Hanging on the Telephone

"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee. It 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 after they realised the song's potential via a cassette tape compilation which Jeffrey Lee Pierce had given the band.[3]

"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)
ReleasedOctober 1978
Format7" vinyl
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)
Audio sample
"Hanging on the Telephone"
  • file
  • help
Alternative cover
US picture sleeve
Music video
"Hanging on the Telephone" on YouTube

Background

The song was the lead-off track on the Nerves's 1976 EP, the group's only release. It was later popularized by new wave band Blondie when they released a cover of the song as the second single from their 1978 album Parallel Lines in both the US and UK. It eventually reached number 5 in the UK in November 1978.

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".[4]

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)[5] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 19
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 43
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 5

Cover versions and appearances in other media

In 2000, Finnish metal band Sinergy recorded a cover for their To Hell and Back album.[12] In 2009, Jimmy Somerville covered the song on his acoustic album Suddenly Last Summer.[13] In 2012, Flowers Forever covered the song for the movie Electrick Children.[14] In 2017, Melissa Rauch covered the song as Harley Quinn in the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn.[15]

References
  • Cateforis, Theo (2011). Are We Not New Wave? : Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-03470-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. Cateforis 2011, p. 139.
  2. "The goddess still rocks". The Advocate. No. 780. March 2, 1999. p. 57. ISSN 0001-8996.
  3. Donlon, Helen (May 2, 2014). "Fire of Love: A Jeffrey Lee Pierce Retrospective". The Quietus. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  4. Cateforis 2011, pp. 140–41.
  5. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hangin' on the Telephone". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  10. "Charts.nz – Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  12. "Sinergy – To Hell and Back". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  13. O'Brien, Jon. "Jimmy Somerville Suddenly – Last Summer". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  14. "Electrick Children – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  15. Patterson, Michael (August 15, 2017). "Every Single Bat-Tastic Easter Egg In 'Batman And Harley Quinn'". Moviepilot. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
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