Record Store Day Blondie News

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Exclusively for Record Store Day (April 23, 2022), Blondie, one of the most influential bands to emerge from New York's punk scene, will release a limited edition EP featuring one of their most famous, endearing, and successful singles – "Sunday Girl."

Taken from the band's multi-million-selling album Parallel Lines, "Sunday Girl" was originally released in 1979 and was the follow-up single to the band's number one hit single, "Heart of Glass," and was a UK number one and a top 10 hit around Europe.

"Exactly why the song became Sunday Girl, I am not sure, other than Chris and I had a silly kitty named Sunday Man. Also, I was born on a Sunday…," reminisces Debbie Harry about the song.

The bespoke Record Store Day release will include a deluxe two-disc, four-track 7" set on red and yellow vinyl, set inside a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring rare photos from the period. Disc one (red) features the original single plus the French version. Disc two (yellow) features two previously unreleased tracks – a demo from 1978 and a live version recorded at the Paramount Theatre, Portland, in January 1979.

Clem Burke explains: "By the time we got into the studio to record 'Sunday Girl,' it had evolved from the original demo into our somewhat minimalist take on the girl group sound of the sixties. My drums at the top of the song being inspired by Hal Blaine's playing on The Ronettes Be My Baby. It is pure 'power-pop!'"

The success of these two singles pushed the Parallel Lines album to number one in the UK, several months after its initial release, and helped Blondie become the first New-Wave act to reach platinum status. The album went on to become their commercial breakthrough in the US, making the Billboard Top 10 for the first time and becoming one of Billboard Magazine's Top 10 albums of 1979. It was also the UK's biggest selling album of the year. Since its initial release, it continues to be universally celebrated as one of the greatest albums of all time. It has been included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time, and 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Blender's 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time, Channel 4's list of the 100 greatest albums of all time and Pitchfork's list of the best albums from the 1970s to name but a few.

The legendary band hasn't stopped to catch their breath since then - they've continued to shape the cultural landscape in more recent years, working on both Blondie-centric projects and their successful independent ventures. These include the acclaimed album release of Pollinator in 2017, Chris's second renowned book of photography, POINT OF VIEW, and Debbie's bestselling autobiography, FACE IT, both released in 2019. BLONDIE: VIVIR EN LA HABANA, a short film and soundtrack project culled from the band's live performances during the week-long cultural exchange with Cuba from 2019, also received critical acclaim last year when it premiered at film festivals around the world, including Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK and Tribeca Film Festival in the US.

Blondie's next endeavors will continue to showcase their celebrated and trailblazing career. The band is about to embark on their first UK tour in 5 years, including ten dates throughout the UK from April - May 2022, and their first authorized archival project - BLONDIE 1974-1982: Against the Odds, is set to be released in August. 

Tracklisting for the Sunday Girl Record Store Day Release:

Disc 1
Sunday Girl (original single)
Sunday Girl (French version)

Disc 2
Sunday Girl (demo) Previously unreleased
Sunday Girl (live) Previously unreleased

About Blondie:

Undeniably one of the most trailblazing and influential bands of our time, Blondie is pioneering frontwoman/songwriter Debbie Harry, guitarist/conceptual mastermind Chris Stein and powerhouse drummer Clem Burke along with now long-standing bandmates bassist Leigh Foxx, guitarist Tommy Kessler, and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen.

Among their hits is the groundbreaking rock-disco hybrid "Heart of Glass," the equally influential hip-hop fantasia "Rapture," the stalker-love song "One Way Or Another," and the lilting calypso "The Tide Is High." It's a thrilling journey back to when Blondie pushed punk onto the dance floor and introduced a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, all the while building a catalog of enduring hits along the way.

For the last four decades, Blondie has become and still remains a true global icon, one whose influence both shaped and continues to inform the worlds of music, fashion, and art. From an irreverent Lower East Side punk outfit to bona fide international ambassadors of New York cool, Blondie will forever be synonymous with that punk spirit that lives somewhere in all of us. Their chart-topping success, fearless spirit, and rare longevity led to an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and more than 40 million albums sold worldwide to date. Yet, as we look back at the band's storied career, it makes Blondie's current vibrancy that much more stunning after 40 years of entertaining all of us.

About Record Store Day:

Record Store Day, the organization, is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), and promotes independent record stores year-round with events, special releases, and other fun things.

Record Store Day 2022, the global celebration of the culture of the record store, takes place on April 23. Please visit: recordstoreday.com 

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises