Synopsis

Blondie perform "Hanging On The Telephone" in a stylized studio setting, with Debbie Harry commanding the foreground while the rest of the band plays behind her. The performance is framed by stark black-and-white lines that run across the floor and climb the backdrop, giving the clip a graphic, almost comic-book look. Rather than dramatizing the song's unanswered call, the video focuses on the band's tight, energetic delivery and Harry's restless, confrontational presence.

Factoids & Trivia

• The clip was recorded for the Dutch television program TopPop on August 28, 1978, shortly before the release of *Parallel Lines*.

• Blondie recorded seven songs during the same TopPop television special, including "Heart of Glass" and "Sunday Girl."

• "Hanging On The Telephone" is a cover of a song first released by the Nerves, the short-lived Los Angeles power-pop group led by songwriter Jack Lee.

• Blondie discovered the song through a cassette given to the band by Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club.

• Producer Mike Chapman added the telephone ringing effect at the beginning of Blondie's recording. The sound was taken from a British telephone line rather than an American one.

• The single became one of Blondie's major early UK successes, reaching No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.