Call Me (Blondie song)

"Call Me"
Single by Blondie
from the album American Gigolo
B-side	"Call Me" (instrumental) (U.S.)
Released	February 1, 1980
Format	7" single 12" single
Recorded	August 1979, New York City[1]
Genre	Dance-rock[2] new wave[3]
Length	2:15 (music video version) 3:32 (radio edit) 8:05 (album version)
Label	Polydor Chrysalis Salsoul
Songwriter(s)	Debbie Harry Giorgio Moroder
Producer(s)	Giorgio Moroder
Blondie singles chronology
"The Hardest Part" (1980) "Call Me" (1980) "Atomic" (1980)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Call Me" on YouTube
Alternative cover
German edition

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Released in the US in early 1980 as a single, "Call Me" was number one for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1.^[1] It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboard's No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.^[4][5]

Song and single information

"Call Me" was the main theme song of the 1980 film American Gigolo. It is played in the key of D minor. Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined as a recently signed contract with Modern Records prevented her from working with Moroder. It was at this time that Moroder turned to Debbie Harry and Blondie. Moroder presented Harry with a rough instrumental track called "Man Machine". Harry was asked to write the lyrics and melody, a process that Harry states took a mere few hours.^[6] The lyrics were written from the perspective of the main character in the film, a male prostitute.^[7] Harry said the lyrics were inspired by her visual impressions from watching the film and that "When I was writing it, I pictured the opening scene, driving on the coast of California."^[8] The completed song was then recorded by the band, with Moroder producing. The bridge of the original English-language version also includes Harry singing "Call me, my darling" in Italian ("Amore, chiamami") (Love, call me) and in French ("Appelle-moi, mon chéri") (Call me, my darling).

In the US, the song was released by three record companies: the longest version (at 8:06) on the soundtrack album by Polydor, the 7" and 12" on Blondie's label Chrysalis, and a Spanish-language 12" version, with lyrics by Buddy and Mary McCluskey, on the disco label Salsoul Records. The Spanish version, titled "Llámame", was meant for release in Mexico and some South American countries. This version was also released in the US and the UK and had its CD debut on Chrysalis/EMI's rarities compilation Blonde and Beyond (1993). In 1988, a remixed version by Ben Liebrand taken from the Blondie remix album Once More into the Bleach was issued as a single in the UK. In 2001, the "original long version" appeared as a bonus track on the Autoamerican album re-issue.

Harry recorded an abbreviated version of the song that was backed by the Muppet Band for her guest appearance on The Muppet Show in August 1980. It was first broadcast in January 1981.

Popularity and acclaim

The single was released in the United States in February 1980. It peaked at No. 1 and remained there for six consecutive weeks until it was knocked off by Lipps, Inc.'s worldwide smash hit "Funkytown" and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold) by the RIAA. It also spent four weeks at No. 2 on the US dance chart. The single was also No. 1 on Billboard magazine's 1980 year-end chart. The song lists at No. 57 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.^[9] It was released in the UK two months later, where it became Blondie's fourth UK No. 1 single in little over a year. The song was also played on a British Telecom advert in the 1980s. 25 years after its original release, "Call Me" was ranked at No. 283 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1981, the Village Voice ranked "Call Me" as the third-best song of the year 1980 on its annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop.^[10]

In 1981, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, as well as for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Music video

There were two videos made:

• One was clips and video footage in New York of Debbie Harry. The video can be found on the 1991 UK video compilation The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie.
• The other, which came out in 1981, was non-representational, not featuring any of the band. It depicted a New York City taxi driver (who had appeared in several other Blondie music videos) driving his Checker Taxi through Manhattan traffic. This version was part of the 1981 "Best of Blondie" compilation video.

Chart performance

Release history

Cover versions

• In 1986, San Francisco-based band Until December covered the single on their self-titled album.^[34]
• In 1996, Australian heavy metal group Dungeon covered the song for their album Demolition.
• In 1997, a cappella group Da Vinci's Notebook covered the song for their album Bendy's Law.^[35]
• In 1997, Finnish group The 69 Eyes covered the song on their album Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.
• In 1999, artist Emilia Mojello recorded a cover for the soundtrack of the comedy film Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.^[36]
• In 2001, indie punk rock band Squatweiler recorded a cover for the compilation How Many Bands Does It Take to Screw up a Blondie Tribute.^[37]
• In 2001, artist Nikka Costa recorded a cover for the soundtrack of the comedy film Zoolander^[38] and featured in the episode "Did You Miss Me?" in Pretty Little Liars.
• In 2001, the Box Tops covered the song for the compilation When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear.^[39]
• In 2002, synthpop band I Am The World Trade Center covered the song on their album The Tight Connection.^[40]
• In 2002, Tiffany recorded a cover of the song for the compilation Platinum Girl: A Tribute to Blondie.^[41]
• In 2003, American alternative rock band the Dandy Warhols released a cover of the song as a B-side to their single We Used to Be Friends.^[42]
• In 2005, Lea DeLaria covered the song in the jazz album Double Standards.^[43]
• In 2008, Australian singer Tina Arena recorded a retro swing version of the song for her 2008 album Songs of Love & Loss II.^[44]
• In 2008, British singer Skye Edwards collaborated with Marc Collin of French band Nouvelle Vague on a cover of the song for the album Hollywood, Mon Amour.^[45]
• In 2009, American metalcore band In This Moment released a cover of this song as a single.
• Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand were asked by Blondie themselves^[46] to cover it for a War Child charity album.
• In 2010, the Japanese symphonic metal-band LIV MOON covered the song for the cover-album COVERS ~Scream as a Woman~.
• In 2010, British singer Samantha Fox and Italian singer Sabrina released a dance version of the song as a single.^[47]
• Blondie re-recorded the song (with Moroder returning as producer) for their 2014 re-recording compilation album Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux. The compilation was part of a two-disc set called Blondie 4(0) Ever which included their 10th studio album Ghosts of Download and marked the 40th anniversary of the forming of the band.
• In 2015 for their deluxe-reissue of their latest album, Cult, American punk band Bayside covered the song as one of their four new bonus tracks.
• In 2015, Australian singer Tina Arena released a French version called "Je Dis Call Me" for the European release of her album Songs of Love & Loss.

Live cover performances

• Garbage, No Doubt and The Distillers performed together a live version of the song in November 2002 at the Long Beach Arena.^[48][49]

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1980

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics