This song was written sometime in 1973/4 and
originally entitled "Once I Had Love" and was first recorded in 1975 by the
newly formed new wave band Blondie.It was a regular on their concert tours and at the time was a much
slower version than the popular one known today.In 1978 they re-recorded it and gave it more of a rock
sound and then when it was decided to include it on their Parallel Lines
album the producer, Mike Chapman, put on a disco slant and included the
sound of the newly created drum machine under its new name of "Heart of
Glass" which is the version that we now know.It was released as a single in January 1979 and quickly
rose up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, making the No. 1 spot in
the US and UK.The two
different countries gave it alternative B-Sides with the UK adding "Rifle
Range" and the US "11:59" and the video was filmed at New York's Studio
54.This new disco sound from Blondie
caused much controversy for the group with their die-hard new wave fans and
many new wave and punk bands of the time, accusing them of "selling out"
and "pandering to the mainstream".Despite supposedly being part of the more popular music scene, the
song was banned on Australian radio and was looked down on by the BBC in
the UK for its use of "strong language", but as is the norm when there are
bans put on records, this made it even more popular to the buying public
and brought the group to the fore, where they often referred to is as "The
Disco Song" in fun.Since its
1979 success the song has been sampled, remixed and re-released on several
occasions, including on a seven-track EP, and once again hit the UK charts
in 1995 where it reached No. 15. In 2000 VH1 ranked it No. 79 in their 100
Greatest Dance Songs in Rock and Roll.Many other artists from all areas of the music
industry have released cover versions including The Associates, Erasure,
The Shadows, Chet Atkins, Paris Hilton, and Nelly Furtado and Missy Elliott
used the drum intro on her hit single "Work It".In the film industry it has been used in at least nine
movies that include Donnie Brasco, Endless Love, One Night Stand and
The Business.
