Call Me (Blondie song)


"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and co-written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and released in the US in early 1980 as a single, "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboards No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.

Song and single information

"Call Me" was the main theme song of the 1980 film American Gigolo. It is played in the key of D minor. Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined as a recently signed contract with Modern Records prevented her from working with Moroder. It was at this time that Moroder turned to Debbie Harry and Blondie. Moroder presented Harry with a rough instrumental track called "Man Machine". Harry was asked to write the lyrics and melody, a process that Harry states took a mere few hours. The lyrics were written from the perspective of the main character in the film, a male prostitute. Harry said the lyrics were inspired by her visual impressions from watching the film and that "When I was writing it, I pictured the opening scene, driving on the coast of California." The completed song was then recorded by the band, with Moroder producing. The bridge of the original English-language version also includes Harry singing "Call me, my darling" in Italian and in French .
In the US, the song was released by three record companies: the longest version on the soundtrack album by Polydor, the 7" and 12" on Blondie's label Chrysalis, and a Spanish-language 12" version, with lyrics by Buddy and Mary McCluskey, on the disco label Salsoul Records. The Spanish version, titled "Llámame", was meant for release in Mexico and some South American countries. This version was also released in the US and the UK and had its CD debut on Chrysalis/EMI's rarities compilation Blonde and Beyond. In 1988, a remixed version by Ben Liebrand taken from the Blondie remix album Once More into the Bleach was issued as a single in the UK. In 2001, the "original long version" appeared as a bonus track on the Autoamerican album re-issue.
Harry recorded an abbreviated version of the song that was backed by the Muppet Band for her guest appearance on The Muppet Show in August 1980. It was first broadcast in January 1981.

Popularity and acclaim

The single was released in the United States in February 1980. It peaked at No. 1 and remained there for six consecutive weeks until it was knocked off by Lipps, Inc.'s worldwide smash hit "Funkytown" and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It also spent four weeks at No. 2 on the US dance chart. The single was also No. 1 on Billboard magazine's 1980 year-end chart. The song lists at No. 57 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. It was released in the UK two months later, where it became Blondie's fourth UK No. 1 single in little over a year. The song was also played on a British Telecom advert in the 1980s. 25 years after its original release, "Call Me" was ranked at No. 283 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1981, the Village Voice ranked "Call Me" as the third-best song of the year 1980 on its annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop.
In 1981, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, as well as for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Music video

There were two videos made:

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End-of-decade charts

All-time charts

1988 Remix chart positions

Sales and certifications

Release history

1980 release

;US, UK 7"
  1. "Call Me " — 3:32
  2. "Call Me" — 3:27
;UK 12"
  1. "Call Me" — 3:32
  2. "Call Me" — 3:32
  3. "Call Me" — 3:27
;US 12"
  1. "Call Me" — 8:04
  2. "Night Drive" - by Giorgio Moroder — 3:52
;US 12"
  1. "Call Me" — 6:23
  2. "Call Me" — 6:10

    1989 release

;UK 7"
  1. "Call Me" — 7:09
  2. "Call Me" — 3:31
;UK 12"
  1. "Call Me" — 7:09
  2. "Backfired" — 6:03
  3. "Call Me" — 3:31
;UK CD
  1. "Call Me" — 7:09
  2. "Backfired" — 6:03
  3. * Performed by Debbie Harry
  4. "Call Me" — 3:31
  5. "Hanging on the Telephone" — 2:23

    Cover versions