Classic Pop

November/December 2021

Issue 72

Page 98

Classic Pop Moments

BLONDIE ANNOUNCE THEIR SPLIT

1 November 1982

At the turn of the decade, the idea of Blondie going separate ways seemed almost comically far-fetched, but following up the critical and commercial success of 1980’s Autoamerican proved difficult for the band – 1982’s The Hunter would end up languishing at No. 33 on the US Albums Chart, although it made the Top 10 in the UK. Speaking years later, it seemed that the end was obvious even during the recording of their sixth LP, with producer Mike Chapman saying: “I knew that we were in a different and far less accessible artistic space. That worried me. I could tell that things were different now, and I knew this would be the last Blondie album.”

The group had already taken a break in 1981, with Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri both releasing solo albums, but, on their return, a toxic mixture of drugs, financial mismanagement, Chris Stein’s health problems and the poor performance of The Hunter and its associated singles caused the band to finally implode. Blondie eventually reformed in 1997, and two years later enjoyed their first UK No. 1 in nearly two decades with the Destri-penned Maria. This time they were back for good.
Steve O’Brien