the sake of it because it was a run-through."

When Heart of Glass was initially released, it was buried near the end of side B on Parallel Lines. "When we did 'Heart Of Glass,' it wasn’t too cool in our social set to play disco. But we did it because we wanted to be uncool. It was based around a Roland Rhythm Machine and the backing took over 10 hours to get down," Debbie Harry once said. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein wrote an early version of "Heart of Glass", called "Once I Had a Love", in 1974–75. This original version was inspired by The Hues Corporation's hit disco song "Rock the Boat" (1974).

Eat to the Beat is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blondie, released in September 1979, by Chrysalis Records. The album was certified Platinum in the United States, where it spent a year on the Billboard 200. Peaking at No. 17, it was one of Billboard's top 10 albums of 1980.

#249-counting down the Best Opening Songs, as voted by KEXP listeners! Although this was a big hit for Blondie in 1978, it was actually first recorded by The Nerves, who released it on their one and only EP, in 1976.

Released on September 28th, 1979! Blondie guitarist Chris Stein wrote the music for this song and came up with the line "dreaming is free." Lead singer Debbie Harry would often write lyrics after hearing the tracks for the songs, and that's what she did here. Harry recalled to EW that this originated like many Blondie songs with Chris Stein coming up with "a track or a feel" and passing it on her. He told her, "I was thinking 'Dreaming. Dreaming is free," and then Harry filled out the story line. The recording of "Dreaming" captured Clem Burke's thunderous drumming in one take. Burke thinks producer Mike Chapman used reverse psychology on him. "We were just running through the song and that's why I was playing so over-the-top on it," he told Mojo magazine. "Then, after the take, Mike said that was it. It was quite surprising because it was the antithesis of his approach on Parallel Lines." tinyurl.com

#249-counting down the Best Opening Songs, as voted by KEXP listeners! Although this was a big hit for Blondie in 1978, it was actually first recorded by The Nerves, who released it on their one and only EP, in 1976.

Here's #411 of Listener- Voted Opening Track Countdown! --- "Dreaming" is the opening track from their fourth album, "Eat to the Beat". Blondie guitarist Chris Stein wrote the music for this song and came up with the line "dreaming is free." Stein said this song was "pretty much a cop" of "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. "Blondie’s songs tend to be so much fun that’s it’s easy to overlook their depth and the craft behind them. Don’t make that mistake with “Dreaming,” or you might miss the hurting yet ultimately hopeful heart beating inside that pristine pop shell." Enjoy this tribute to the songwriting of "Dreaming": americansongwriter.com --- www.blondie.net

This song is often rumored to be about Nancy Spungen, who was the girlfriend of The Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious. In an interview, Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry said the song dealt with media intrusions and what gossip columns do to the women they cover. She explained that the song is not specifically about Spungen, but a composite of women who were part of that music scene - including Harry herself.

By request, from Enrique in Barcelona!