Violence and danger: Debbie Harry’s favourite New York anthems
If there was one person who could sum up New York music, one figure to be defining of a distinct scene and sound, it would be Debbie Harry. As the lead singer of Blondie, the queen of CBGBs and even a waitress at Max’s Kansas City, before she made it up to the stage, Harry is a living history of the city. That’s reflected in her music taste, too.
Blondie sat at the centre of possibly New York’s most exciting moment. As the Warhol crowd of the 1960s began to disappear and the optimism of the hippie era gave way to something darker, a new beast popped up in its place. When CBGBs opened its doors in 1973, a new crowd of kids found a home and the punk scene was born.
It’s incredible the amount of talent that came up on that stage, or perhaps even more incredible that it was allowed to fall into disrepair and eventually close considering that fact. But for a golden period in the mid to late ‘70s, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith and plenty more honed their now iconic sound right there on 315 Bowery, Manhattan.
It would be easy for Harry to stick close to her friends when it comes to considering her favourite songs. She could very easily consider her own scene as the definitive sound of the city and rattle off a bunch of tracks she heard live in those early days as her ultimate New York anthems. No doubt some of them definitely are, as acts like The New York Dolls or the Ramones no doubt are a vital piece of the puzzle.
But instead, she casts a wider net, looking beyond her circle into the wider boroughs. She’s also inclusive of genres as she seems to recognise the vital impact of rap and hip hop as one of the city’s biggest exports. She picks out Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’ as one of her all-time favourite songs and an anthem for the city.
Similarly, Funky 4 + 1 make the cut with their track ‘That’s The Joint‘. Coming out of The Bronx, the group made history as the first hip-hop group to appear on national television in an SNL episode hosted by Harry in 1981. That had a long-term and fierce fan in the Blondie singer who even asked them to open for their tour. However, the group’s label, Sugarhill Records, wouldn’t let them.
Her next choice is a more classic one. Representative of her early years in the city when she worked as a waitress, serving the Warhol crowd at their bustling table in the backroom of Max’s Kansas City, she picked a Velvet Underground song. Lou Reed and his group were essentially the house band at the venue, playing there several times, including their final show in the summer of 1970 when Reed quit. While she waited tables, she saw plenty of these shows.
She picked out ‘White Light/White Heat’ as her favourite track from the band. She mentioned the track when she honoured Reed after his passing, stating, “I’m so sad that he’s gone but his hypnotic voice telling a story of a ‘Perfect Day’, or the devil let loose in ‘White Light/White Heat’ will live forever.”
She looks back on that era fondly. “It was such a creative period, I do miss that,” she said. “It’s like the Wild West or the gold rush, those high exciting periods of discovery.” Recognising its magic but refusing to rose-tint it, she added, “I don’t know if I miss all of the violence and danger.”
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about Harry is her tireless engagement with music. Even though she existed in a scene that thousands and thousands still obsess over and long to recreate, the musician refuses to be stuck there. As she picks out anthems from outside her circle, shows a clear love for all genres, and remains excited about what’s coming next, she’s a perfect blueprint for what all icons should aim for. “Who knows what will happen next that will fire people up,” she said, still looking across the city that she loves for the next big thing.
Debbie Harry’s New York Anthems:
- Public Enemy – ‘Fight The Power’
- Funky 4 + 1 – ‘That’s The Joint’
- The Velvet Underground – ‘White Light/White Heat’
