I have a love/ignore relationship with Blondie. There are five or six of their songs that are always welcome to my ears—most of them from Parallel Lines. There are several others I never need to hear again. I will risk the wrath of Blondie fans by admitting that “Heart of Glass” belongs in the second category.
That uneven relationship is probably why I have never seen the band in concert. I need a better meat-to-potatoes ratio.
“Angels on the Balcony” is firmly on the meat side.
It appeared on Blondie’s 1980 album Autoamerican, although I did not learn its actual title until I bought the CD at least a decade later. I had always assumed it was called “Afterglow,” the word that stayed with me from the chorus.
In my defense, it was the early 1980s. I lived in Northern California and partied too much to catch all the details. Or remember the details. Or care about the details.
Written by Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri with Laura Davis, “Angels on the Balcony” is a polished, atmospheric piece of power pop. The guitars and keyboards give it a glowing, nocturnal quality, while Clem Burke’s drumming keeps it from drifting away completely.
Most of all, the vocals are outstanding. Debbie Harry delivers one of her best performances, and the band’s layered harmonies make the chorus feel larger every time it returns.
Autoamerican produced two enormous No. 1 singles, “The Tide Is High” and “Rapture.” Hidden between them was this song, never released as a single and easily missed by anyone who did not own the album.
Whatever its title, I have always loved it.