Call Me (Blondie song)
| “Call Me” | |||||
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| Single by Blondie from the album American Gigolo |
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| Released | February 1980 (US) April 1980 (UK) |
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| Format | Vinyl 7" & 12" single | ||||
| Recorded | August 1979 | ||||
| Genre | New wave | ||||
| Length | 3:32 (7" version) 8:04 (LP version) |
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| Label | Polydor Records Chrysalis Records Salsoul Records |
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| Writer(s) | Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder | ||||
| Producer | Giorgio Moroder | ||||
| Certification | Gold (US) Silver (UK) |
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| Blondie singles chronology | |||||
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| Alternate cover | |||||
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| The US edition of the 1980 "Call Me" 7" single with alternate cover art. | |||||
"Call Me" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie. Released February 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK; becoming the band's biggest-selling single in the US.
The song was the main theme of the film American Gigolo. European disco producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks 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. 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 only a few hours. 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" in Italian ("Amore, chiamami") and French ("Mon cheri, appelle-moi").
In the US the song was released by three different record companies: on the soundtrack album by Polydor, the 7" and 12" on Blondie's label Chrysalis, and a Spanish language 12" version on disco label Salsoul Records. The Spanish version, named "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 version remixed 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 re-issue.
The song appears in the game Karaoke Revolution Party, and as downloadable content for Rock Band.
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Popularity and acclaim
The single was released in the United States in February 1980. It reached number one and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold) by the RIAA. 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 from the 1980s. Twenty-five years after its original release, the acclaim surrounding "Call Me" led to its ranking at #283 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song lists at #44 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[1]
Music video
There were two videos made:
- One was compiled clips and video footage in New York and Manhattan of Deborah 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 1980, was non-representational, not featuring any of the band. It depicted a New York taxi driver (who had in fact appeared in numerous other Blondie music videos) driving his Checker through Manhattan traffic.
Release history
All tracks written by Deborah Harry and Giorgio Moroder.
- US, UK 7" (CHS 2414)
- "Call Me (Theme from American Gigolo)" (7" edit) – 3:32
- "Call Me" (7" instrumental) – 3:27
- UK 12" (CHS 12 2414)
- "Call Me" (7" edit) – 3:32
- "Call Me" (Spanish version - 7" edit) – 3:32
- "Call Me" (7" instrumental) - 3:27
- US 12" (Salsoul SG 341)
- "Call Me" (Spanish version, extended) – 6:23
- "Call Me" (12" instrumental) – 6:10
Chart peaks
| Chart (1980) | Peak Position (Weeks on top) |
|---|---|
| US | 16 |
| UK | 11 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| Norway | 2 |
| Sweden | 3 |
| Switzerland | 3 |
| Austria | 5 |
| New Zealand | 6 |
| Netherlands | 9 |
| Germany | 14 |
Covers
The song has been covered by a varied array of musical acts.
| “Call Me” | |||||
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| Single by The Chipmunks from the album Chipmunk Punk |
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| Released | August 1980 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl | ||||
| Recorded | September 1979 | ||||
| Length | 3:11 (LP/radio version) 3:49 (12" version) |
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| Label | Excelsior Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Debbie Harry Giorgio Moroder |
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| The Chipmunks singles chronology | |||||
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- Has been remixed by Ben Liebrand in 1988*
- Tina Arena recorded a retro swing version of the song for her 2008 album Songs of Love & Loss II
- Metal band The Union Underground released a cover of the song in the early 2000s.
- Garbage, No Doubt and The Distillers performed together a live version of the song.
- Artist Nikka Costa did a cover for the Zoolander soundtrack.
- San Francisco-based band Until December covered the single on their self-titled 1986 album
- Pop diva Regine Velasquez covered the single on her album Covers 2, and it became one of her signature songs.
- Finnish rockabilly band Francine did a cover for their album Level 8.
- Korean rock artist Eve has covered "Call Me."
- Ashlee Simpson covered this song live on her 2005 Autobiography tour.
- The 69 Eyes covered this song on their 1997 album Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
- Synth-pop band I Am The World Trade Center covered this song on their 2002 album The Tight Connection.
- Aussie Heavy Metal band Dungeon covered the song on there 1996 demo CD DEMOLITION, the song was later re-mixed and released on the album "Rising Power" in 2003.
- The Dandy Warhols covered this song on their 2004 album Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols.
- The Myriad covered this song as a bonus track on their 2008 album, "With Arrows, With Poise".
- Marilyn Manson cover band "Richard Christ" have covered this song as their first single.
- KMET DJ Chuck Taylor played the 12" version of this single at double speed and announced, in jest, that it was The Chipmunks' latest single. So many requests came for this "new" Chipmunks release, that Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and his collaborator Steve Vining rushed to record what would be the Chipmunks' "comeback album," Chipmunk Punk.
- Diana Vickers performed a cover of this song as part of 'Disco Week' on the X Factor 2008. Diana was voted inside the top 7 of 9 performers after this performance.
| Preceded by "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" by Pink Floyd |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 19 - May 24, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc |
| Preceded by "My Sharona" by The Knack |
Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year 1980 |
Succeeded by "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes |
| Preceded by "Working My Way Back to You" by The Detroit Spinners |
UK number one single April 20, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Geno" by Dexys Midnight Runners |
| Preceded by "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" by Pink Floyd |
ARC Weekly Top 40 number one single April 12, 1980 - May 24, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc |
Sources
See also
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