Call Me by Blondie

Album: American Gigolo Soundtrack (1980)

Charted: 1 1

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Songfacts®:

This song is about a prostitute. It was written for the film American Gigolo, where it plays in a scene where the lead character is "working."
European disco producer Giorgio Moroder wrote this with Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry, who thus became the first woman in British chart history to write three #1 hits. However she wasn't Moroder's first choice. The Italian disco king had originally wanted Stevie Nicks to provide vocals on the track but the Fleetwood Mac vocalist declined the offer.
"Call Me" was the most successful of all Blondie singles in their native USA, where it was the best-selling single of 1980.
Giorgio Moroder told Billboard magazine that his difficult experience of recording this song with Blondie taught him not to work with rock bands. "There were always fights," he recalled. "I was supposed to do an album with them after that. We went to the studio, and the guitarist was fighting with the keyboard player. I called their manager and quit."
In 2009, Franz Ferdinand covered this song for the War Child Presents Heroes charity album.
In addition to American Gigolo, "Call Me" has been used in these films:

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
For the Love of Money (2012)
Zoolander (2001)
Bride of Chucky (1998)
Partners (1982)

And these TV shows:

Mindhunter ("Episode #2.2" - 2019)
RuPaul's Drag Race ("New Wave Queens" - 2016)
Family Ties ("Double Date" - 1984)
In 2002, The Box Tops recorded this for the compilation album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear. Cevin Soling, who was executive producer on the album, explains: "I got the Box Tops back together again, and that was a blast. That was so much fun working with the Box Tops. Especially with Alex Chilton there singing. I didn't produce that. I was in the studio, but the producer on that one was a buy named Benji King, who was the keyboard player for the band Scandal. That studio experience was pretty funny, because he's so full of energy. He's always excited and always really into things. The Box Tops are each one degree more laid back to the next. Coming from the South, they're all kind of very chill. Until you get to Alex Chilton, who's practically catatonic. And so you have that contrast."
Ten different songs called "Call Me" have made the Hot 100, but only this one landed in the Top 10. The others:

1970 - Aretha Franklin - #13
1958 - Johnny Mathis - #21
1966 - Chris Montez - #22
1982 - Skyy - #26
2002 - Tweet - #31
1997 - Le Click - #35
1985 - Go West - #54
1986 - Dennis DeYoung - #54
1997 - Too Short & Lil' Kim - #90
Debbie Harry sang this on her 1981 appearance on The Muppet Show.
This song was covered by the heavy metal band In This Moment on their 2008 album, The Dream. >>
Suggestion credit:
Charlie - Las Vegas, NV

Comments: 20

J.r. from Washington StateI always thought that the song was about a phone sex operator wanting to meet her customer.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 10 1980, Blondie's "Call Me" peaked at #1 {for 6 weeks*} on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart and it spent almost a half-year on the Top 100 {25 weeks}...
The song also reached #1 in Canada and the United Kingdom...
Between 1979 and 1982 the group had nine Top 100 records, with four making the Top 10 and all four peaked at #1; the three others were "Heart of Glass" {1 week in 1979}, "The Tide Is High" {1 week in 1981}, and "Rapture" {for 2 weeks in 1981}...
* For four of it's six weeks at #1 the #2 record for those four weeks was "Ride Like the Wind" by Christopher Cross, and that was it's peak position on the chart.
Esskayess from Dallas, TxI just heard the 'uncut' version, which runs over 8 minutes and includes at least one unknown verse. Not bad, but 8 minutes of that particular tune is a bit much.
Allona from Ottawa, OnIs it me, or does this sound a bit like boogie wonderland?
Kimberly from Landing, NjAs the lyrics play its calling the ground play as her world turned the scene changed, and changed again. thats the lessons learned. the best of knowing the glass heart.
Michael from Alicante, SpainLets get one thing straight GEORGIO MORODER wrote the music STEVIE NICKS was asked to write the lyric to the song but declined. BLONDIE were the biggest band in the world at that time and had a gap from recording albums so MORODER asked DEBBIE HARRY to write lyrics to the music he gave DEBBIE the music she went away and come back with a song with great lyric's a couple of days later. DEBBIE penned the lyric's no one else. the song become the biggest selling single of 1980 and was nominated for a golden globe award. DEBBIE HARRY has a great voice live. DEBBIE is the oldest woman in the UK to have a number one song.which she has kept hold of for nearly 12 years, Blondie are in the rock and roll hall of fame. DEBBIE is a living legend and style icon. you don't get all that by not being able to sing!!!!!1
Sophia from El Centro, CaI love this song. The first version I heard was the instrumental version that used to pass in some obscure channel back when I was living in Mexico. I heard the original version much later, but when I heard the lyrics I saw that somewhere in the song she says "llamame" which means "call me" in Spanish but when I went to the lyrics part on this web page it says "chiamami" or something like that... for shame. :-(
Barry from Sauquoit, NyAretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Chris Montez, and Skyy all charted with "Call Me"; the kicker is, they all did it with a complete different version of a song entitled "Call Me"!!! {And all their versions made the Top 30}
Don from Brooklyn, Nythis voal melody was clearly stolen by blondie or someone from fleetwood mac

forget the guitar and entirety of the song, listen to debbie reynolds' main vocal melody hook from :12 to :25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3Q_CZy968

then the first :12 of this vocal melody.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtPyk8_onO8&feature=player_embedded#!

it's too coincidental they are the same melody and the producers wanted stevie nicks, and it happened five years later.

and i also found this...

in fact the timing works out to about 12-13 seconds each, you could overlap them.
Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnDebbie Harry is horrible live but this is a classic pop song.
Cindy from La Puente, CaI love the song,love her but not live
Catherine from Glasgow, EnglandDiana Vickers sang this on X-factor, disco week, i thought it was amazing :)
Paige from Wooster, Ohwe do a cheer rotuine to this!!!
Michelle from Minesota, Mnthis song was supposed to be sung by stevie knicks and i guessed she didnt want to do that but then i guessed that blondie had to do it and then then at they had to change a lyric before they started to sing it.

Michelle
Asef from Silkeborg, DenmarkI remember watching The Muppet Show with Deborah Harry as special guest star performing "Call me" With The Muppets. The coolest version I´ve ever heard.
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScCouldn't imagine Stevie Nix singing this one.
Jane from Geraldton, Wathis song was played in bride of chucky! i realy like this song.
Shana from Detroit Rock City, CanadaUsed in Zoolander, near the beginning, but I think it may be a cover...
Sean from Toronto, CanadaThis song was also played in the film "Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigalow" starring Rob Schneider.
Paul from Peterborough, EnglandFeatured in the opening titles to the film American Gigolo, where Richard Gere is driving his car down the pacific coast highway in California. Great scene.

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