‘Maria’: How Blondie came back from the brink with a number one
The release of Blondie‘s seventh studio album, No Exit, was impeccably timed. It marked a historic comeback for the band, particularly highlighted by the lead single that graced the airwaves shortly after they had wrapped up their European tour. This single not only introduced fans to a new, fresher sound but also served as a critical moment as it attracted a whole new wave of audiences discovering the band for the first time.
Keyboardist Jimmy Destri composed or wrote several of Blondie’s hit songs, including ‘Atomic’, ‘Picture This’, ‘Nothing is Real but the Girl’, and ‘No Exit’. He also penned the lead single on No Exit, ‘Maria’, which, although very different from ‘Atomic’, became reminiscent of the bouncy flavour of the band’s earlier recordings like ‘Denis’ and ‘Sunday Girl’.
However, what truly contributed to its success was the excellent timing: ‘Maria’ received extensive airplay in the UK throughout the holiday season, seamlessly blending into the festive musical backdrop. As anticipation for its release continued to build, the track faced multiple delays before finally reaching the zenith when it secured the top position in February 1999.
What’s more, when ‘Maria’ ascended to the top of the charts, it signified a remarkable milestone for Blondie. The band had now achieved the rare distinction of securing number-one hits across three decades: the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. This accomplishment is not an everyday occurrence in the music industry and places Blondie among the elite few, which includes another legendary band, Queen. The Freddie Mercury-fronted rock group also managed to achieve this comparable feat with their timeless classics ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Under Pressure’, and ‘Innuendo’.
Despite ‘Maria’ emerging after a substantial break in Blondie’s career, it also artfully tied back to their earlier work by reprising the line “walking on imported air” from ‘Walk Like Me’, a track featured on their 1980 album Autoamerican. This exhibited a graceful nod to their musical roots and laid the foundation for the band’s revival, marked by a fresh, contemporary rock sound.
‘Maria’ has maintained a consistent presence in Blondie’s live performances, further emphasising its role as a pivotal revival in the band’s journey. When asked about the song’s inspiration, Destri explained: “[It’s about] desire. Teenage desire because I have a teenage daughter, and she’s pretty beautiful, and I watch all these boys gawk at her. I put myself in their shoes, thinking about what I used to do with girls back then.”
He added: “I wasn’t a very forward guy at all; I was like from afar, and I’d go home and write a poem about her – I was really a sad little bastard. It sounds cute, but you don’t get any attention that way. So ‘Maria’ is about desire, and the whole idea of using the Ave Maria thing is a way of saying she’s on a pedestal; she’s almost holy. It’s not a religious thing at all, I don’t believe in religion, really.”
