Call Me (Blondie song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Call Me" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Blondie from the album American Gigolo Soundtrack |
|||||
| Released | February 1980 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl 7" & 12" single | ||||
| Recorded | August 1979 | ||||
| Genre | Power pop/ New Wave/ Dance-Rock | ||||
| Length | 3:32 (7" version) 8:04 (American Gigolo film version; also on 2001 reissue of Autoamerican) |
||||
| Label | Polydor Records Chrysalis Records Salsoul Records |
||||
| Writer | Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder | ||||
| Producer | Giorgio Moroder | ||||
| Blondie singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Music sample | |||||
| Alternate cover | |||||
 |
|||||
| Single sleeve, Germany. | |||||
"Call Me" is a song performed by Blondie, it's a Golden Globe-nominated for Best Original Song and for Grammy award. The single was released in February of 1980. "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom; it would become the band's biggest-selling single in the U.S., and the top seller for the entire year.
Contents |
[edit] Beginnings
The song was the main theme of the film American Gigolo, starring Richard Gere. European disco producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined. 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.
Blondie also released the song in Mexico and other South American countries as "Llámame", (CY12-19) by Caytronics, complete with translated Spanish lyrics. The Spanish language version was also released in the US and the UK and had its CD debut on Chrysalis Records/EMI's rarities compilation Blonde and Beyond in 1993.
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; the soundtrack album on Polydor, the 7" and 12" on Blondie's label Chrysalis and the Spanish language 12" on legendary disco label Salsoul Records.
[edit] Release history
US 7" Chrysalis Records CHS 2414, February 1980
US 12" Chrysalis Records CDS 2414, February 1980
UK 7" Chrysalis Records CHS 2414, April 1980
Side A:
- "Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo)" (7" Edit) (Deborah Harry, Giorgio Moroder) – 3:32
Side B:
- "Call Me" (7" Instrumental) (Harry, Moroder) – 3:27
UK 12" Chrysalis Records CHS 12 2414, April 1980
Side A:
- "Call Me" (Harry, Moroder) (7" Edit) – 3:32
Side B:
- "Call Me" (Spanish Version - 7" Edit) (Harry, Moroder) – 3:32
- "Call Me" (7" Instrumental) (Harry, Moroder) - 3:27
US 12" Salsoul Records SG 341, October 1980
Side A:
- "Call Me" (Spanish Version, Extended) (Harry, Moroder) – 6:23
Side B:
- "Call Me" (12" Instrumental) (Harry, Moroder) – 6:10
[edit] Popularity
The single was released in the United States in February 1980 to promote the film and quickly sold enough copies to be certified as the top-selling single for the year. It was released two months later in Britain to a similar volume of sales. "Call Me" was only the third song from a soundtrack to top the singles charts for a given year. "To Sir, with Love" by Lulu in 1967 and "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand in 1974 were the first two, both from movies of the same name. "Call Me" was later used in television commercials. Currently, "Call Me" is used as introductory bumper music to the Hal Turner talk show.
[edit] 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 U.K. 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.
[edit] Releases
- The long version (8:04) of the song appears on the 1980 soundtrack American Gigolo.
- An edited single version (3:32) was released by Chrysalis the same year. This is the version that topped the singles chart that year.
- In 1981, the single version appeared on Blondie's The Best of Blondie album.
- In 1988 a version remixed by Ben Liebrand taken from the album Once More into the Bleach was issued as a single in the UK.
- Blondie's 2001 reissue of the 1980 album Autoamerican contains the long version of the song as a bonus track.
- The band's latest UK compilation, Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound (2005) contains the single version.
- The song was also released on the album for the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. It refers to the "Phone-A-Friend" lifeline, wherein the contestant calls a friend for help in solving a question.
[edit] Acclaim
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.
[edit] Covers
The song has been relentlessly covered, by a varied array of musical acts.
| "Call Me" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by The Chipmunks from the album Chipmunk Punk |
|||||
| Released | August 1980 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl | ||||
| Recorded | September 1979 | ||||
| Length | 3:11 (LP/radio version) 3:49 (12" version) |
||||
| Label | Excelsior Records | ||||
| Writer | Debbie Harry Giorgio Moroder |
||||
| The Chipmunks singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
| 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 |
