Glass wouldn’t break: What made Debbie Harry the ultimate punk rock icon?
Being the jaw-dropping bombshell that she was in her heyday, it was no wonder that people thought Debbie Harry was the sole force behind Blondie.
But from the very second the band signed the dotted line of their first-ever major recording contract on September 1st, 1977, Harry was launched as the indisputable star, with all the looks, glamour, and grandeur to go with it. Almost in an instant, she became the ultimate female icon, waving the flag of punk rock.
It’s all well and good to say this – in fact, it’s almost like a natural statement to make whenever we speak about anything in this era – but what was it exactly that made Harry the instant anchor point on which not only Blondie, but the entire musical moment gravitated upon? She was just one person in just one band, so it’s worth considering the factors that truly lit the spark.
Let’s get the most obvious point out in the open: the look. It may seem superficial to some, but there’s no denying that Harry’s facial features were the major overarching selling point towards the allure and appeal towards the band, regardless of your romantic persuasions. The bleach blonde hair, the high cheekbones, the piercing eyes; all of it was the makeup of a face that commanded attention and turned heads whenever it walked into the room, whether it was from that first moment the doors swung open at CBGB or when she began tearing up the world stage.
The quintessential partner to this is, of course, the fashion. There was a slickness and suaveness emanating from every outfit Harry adorned on her body, but this was also offset by a certain daring glamour and, naturally, punk spirit that immediately set her apart from the rest of the crowd. Whether it was skin-tight jumpsuits, stiletto heels, or graphic slogans emblazoned, part of rock stardom has always been carried in an element of what you wear.
In Harry’s case, the lookbook became an integral part of the brand, as well as the band.
Despite the decades and the eras that have subsequently passed, this is something which has never waned from Harry’s spirits, even now in all her 80 years. To this day, there’s still pops of colour, youth, and vibrancy that scream from her costumes whenever she hits the stage. It’s almost like when that icon label gets slapped upon you, its mark truly never leaves.
But it goes without saying that Harry was far more than just an image or a mirage. Despite her humble beginnings in life, she intrinsically knew what it took to cultivate the creation of a star as soon as she was thrust into that landscape. She was only one of a few women who were at the front and centre of a rock band, let alone a massively successful one, so a major component of her legion of fans would have inevitably been the fellow females caught up in awe about the notion of what a girl in the public eye can really do.
Especially for the time, there were also very few band dynamics that mirrored Blondie’s with the woman at the helm and seemingly handing out the orders to a group of men. Of course, no one is naive enough to believe that this played out all the time behind the scenes, but it was certainly a perception the band were keen to capitalise on. Take the album cover of Parallel Lines as just one in a myriad of examples – Harry is dressed in white, as the direct juxtaposition of her male minions in black. In a subversion of convention, she was the matriarch, and they all bowed down to their leader.
For as long as Blondie keep going – and they show no sign of stopping, with a new album on the horizon in the near future – Harry will always remain the star. In the broadest possible strokes, and without wanting to cause offence to any other member of the band, she is simply an unrivalled icon in the punk sphere. Other people can only dream of the enthral she continues to attract, seemingly lifetimes away from when that blonde bombshell first hit the scene.
Becoming it is one thing, carrying it off is entirely another. This is precisely what makes Harry the ultimate punk icon.
