Mother (Blondie song)

Last updated
"Mother"
Blondie - Mother.jpg
Single by Blondie
from the album Panic of Girls
ReleasedMay 23, 2011
Recorded2010
Genre New wave, pop rock
Length3:09
Label Eleven Seven
Songwriter(s) Deborah Harry
Kato Khandwala
Ben Phillips
Blondie singles chronology
"Good Boys"
(2003)		"Mother"
(2011)		"What I Heard"
(2011)
Music video
"Mother" on YouTube

"Mother" is the lead single from Blondie's ninth studio album Panic of Girls and was written by Kato Khandwala, Ben Phillips (guitarist for The Pretty Reckless) and the band's lead singer Deborah Harry. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2011, on all major online platforms. [1] [2] It was the first single release from the band since "Good Boys" in 2003.

Contents

Background

The song was first performed in 2010 along with several other tracks from Panic of Girls during the band's Australian tour, as well as during festival appearances in the UK. It was subsequently included in the setlist of the Panic of Girls Tour in 2011 and the band's 2012 co-headlining tour with Elvis Costello. The song has been rarely performed since then but was added back into the setlist for Blondie's 2022 Against the Odds UK Tour. [3]

Release

On December 5, 2010, "Mother" was made available as a free download from the official Blondie website. [4] The track was later remixed with a different vocal take for the album and single release. The track was played for the first time on March 17, 2011, on BBC Radio 2's The Ken Bruce Show . On Amazon.co.uk an explicit version was released alongside the regular one. [5]

Artwork

The cover artwork for "Mother" was revealed on May 5, 2011. [6] It displays a band picture digitally manipulated to resemble a Chris Berens painting, like the artwork for its parent album. Elements of the Panic of Girls cover art are used. Also the text is inspired by the original writing by Berens.

Music video

The official music video was directed by Laurent Rejto and features cameos by Kate Pierson from The B-52's, James Lorinz (Frankenhooker), Johnny Dynell, Chi Chi Valenti, The Dazzle Dancers, Rob Roth, Barbara Sicuranza, Larry Fessenden, Allen Midgette (Andy Warhol's double), The Five Points Band, Guy Furrow, Kitty Boots, and Hattie Hathaway. [7] It was released on May 17, 2011, on the YouTube channel of Blondie's record label, Five Seven Music. [8]

Synopsis

The video starts with a queue of people waiting to enter the nightclub (called 'Mother') where Blondie are performing. The loudness of the song causes zombies below the club to wake and, as the song progresses, they make their way up to the dancefloor. They start to turn the clubbers into zombies until everyone in the club has been turned. The video ends with Blondie themselves being turned. The video was shot in Kingston, New York.

Track listings

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Mother"3:09
Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Mother (Explicit)"3:09
Promo CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Mother"3:09
2."Mother" (Instrumental)3:17

Charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
UK Indie (OCC) [9] 30

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.

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

Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American rock band Blondie, released on September 23, 1978 by Chrysalis Records to international commercial success. The album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in February 1979 and proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States, where it reached No. 6 on the Billboard” 200 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">The Sounds</span> Swedish indie rock band

The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1998, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Destri</span> American musician

Jimmy Destri is an American musician.

<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">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.

Frank Infante is an American guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of the new wave band Blondie.

Since 1976 the American new wave band Blondie has released 11 studio albums, 4 live albums, 14 compilation albums, 3 remix albums, 3 EPs, and 38 singles. The band has sold an estimated 40 million albums.

<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.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rose by Any Name</span> 2013 single by Blondie and Beth Ditto

"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, though it was never released in the U.S. The song features The Gossip's frontwoman Beth Ditto on lead vocals with Debbie Harry.

<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.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ Mother at Amazon.com
  2. ↑ ""Mother" – now available for download/upcoming TV and radio appearances". Deborah-harry.com. May 22, 2011. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  3. ↑ "Mother by Blondie Song Statistics". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Free download of "Mother" now available!". Blondie.net. December 5, 2010. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  5. ↑ Mother (Explicit) at Amazon.com
  6. ↑ "cover art for Blondie's new single "Mother"". Deborah-harry.com. May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  7. ↑ "VIDEO CREDITS". Blondie.net. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  8. ↑ "music video for Blondie's new single "Mother"". Deborah-harry.com. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  9. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.