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"Heart of Glass"
Single by Blondie from the album Parallel Lines
B-side	"Rifle Range" (UK 7") "11:59" (US 7") "Heart of Glass (instrumental)" (UK & US 12")
Format	Vinyl 7", 12"
Genre	Disco
Length	3:22 (US single version) 3:54 (original LP version, UK single version) 4:33 ('The Best of Blondie' version, 1981) 5:14 (12" instrumental) 5:50 (12" version, reissue LP version)
Label	UK Chrysalis  US Chrysalis
Writer	Deborah Harry Chris Stein
Producer	Mike Chapman
Blondie singles chronology
"Hanging on the Telephone" (1979) Heart of Glass (1979) "Sunday Girl" (1979)
Music sample
"Heart Of Glass" Problems? See media help.
Alternate cover
US Single cover.

"Heart of Glass" is the 10th track from the 1978 Blondie album Parallel Lines. It was released as a single, and was very popular, topping the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.

Contents 1 History 2 Controversy 3 Release history 4 Remixes and samplings 5 Covers 6 Honors

"Heart of Glass" was originally recorded in 1975 under the name "Once I Had a Love," and was much slower with a blues/reggae vibe to it. The song was frequently performed on tours, then was re-recorded with the same title in 1978, when the song was made a bit more rock-oriented. When Blondie recorded the album Parallel Lines, disco was big on the music scene, and producer Mike Chapman decided to give the song the disco twist that made the song what it is today, and one of the best-known Blondie recordings. For the single release the track was remixed by Chapman with the double-tracked bass drum even more accentuated.
The song was released in January 1979, and reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The UK B-side was "Rifle Range", from Blondie's self titled debut album while the US single used the Parallel Lines track "11:59". The accompanying music video was filmed at Studio 54 in New York City.
The versions appearing on the 7" single issued in early 1979 varied from country to country, some used the regular album version (UK, 3:54), others an edited album version (US, 3:22) and others an edited version of the 12" Disco Mix (4:10), which is the one usually found on current hits compilations like the 1994 anthology The Platinum Collection, Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound (2005) and Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (2006). For the band's very first hits compilation, 1981's The Best of Blondie, producer Mike Chapman created a special mix including elements from both the 12" Disco Version and the 12" Instrumental (4:33). The 1981 version appears on 2002's Greatest Hits.

Almost immediately after its release, "Heart of Glass" became the subject of controversy because of its disco sound. At the time, Blondie was one of the bands at the forefront of New York's growing New Wave musical scene. Suddenly they found themselves accused of "selling out" for releasing a disco song. According to Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry, "Heart of Glass" made the band pariahs in the eyes of many of their fellow musicians in the New York music scene. The band was accused of pandering to the mainstream that many punk/new wave bands at the time were actively rebelling against.

There was also the issue of the use of the expression "pain in the ass" within the lyrics which, at the time, did not sit easily with the hierarchy at the British BBC. The radio version changed it to "heart of glass." In Australia, the song was banned from radio for its "strong language."

Despite the controversy, the song was a huge hit and helped propel Blondie from cult group to mainstream icons. The band itself has acknowledged the success of the song in helping their careers and has downplayed criticism of the song, pointing out that Blondie always experimented with different styles of music and that "Heart of Glass" was their take on disco. The band itself has jokingly taken to referring to the song as "The Disco Song" in interviews.

UK 7" Chrysalis Records CHS 2276, January 1979

Side A:

• "Heart of Glass" (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 3:54
  

Side B:

• "Rifle Range" (Chris Stein, R. Toast) – 3:41
  

UK 12" Chrysalis Records CHS 12 2276, January 1979

Side A:

• "Heart of Glass" (12" Disco Version) (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 5:50
  

Side B:

• "Heart of Glass" (12" Instrumental) (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 5:14
  
• "Rifle Range" (Chris Stein, R. Toast) – 3:41
  

US 7" Chrysalis Records CHS 2295, February 1979

Side A:

• "Heart of Glass" (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 3:22
  

Side B:

• "11:59" (Jimmy Destri) – 3:19
  

US 12" Chrysalis Records CDS 2295, February 1979

Side A:

• "Heart of Glass" (12" Disco Version) (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 5:50
  

Side B:

• "Heart of Glass" (12" Instrumental) (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 5:14
  

The first official remix of "Heart of Glass", by Shep Pettibone, appeared on the Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation Once More into the Bleach in 1988 and was also issued as a single in certain territories.
The song was remixed by Diddy and re-released again in July 1995, reaching number 15 in the UK Singles Chart and was included on the 1995 remix compilation Beautiful - The Remix Album (US version: Remixed Remade Remodeled - The Remix Project, which includes two different remixes of the track: "Diddy's Adorable Illusion Mix" and "MK 12" Mix").
In 2007, Positiva Records released a seven-track EP consisting of the original radio and album versions of the song, plus five new remixes by DJ Edison.
Missy Elliott's 2003 hit "Work It" sampled the famous Roland CR-78 drum machine intro from the track.

The following is a list of notable artists who have released cover versions of the song. Included in parentheses are the album it was included on and its year of release.

• The Shadows (String of Hits, 1979)
• Chet Atkins (Country After All These Years, 1981)
• The Associates (single, 1988)
• Double You (single, 1994)
• Erasure (live recording, "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" B-side, 1997)
• William Schimmel (Twight Time, 2000)
• The Bad Plus (These Are the Vistas 2003)
• Skye Sweetnam (Noise from the Basement, 2004)
• Product.01 (as "Heart Ov Glass," Zero-One EP, 2004)
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah, 2004)
• Freedom for King Kong (Issue de ce corps, 2006)
• The Puppini Sisters (Betcha Bottom Dollar, 2006)
• Nouvelle Vague (Bande à Part, 2006)
• Nelly Furtado (Get Loose Tour, 2007)
• British pop singer Lily Allen performed "Heart of Glass" at Glastonbury 2007, and it is frequently part of her setlist whilst touring.
• American internet singer Poodey covered "Heart of Glass" on her first album.
• Sugarcult did a cover as well

• The song ranked #79 on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in Rock and Roll in 2000.

Preceded by "Le Freak" by Chic	Australian Kent Music Report number one single April 2, 1979 - April 30, 1979	Succeeded by "Lay Your Love on Me" by Racey
Preceded by "Knock on Wood" by Amii Stewart	Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 28, 1979	Succeeded by "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb
Preceded by "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" by Ian Dury & The Blockheads	UK number one single January 28, 1979	Succeeded by "Tragedy" by Bee Gees

v • d • e Blondie
Debbie Harry • Clem Burke • Jimmy Destri • Chris Stein
Leigh Foxx • Paul Carbonara • Kevin Patrick • Gary Valentine • Frank Infante • Nigel Harrison
Discography
Singles: "X-Offender" (1976) · "In the Flesh" (1977) · "Rip Her to Shreds" (1977) "Denis" (1978)  · "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" (1978)  · "Picture This" (1978)  · "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (1978) "Hanging on the Telephone" (1978)  · "Heart of Glass" (1979) · "Sunday Girl" (1979)  · "One Way or Another" (1979)  · "Dreaming" (1979) "Union City Blue" (1979)  · "The Hardest Part" (1980)  · "Atomic" (1980)  · "Call Me" (1980)  · "The Tide Is High" (1980)  · "Rapture" (1981) "Island of Lost Souls" (1982)  · "War Child" (1982)  · "Maria" (1999)  · "Nothing Is Real but the Girl" (1999)  · "No Exit" (1999)  · "Good Boys" (2003) Studio albums: Blondie (1976) · Plastic Letters (1977) · Parallel Lines (1978)  · Eat to the Beat (1979)  · Autoamerican (1980)  · The Hunter (1982) No Exit (1998) · The Curse of Blondie (2003) Remixes: Once More into the Bleach (1988) · Beautiful - The Remix Album (1995) Remixed Remade Remodeled - The Remix Project (1995) Live albums: Picture This Live (Capitol Anniversary Series) (1998) · Livid (Live) (2000)  · Live By Request (2004) Main compilations: The Best of Blondie (1981) · The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie (1991) Blonde and Beyond (1993)  · The Platinum Collection (1994)  · Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie (1998) Greatest Hits (2002)  · Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound (2005)  · Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (2006)