‘The Tide Is High’: The only Blondie song Chris Stein knew was “going to be a hit”
Of all the bands to transcend the sticky floors of New York’s CBGB club, few received the same level of mainstream success as Blondie. Developing from gutter punks in the 1970s to new wave pop stars in the 1980s, the Debbie Harry-fronted group always maintained an uncanny ability to adapt themselves to the changing landscape of popular music. They were a mainstay of pop charts in the early 1980s, but according to guitarist Chris Stein, there was only one track that guaranteed success.
The early days of Blondie were fairly tumultuous, with the female-fronted group taking a while to be fully accepted by the male domination of New York’s CBGB punk scene. The ‘anything goes’ attitude of early punk did not seem to extend to having a woman on stage. Although the confrontational Harry soon put an end to much of the sexist abuse the band received, it would take them a little longer to see any kind of commercial success.
After the release of Parallel Lines in 1978, everything changed for the group, providing their commercial breakthrough both in the US and internationally – earning the band a number one album in the UK. From that point on, Debbie Harry’s unmistakable tones were a common occurrence in chart rundowns. Just as important as Harry’s vocals, however, were the guitar stylings of Chris Stein, whose partnership with Harry is undoubtedly among the most significant musical partnerships of all time.
With a number one album and an impressive run of high-charting singles in the UK, it seemed as though Blondie could do no wrong. The band were among the most successful acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and yet they never seemed to see commercial success as an inevitability. In a 2022 interview with Vulture, Stein revealed that there was only one track from Blondie’s career that he could identify as a likely hit.
“All I can say is the only song I knew for sure was going to be a hit before we recorded it was ‘The Tide Is High’,” explains the guitarist, “The original was so fantastic. I knew what our position was at the time: If we had the ear of the public and if we did a successful version of this thing, it would be successful.”
‘The Tide Is High’ was originally a rocksteady track written by the legendary artist John Holt and first recorded by The Paragons. In 1980, Blondie reimagined the track in their own signature new wave style, with Stein’s predictions of commercial success proving to be true. Their version of the piece reached number one in both the UK and US. The song remains one of their greatest commercial triumphs, showcasing their unique ability to incorporate different musical styles into their sound.
John Holt’s track is no stranger to the charts. Not only did Blondie have a hit with it, but the famed girl group Atomic Kitten managed to reach the top of the UK singles charts with their cover in 2002.
