When one thinks of “Call Me”, one immediately thinks of the dance-rock new wave stylings of Blondie. It might just be the most well-known song of their entire career as a band. And on this day, 46 years ago in 1980, “Call Me” was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and the UK Singles chart. In the US, “Call Me” entered the coveted chart on April 16 and topped the chart by April 19, where it stayed for a whopping six weeks. It remained on the Hot 100 for a total of 25 weeks. In the UK, the song originally entered the chart just a few days prior on April 12, 1980. It remained at the top position for three weeks.
Believe it or not, “Call Me” was almost a very different song, recorded by a very different person. And I can certainly see why it almost went to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac instead.
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The Lore Behind “Call Me” by Blondie
“Call Me” was originally composed (and later produced) by the disco icon Giorgio Moroder. He was tasked with penning a song for the 1980 neo-noir film American Gigolo and came up with the melody and instrumentals for “Call Me”. But, originally, he didn’t envision Debbie Harry singing it, nor did he have any lyrics established. Initially, he wanted Stevie Nicks to sing the song. Personally, I imagine a more folk-rock vibe with Nicks’ vocals would have been quite different from Blondie’s version. But it would likely still be a smash hit.
However, Nicks basically had her hands tied. She recently signed a record deal with Modern Records, which would prevent her from recording music outside of the label. So, Moroder turned to Debbie Harry for help.
He presented the Blondie frontwoman with the instrumental track, then titled “Man Machine”. Harry took the tune, spent mere hours penning the lyrics, and returned with what we know and love as “Call Me” today. She recorded the lyrics with Moroder producing the track.
Today, “Call Me” is Certified Gold in the US and Certified Platinum in the UK. And it has far outlived its use as just a theme song for a movie.
Photo by Pete Still/Redferns