"Rapture" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Blondie | ||||
from the album Autoamerican | ||||
B-side | "Walk Like Me" | |||
Released | January 12, 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Studio | United Western, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 6:31 | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Mike Chapman | |||
Blondie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternate cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Rapture" on YouTube |
"Rapture" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album Autoamerican (1980). Written by band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein,and produced by Mike Chapman,the song was released as the second and final single from Autoamerican on January 12,1981,by Chrysalis Records. Musically,"Rapture" is a combination of new wave,disco and hip hop with a rap section forming an extended coda. [5]
"Rapture" was another commercial success for the band,shipping one million copies in the United States,where it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100,their fourth and last single to reach the top. It was the first number-one single in the United States to feature rap vocals. The single also peaked at number three in Canada,and number five in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein were friends with Brooklyn- and Bronx-based hip-hop artists such as Fab 5 Freddy (Fred Brathwaite) in the late 1970s. Brathwaite took Harry and Stein to a rap event in the Bronx one night in 1978,and they were both impressed by the skill and excitement as MCs rhymed lyrics over the beats of spinning records and people lined up for a chance to take the microphone and freestyle rap. Harry and Stein went to a few more such events,before deciding to write a rap song of their own in late 1979. They decided to combine what they had seen and heard in the Bronx with Chic-inspired disco music. Keyboardist Jimmy Destri found some tubular bells in the back of the studio,which added a haunting touch to the song. The title "Rapture" was a pun on "rap",according to Stein. [6]
In an early recording the music was slower and simpler. Stein said that "[t]he slower tape was just bass,drums and guitar doubling the bass,I don’t think much else." [7] This version was put aside and later reworked as "Rapture". [8] For "Rapture",Stein said that "[w]e decided to make it faster." [7] Stein later retrieved the original recording,and Harry and Brathwaite added vocals. The result was released in the UK as "Yuletide Throwdown",as a flexi disc given away with the magazine Flexipop. [8]
Stein loved B-movies and science fiction imagery,so he wrote some surreal verses about a man from Mars. For the chorus,Harry tried to capture the feeling of a crowded hip-hop dance floor in the Bronx:"Toe to toe / Dancing very close / Barely breathing / Almost comatose / Wall to wall / People hypnotized / And they're stepping lightly / Hang each night in Rapture." The rap section references Fab 5 Freddy ("Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly"),as well as Grandmaster Flash ("Flash is fast,Flash is cool").
Record World said that "Debbie's sweet,enticing vocal transforms itself into a streetwise jam," calling the song "infectious" and calling the rhythm "hypnotic." [9]
The accompanying music video for "Rapture" made its US television debut on Solid Gold on January 31,1981, [10] and not only became the first rap video ever broadcast on MTV,but was part of its first 90-video rotation. [11] Set in the East Village section of Manhattan,the "Man from Mars" or "voodoo god" (dancer William Barnes in the white suit and top hat) is the introductory and central figure. Barnes also choreographed the piece. [12] Much of the video is a one-take scene of lead singer Debbie Harry dancing down the street,passing by graffiti artists,Uncle Sam,an Indigenous American,child ballet dancer and a goat. Fab 5 Freddy and graffiti artists Lee Quiñones and Jean-Michel Basquiat make cameo appearances. Basquiat was hired when Grandmaster Flash did not show for the shoot. [13] [14] The UK 7" version of the song is used in the video.
The versions appearing on the US and UK 7" and 12" singles were quite different. The US 7" single,also issued with a different cover picture,used the original album version and the US 12" single used a version with an additional verse,making it 40 seconds longer. For the UK and other market single releases,producer Mike Chapman remixed the track completely. The "Special Disco Mix" has a different introduction,a longer instrumental break with new percussion overdubbed and includes the extra verse,making it 10 minutes long. The UK 7" version (4:59) was an edit of the "Special Disco Mix" without the extra verse. A slightly different edit with the extra verse (5:36) appeared on the band's first greatest hits compilation The Best of Blondie (1981). The album track "Live It Up" was also extended and remixed for the B-side of the non-US 12" single. This 8-minute version was included on the 1994 UK CD edition of Autoamerican and was reissued as part of EMI's 15-disc Blondie Singles Box in 2004. The song is widely regarded as one of Blondie's best;in 2017,Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Blondie songs, [15] and in 2021, The Guardian ranked the song number seven on their list of the 20 greatest Blondie songs. [16]
Blondie re-recorded the song for their 2014 compilation album Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux. The compilation was part of a 2-disc set called Blondie 4(0) Ever which included their tenth studio album Ghosts of Download and marked the 40th anniversary of the forming of the band.
The picture of Debbie Harry used for the UK editions of the original 7" and 12" "Rapture" singles was later used for the cover of the compilation album Beautiful:The Remix Album (1995).
Other than the original remixes from 1981,the first official remix of "Rapture" can be found on the compilation album Once More into the Bleach (1988). The track was remixed again and re-issued as a single in both the UK and the US in 1994,this time peaking at number eight on the US Dance Club Songs chart. [17] This remix was included on the compilations The Platinum Collection (1994), Beautiful:The Remix Album (1995) and Remixed Remade Remodeled:The Remix Project (1995).
In 2005,"Rapture" was mashed with The Doors' 1971 song "Riders on the Storm" into "Rapture Riders" by Go Home Productions. This unofficial mashup remix was later approved by both bands and released as a single credited to Blondie vs. The Doors. It was also included on Blondie's compilation album Greatest Hits:Sight + Sound (2005). [18] "Rapture Riders" made the top-ten on the US Dance Club Songs and was a Top 40 hit in Australia and Europe.
Grandmaster Flash scratch mixed the lyrics "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly" from "Rapture" on his single "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" and also included the track on his DJ mix album Essential Mix:Classic Edition (2002),editing out all the rap parts.[ citation needed ]
KRS-One used a tonally similar version of the intro to "Rapture" for the intro/chorus of his single "Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)" with lyrics changed slightly to praise KRS-One's rap prowess.[ citation needed ]
Erasure covered "Rapture" as a bonus track on their 1997 album Cowboy .[ citation needed ]
To promote the character's appearances in the third season of The Boys,Jensen Ackles appeared in several videos depicting Soldier Boy's in-universe promotional campaigns in the 1980s,in particular,serenading the dancers of Solid Gold with a spoken-word rendition of "Rapture". [19] [20] Ackles' cover received additional praise from the band itself,with Debbie Harry describing the rendition as "epic". [21] [22] [23]
US 7" (CHS 2485,January 1981)
US 12" (12 CHS 2485,January 1981)
UK 7" (CHS 2485,January 1981)
UK 12" (CHS 12 2485,January 1981)
US 1994 Remix CD (7243 8 85277 2 3)
CD (0946 3475502 3)
12" (347 550 1)
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [54] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [55] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Blondie is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave genre and scene of the mid 70s.
"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, 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.
"Denise" is a song written by Neil Levenson that was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. In 1963, it became a popular top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, when recorded by the American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows. A cover version by the American new wave group Blondie, re-titled "Denis", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978. Dutch actress and singer Georgina Verbaan covered "Denis" in 2002 and reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.
"Heart of Glass" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie, written by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. It was featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines (1978), and was released as the album's third single in January 1979 and reached number one on the charts in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single.
Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached No. 3 in the UK charts, No. 7 in the US, and No. 8 in Australia. The album spawned two singles, "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture". "The Tide Is High" hit number one in several countries, including the US and the UK. "Rapture" became the first rap song ever to reach number one on the singles chart in the US. It also reached number five in the UK and number four in Australia.
The Best of Blondie is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in October 1981, by Chrysalis Records. The album peaked at number four in the United Kingdom and number 30 in the United States, while becoming the band's only number-one album in Australia.
"Nothing Is Real but the Girl" is a song by American rock band Blondie. Written by the band's keyboardist Jimmy Destri, it was the second single released from their seventh album, No Exit (1999), on May 31, 1999. The single peaked at number 26 in the United Kingdom and number 89 in Germany.
"No Exit" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. It was the title track from their seventh studio album in 1999 and was released as a single in Europe, but not the US.
KooKoo is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album was recorded whilst Harry took a break from her band Blondie. It was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 25 on the US Billboard 200 and number six on the UK Albums Chart.
"In Love with Love" is a 1987 song recorded by the American singer Debbie Harry. It was taken from her second solo album Rockbird and released as the third single in 1987.
"Backfired" is the debut solo single from American singer and Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry. Released in 1981, it was taken from her debut solo studio album, KooKoo.
"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.
The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie is a greatest hits album released on March 4, 1991, by Chrysalis Records. It contained all of Blondie's highest-charting singles such as "Heart of Glass", "Sunday Girl", "The Tide Is High", "Atomic", and "Call Me", as well as some of Deborah Harry's solo singles, including the UK top-10 single "French Kissin' in the USA".
"Picture This" is a 1978 song by the American rock band Blondie, released on their third album, Parallel Lines. Written by Chris Stein, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri, the song features evocative lyrics that producer Mike Chapman surmised were written by Harry about Stein.
Once More into the Bleach is a remix album released in December 1988 by the band Blondie and Debbie Harry. The 13-track compilation contains remixes of Blondie songs and material from Harry's solo career. It was the first compilation to include non-album singles "Rush Rush" and "Feel the Spin".
"Rush Rush" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder and performed by American singer Debbie Harry. It was released as the fourth and final single from the soundtrack to the 1983 film Scarface.
The Platinum Collection is a two disc compilation album of recordings by Blondie released by EMI/Chrysalis in 1994. The forty-seven track compilation contains the A- and B-sides of all singles issued by the band in the U.S. and the UK between the years 1976 and 1982 in chronological order, five demo recordings made before the release of their debut album including an alternative version of "Heart of Glass", as well as two 1994 dance remixes of their hits "Atomic" and "Rapture".
The liner notes contain extensive interviews with band members Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison, Frank Infante and Gary Valentine.
Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie is a greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie, released on July 13, 1998, by Chrysalis Records, at the time when the band reunited and shortly before the beginning of their successful comeback tour.
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.