“Heart of Glass” existed in Blondie’s live repertoire as far back as 1975 under the title “Once I Had a Love”. The song that eventually became their major crossover and biggest hit (or “sell-out” as the New York punk scene angrily dubbed it) originally had a plodding reggae beat. It continued to evolve through 1978, first into a sped up rock rant, and finally, with an overhaul by producer Mike Chapman for album Parallel Lines, a disco classic. The single was released in January 1979 and climbed to #1 in both the U.S. and UK. Its accompanying music video was shot at center of the disco universe, Studio 54, only accentuating a direction their peers reviled. Despite the brief pariah status within the punk scene, Debbie Harry to this day shrugs off the fleeting criticism, pointing out that Blondie always pursued off-kilter takes on a variety of pop styles. The band has jokingly referred to the song as “The Disco Song” in interviews.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/oUG0GjdoGHE" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Live BBC Concert from 1979
Performing “Heart of Glass” on the Today Show in 2007 with Lily Allen
Official Blondie Website
Official Debbie Harry Website
Extensive Fan Archive