RockLists.com
Cover of Parallel Lines by Blondie
Cover: Parallel Lines

Song · Blondie

“Hanging on the Telephone” by Blondie

From the album Parallel Lines (1978)

“Hanging on the Telephone” by Blondie appears on 25 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1988 and 2024. It was first released in 1978 on the album Parallel Lines. Its best result is #80 on The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,176 alternative song of all time.

25countdowns
8stations
#80best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1988–2024years charted

Watch

Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone

Video from YouTube (BlondieVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Hanging on the Telephone" starts with a ring, courtesy of producer Mike Chapman, and never stops for breath. Blondie's version came out as a single on Chrysalis in 1978, off Parallel Lines, the third album that turned into their breakthrough, but the song belongs to Jack Lee, who had released it in 1976 with his short-lived West Coast power-pop outfit the Nerves. Blondie found it on a cassette compilation handed to them by Jeffrey Lee Pierce.

They grabbed it by the throat. Clem Burke's drums go off like a string of firecrackers, Chris Stein and Frank Infante slash away on guitars, Nigel Harrison and Jimmy Destri keep the engine revving, and Deborah Harry sings it with a cool-headed urgency that cuts clean through the racket. It went top five in Britain and has been hailed as one of the band's best songs ever since.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 190 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1998 370 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 1481 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1481 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1483 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 455 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2002 1481 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 838 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1462 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 1462 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 260 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 1460 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 344 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 219 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 1094 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1014 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1029 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1068 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1104 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1139 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1096 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2022 431 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2024 1028 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 249 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2024 80 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850

Also listed as: Hanging On The Telephone; Hanging on The Telephone.

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Hanging on the Telephone" by Blondie.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.