Hanging on the Telephone


"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee. It was first performed by his short-lived US West Coast power pop band The Nerves; later in 1978, it was recorded and released as a single by the American rock band Blondie after they realised the song's potential via a cassette tape compilation which Jeffrey Lee Pierce had given the band.

Background

The song was the lead-off track on the Nerves's 1976 EP, the group's only release. It was later popularized by new wave band Blondie when they released a cover of the song as the second single from their 1978 album Parallel Lines in both the US and UK. It eventually reached number 5 in the UK in November 1978.
Like one of Blondie's subsequent singles, "Sunday Girl", "Hanging on the Telephone" employs a double backbeat rhythm in its drumming pattern, meaning the "off" beats alternate between a quarter note and two eighth notes. This percussion style also appeared on other power pop singles from the period, like the Romantics' 1978 release "Tell It to Carrie".

Track listing

;UK 7"
  1. "Hanging on the Telephone" – 2:17
  2. "Will Anything Happen" – 2:55
;US 7"
  1. "Hanging on the Telephone" – 2:17
  2. "Fade Away and Radiate" – 3:57

    Charts

Cover versions and appearances in other media

In 2000, Finnish metal band Sinergy recorded a cover for their To Hell and Back album. In 2009, Jimmy Somerville covered the song on his acoustic album Suddenly Last Summer. In 2012, Flowers Forever covered the song for the movie Electrick Children. In 2017, Melissa Rauch covered the song as Harley Quinn in the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn.