Product Description
This arrangement of the BLONDIE classic enables the guitarist(s) to play the song in its entirety without need of the organ which features (somewhat elusively) on the original studio recording, and which (very subtly) fleshes out the harmonies which accompany the iconic guitar riffs. Live performances demonstrate that, not only is it possible for guitarist, Chris Klein, to fill out the harmonies on a single guitar, but, in fact, to add to that, incorporating both riffs and chords, as well as tasty variations and extras.
Exactly how the song is performed will depend on the lineup of each individual performer/band; the arrangement affords sufficient flexibility, so, for example, if your lineup includes keyboards, the guitar lines can be minimal; the same if the load is shared between two guitars (lead and rhythm). But this version can be performed by the tightest, most minimal, 3-piece combo (e.g., vocals/guitar, bass and drums - naturally, any of these 3 individual instrumentalists could also handle the vocals, if that is the setup). For a single guitar without keyboards, simply play the riffs/lines as written, filling them out, by adding either 2 or 3 notes from the chords, or, even playing the full chord shapes; the first of these methods is probably the most effective, as long as the bass player generally plays the bass-lines or roots of the chords, but the second works well too.
Even on the studio recording - which is relatively structured and 'controlled' by comparison to the brilliant but wildly virtuosic live recordings that I've heard - there are lots of tasty little touches and subtle, nuanced variations in the guitar part, but I have generally left these to the discretion of each individual player. It's not my aim to faithfully reproduce BLONDIE, but rather, to provide a 'template' which affords sufficient flexibility for the individual guitarist to play the song in his/her own characteristic style, and add, improvise and interpret as they choose.
As for the song, well it 'literally' exploded on the 7-inch scene; one of the great thrills of the 'punk' and 'new wave' decade from the mid-70's to mid-80's, was the revival of the single - a more affordable alternative to albums, which also allowed these bands (which were generally not 'commercial' in the strictest sense) to showcase the best from their albums, to generate more sales, and to give opportunities to contemporary artists and graphic artists to create some iconic and highly collectible sleeves, inserts and covers. BLONDIE were undoubtedly one of the best of all rock/punk rock/new wave bands at creating perfect 'pop' songs that rocked, never sacrificing their razor-sharp punk edge!
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.