A Rose by Any Name

Last updated
"A Rose by Any Name"
Blondie A Rose by Any Name.jpg
Single by Blondie and Beth Ditto
from the album Ghosts of Download
ReleasedJune 21, 2013 (Europe)
Recorded2012
Genre Dance-rock
Length3:34
Label
Songwriter(s) Matt Katz-Bohen, Laurel Katz-Bohen [1]
Producer(s)
  • Matt Katz-Bohen [1]
  • Joe Tomino (additional production)
  • Conrad Kaneshiro (additional production)
  • Jeremy Scherer (additional production)
  • Jamie Siegel (additional production)
Blondie singles chronology
"What I Heard"
(2011)
"A Rose by Any Name"
(2013)
"Sugar on the Side"
(2013)
Beth Ditto singles chronology
"I Wrote the Book"
(2011)
"A Rose by Any Name"
(2013)
"Running Low"
(2014)

"A Rose by Any Name" is a 2013 song by the American new wave band Blondie. It was the lead single from the band's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download , released as a digital download in Europe on June 21, 2013 [2] (eleven months ahead of its parent album), though it was never released in the U.S. The song features The Gossip's frontwoman Beth Ditto on lead vocals with Debbie Harry.

Contents

Background and release

The song was written by Blondie's keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen and his wife Laurel Katz-Bohen, who had previously penned two songs for the band's previous album, including the single "What I Heard". Debbie Harry has commented that Laurel Katz-Bohen was expecting a baby when the song was written, although the couple were unsure of their gender - this is the meaning of the chorus lyric "if you're a boy or if you're a girl, I'll love you just the same".

The song had its live premiere in June 2013 at the Moscow Arena club in Moscow, Russia, along with several other songs from the upcoming album. [3] On June 20, 2013, the studio version of the song was premiered on the Ken Bruce show on BBC Radio 2. [4] and was made available to listen on the band's official website. [5]

The song was one of five from the new album to be given away as a free download with each ticket purchased for the band's U.S. No Principals Tour in 2013. [6] [7]

Artwork

The artwork for "A Rose by Any Name" was created by J. H. Williams III, who is also the artist behind the artwork for the album, Ghosts of Download . Williams also created the artwork for the album's second single "Sugar on the Side". [1]

Track listings

Digital download
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Rose by Any Name" (featuring Beth Ditto)
3:34

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondie (band)</span> American rock band

Blondie is an American rock band founded in 1974 in New York City by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York City. Their first two albums contained strong elements of punk and new wave, and although highly successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the US until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next four years, the band released several hit singles including "Dreaming", "One Way or Another", "Heart of Glass," "Call Me," "Atomic," "The Tide Is High," and "Rapture". The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, also incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

<i>Parallel Lines</i> 1978 studio album by Blondie

Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American rock band Blondie, released in September 1978, by Chrysalis Records to international commercial success. The album reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in February 1979 and proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States, where it reached No. 6 in April 1979. In Billboard magazine, Parallel Lines was listed at No. 9 in the top pop albums year-end chart of 1979. The album spawned several successful singles, notably the international hit "Heart of Glass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Call Me (Blondie song)</span> 1980 single by Blondie

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film and was released in the United States in early 1980 as a single. "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Way or Another</span> 1979 single by Blondie

"One Way or Another" is a song by American new wave band Blondie from their 1978 album Parallel Lines. Lyrically, the song was inspired by Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry's experience with a stalker in the early 1970s, an incident which forced her to move away from New Jersey. The song's music was composed by bassist Nigel Harrison, who introduced the Ventures-influenced track to keyboardist Jimmy Destri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Child (song)</span> 1982 single by Blondie

"War Child" is a 1982 song by the American rock band Blondie, featured on their sixth studio album The Hunter. The song was released as a second single from the album in various countries, but not in the band's native US. There is no music video for this single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gossip (band)</span> American indie rock band

Gossip was an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas, originally active from 1999 until 2016. For most of their career, the band consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Brace Paine, and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control. A follow-up, Music for Men, was released in 2009. The band played a mix of post-punk revival, indie rock, and dance-rock. Their last album, A Joyful Noise, was released in May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreaming (Blondie song)</span> 1979 single by Blondie

"Dreaming" is a song by American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1979, the song was the opening track from their fourth album Eat to the Beat. Written by guitarist Chris Stein and singer Debbie Harry and partially inspired by ABBA's "Dancing Queen," the song also features an active drum performance by drummer Clem Burke, who did not expect the final recording to feature his busy drum track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Harry</span> American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1945)

Deborah Ann Harry is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached No.1 on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracks Across America Tour '82</span> 1982 concert tour by Blondie

The Tracks Across America Tour '82 was a concert tour by the American band Blondie in 1982. The tour supported their latest album, The Hunter and would be Blondie's last tour before disbanding in late 1982. The band would reconvene in the late 1990s.

<i>Panic of Girls</i> 2011 studio album by Blondie

Panic of Girls is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It was the band's first album of new material in nearly 8 years, since 2003's The Curse of Blondie. The album was first released digitally on May 30, 2011, followed by physical releases in various formats later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother (Blondie song)</span> 2011 single by Blondie

"Mother" is the lead single from Blondie's ninth studio album Panic of Girls and was written by Kato Khandwala, Ben Phillips and the band's lead singer Deborah Harry. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2011, on all major online platforms. It was the first single release from the band since "Good Boys" in 2003.

Panic of Girls Tour is the 2011 concert tour by the American new wave band Blondie, made as part of the support of their album Panic of Girls.

<i>Blondie 4(0) Ever</i> 2014 album by Blondie

Blondie 4(0) Ever is a double album by American rock band Blondie. It was released on May 12, 2014, by Noble ID in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. The two-disc package consists of Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux, a collection of re-recordings of Blondie's past singles, and the band's tenth studio album, Ghosts of Download. The latter spawned three singles: "A Rose by Any Name", "Sugar on the Side", and "I Want to Drag You Around".

The Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary Tour was a 2008 worldwide concert tour by Blondie both to promote the 30th anniversary re-release of their ground-breaking 1978 album Parallel Lines, and to celebrate the longevity and success of the album. Concerts were held in North America and Europe with a single stop in Israel.

"Make a Way" is a song from the band Blondie's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download. It was released officially along with the rest of the album in May 2014, although it was released before that as a free digital download with tickets to the band's 2013 North American tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want to Drag You Around</span> 2014 single by Blondie

"I Want to Drag You Around" is the third single from the band Blondie's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download. It was released officially along with the rest of the album in May 2014, although it was released before that as a free digital download with tickets to the 2013 North American No Principals Tour under the title "Drag You Around". It was announced in March 2014 as the third single from Ghosts of Download, and was BBC Radio 2's Record of the Week from 19 April 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar on the Side</span> 2013 single by Blondie and Systema Solar

"Sugar on the Side" is the opening track on, and second single from, Blondie's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download. It was released as a digital download on December 17, 2013, in the US and Canada, but has not been released in any other countries. The song features the Colombian hip-hop/cumbia band Systema Solar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Katz-Bohen</span> Musical artist

Matthew Jeremy "Matt" Katz-Bohen is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. Since 2008, he has been the keyboardist for the rock band Blondie.

<i>Pollinator</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Blondie

Pollinator is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Blondie, released on May 5, 2017 by BMG Rights Management.

"Too Much" is a song by the American rock band Blondie, written by Matthew Katz-Bohen and Laurel Katz-Bohen. It was released as the third single from their eleventh studio album Pollinator on June 12, 2017, in European countries as a CD single, as well as a digital download. Two versions of the single exist, the full-length album version released as a single in Europe, as well as a radio edit released to radio in America as well.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BLONDIE!". jhwilliams3.com. June 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  2. "A Rose By Any Name: single release". deborah-harry.com. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  3. "Blondie Setlist at Arena Moscow, Moscow, Russia". Setlist.fm. June 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  4. ""A Rose By Any Name" featuring Beth Ditto/premiere on the Ken Bruce show". deborah-harry.com. June 19, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  5. "New Track – "A Rose By Any Name"". blondie.net. June 20, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  6. "Tour Announcement: No Principals Tour". blonie.net. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  7. "LISTEN: Blondie/ Beth Ditto Collab, 'A Rose By Any Name'". out.com. June 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-27.