Hanging on the Telephone

"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee. The song was first performed by his short-lived US West Coast power pop band The Nerves; later in 1978, it was recorded and released as a single by the American rock band Blondie.

"Hanging on the Telephone"
UK vinyl single
Single by Blondie
from the album Parallel Lines
B-side
  • "Will Anything Happen" (UK)
  • "Fade Away and Radiate" (US)
Released1978
Genre
Length2:17
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Jack Lee
Producer(s)Mike Chapman
Blondie singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Love You Too"
(1978)		 "Hanging on the Telephone"
(1978)		 "Heart of Glass"
(1979)
Alternative cover
US picture sleeve
Music video
"Hanging on the Telephone" on YouTube

Blondie had discovered the song via a cassette tape compilation which Jeffrey Lee Pierce had given the band. Beginning with a phone sound-effect courtesy of producer Mike Chapman, Blondie's version of the song was released on the band's breakthrough third album, Parallel Lines. The single was a top five hit in the UK and has since seen critical acclaim as one of the band's best songs.

Background

"Hanging on the Telephone" was originally written by Jack Lee for his band, the Nerves. The song appeared as the lead-off track on the Nerves's 1976 EP; however, the release was a commercial failure and became the group's only release. Long after the song's eventual commercial success, Lee reflected, "Even people who hated me – and there were plenty – had to admit it was great."[3]

The song was later popularized by new wave band Blondie covered the track on their 1978 album, Parallel Lines. The band discovered the song after Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club sent the band a cassette of the track.[4] Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry explained:

We were playing it in the back of a taxicab in Tokyo, and the taxicab driver started tapping his hand on the steering wheel. When we came back to the US, we found that the Nerves weren't together anymore and we said, 'Gee, we should record this.'

Lee had been financially struggling at the time; he recalled the moment the band called him to ask permission to cover the song, "I remember the day vividly. It was a Friday. They were going to cut off our electricity at six o'clock, the phone too."[3] The band also performed a version of the Lee-penned track, "Will Anything Happen", on Parallel Lines.

Blondie's version of the song begins with a sound effect of a telephone ringing. The idea was proposed by producer Mike Chapman; he recalled, "The Blondies all thought that was stupid and too gimmicky, but I said, 'C'mon, guys! Gimmicky? This is Blondie. Let's give it a try!'"[5] Like one of Blondie's subsequent singles, "Sunday Girl", "Hanging on the Telephone" employs a double backbeat rhythm in its drumming pattern, meaning the "off" beats alternate between a quarter note and two eighth notes. This percussion style also appeared on other power pop singles from the period, like the Romantics' 1978 release "Tell It to Carrie".[6]

Release

Blondie released their cover of "Hanging on the Telephone" the second single from their 1978 album Parallel Lines in both the US and UK. The single failed to chart in the US, but it eventually reached number five in the UK in November 1978. Harry explained, "Things take longer to catch on here [in the US]. Everything is really spread out and regional. I think the American people suffer from a lack of press. European press is very important. Here, television is what's important. Press makes more of an organized statement."

The single also was a moderate hit throughout Europe, reaching the top 20 in Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Reception

Blondie's cover of "Hanging on the Telephone" has seen critical acclaim since its release, with several writers praising the song as an improvement on the original song. Rolling Stone called the song "immortal and breathless,"[7] while Tom Maginnis of AllMusic praised the song's "driving power and infectious melody."[8] The Rolling Stone Album Guide named the song "a dynamic rock & roll opener,"[9] while Pitchfork praised the song as "incredible."[10]

The Independent named the song the third best Blondie song, writing, "Blondie make this song their own by injecting a previously absent sense of urgency to the build, with Harry's tone developing from stern to desperate as she begs: 'Hang up and run to me.'"[11] The Guardian ranked the song as the band's fourth best, calling the song "far superior" to the Nerves original and dubbing it "a massive power pop tune,"[12] while Ultimate Classic Rock ranked it as Blondie's seventh best, writing, "Blondie retain the song's New Wave edge but sharpen the melody."[13] Far Out Magazine[14] and Paste[15] both named the song as Blondie's eighth best, while The Telegraph and uDiscoverMusic both included the song in their unranked lists of Blondie's best songs.[16][17]

Track listing
UK 7" (CHS 2266)
  1. "Hanging on the Telephone" (Jack Lee) – 2:17
  2. "Will Anything Happen" (Lee) – 2:55
US 7" (CHS 2271)
  1. "Hanging on the Telephone" (Lee) – 2:17
  2. "Fade Away and Radiate" (Chris Stein) – 3:57

Charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 19
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 43
UK Singles (OCC)[24] 5

Other versions and appearances

In 2000, Finnish metal band Sinergy recorded a cover for their To Hell and Back album.[25] In 2009, Jimmy Somerville covered the song on his acoustic album Suddenly Last Summer.[26] In 2012, Flowers Forever covered the song for the movie Electrick Children.[27] In 2017, Melissa Rauch covered the song as Harley Quinn in the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn.[28]

References

Citations

  1. Cateforis 2011, p. 139.
  2. "The goddess still rocks". The Advocate. No. 780. Here. March 2, 1999. p. 57. ISSN 0001-8996.
  3. Webb, Robert (September 17, 2010). "Story of the Song: Hanging on the Telephone, Blondie (1978)". The Independent. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  4. Donlon, Helen (May 2, 2014). "Fire of Love: A Jeffrey Lee Pierce Retrospective". The Quietus. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  5. McLeod, Kembrew. Blondie's Parallel Lines (33 and 1/3). Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-0239-8.
  6. Cateforis 2011, pp. 140–41.
  7. Berger, Arion (June 8, 2000). "Blondie: Parallel Lines". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. Maginnis, Tom. "Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  9. Coleman, Mark; Berger, Arion (2004). "Blondie". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 86. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. Plagenhoef, Scott (August 1, 2008). "Blondie: Parallel Lines: Deluxe Edition". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  11. O'Connor, Roisin (July 2, 2020). "The 10 best songs by Blondie, from 'Call Me' to 'Hanging on the Telephone'". The Independent. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  12. Sullivan, Caroline (September 16, 2015). "Blondie – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  13. Gallucci, Michael (July 1, 2015). "Top 10 Blondie Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  14. Whatley, Jack (July 1, 2020). "Debbie Harry and Blondie's 10 greatest songs of all time". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  15. Stiernberg, Bonnie (May 9, 2017). "The 10 Best Blondie Songs". Paste. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  16. "Blondie: 10 best songs > "Hanging on the Telephone"". The Telegraph. February 1, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  17. Stavropoulos, Laura (January 5, 2020). "The Best Blondie Songs: An Essential Playlist of Alt.Pop Classics". uDiscover Music. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  18. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hangin' on the Telephone". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  23. "Charts.nz – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  25. "Sinergy – To Hell and Back". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  26. O'Brien, Jon. "Jimmy Somerville Suddenly – Last Summer". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  27. "Electrick Children – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  28. Patterson, Michael (August 15, 2017). "Every Single Bat-Tastic Easter Egg In 'Batman And Harley Quinn'". Moviepilot. Retrieved October 7, 2017.

Sources

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