Denis - Blondie

'Denis' seemed to be Blondie's debut single when it charted in the Netherlands in 1978, but in reality the band had already been going for some time. In the UK, it was Blondie's second single release, and in America three singles went before this one, including the second single which was 'In the flesh', featured here on the B-side.

The song is a gender-swapping cover of the 1963 hit 'Denise' by Randy & the Rainbows. Blondie's recording of the song contains a verse with partly improvised lyrics in French by vocalist Debbie Harry. Although Chrysalis insisted that the band re-record the song with a grammatically correct French translation, both the band and producer Richard Gottehrer preferred the first take. Eventually this version was released. (The second, re-recorded version had its debut as a bonus track on EMI UK's 1994 re-issue of the album 'Plastic letters'.) The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3048
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, January 23, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Denis' / 'In the flesh'