Heart of Glass
Blondie’s Heart of Glass is surely the best pop song of 1979. For me, it represents a sort of spiritual awakening. That was the song that made me sit up and take notice of pop music. I was ten years old.
It’s a popular cover band song. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the most impressive rendition to date, found on last year’s These Are the Vistas from The Bad Plus. The Bad Plus lays out some funky rhythms not found in the original, slowly degenerating into a Mingus-like fugue. The piano, bass, and drums run circles around the simple melody and four-four time. Then, as if the purple haze were suddenly blown away by a strong need to get down and rock, the original disco beat kicks in and the sweet chorus shines through. You almost start to sing along. It’s brilliant, and you can listen to a streaming version along with all the other tracks on The Bad Plus’ last two impressive recordings.