Song · Blondie
“The Hardest Part” by Blondie
From the album Eat to the Beat (1979)
“The Hardest Part” by Blondie appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1988 and 2003. It was first released in 1979 on the album Eat to the Beat. Its best result is #129 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,226 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (BlondieVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"The Hardest Part" is Blondie pulling off a heist on record: a Deborah Harry and Chris Stein song from 1979's Eat to the Beat about knocking over an armored car, with the title pointed squarely at the guy behind the wheel of the truck. In North America it went out as the album's second single, while Europe got "Union City Blue" in its place.
Stein later bragged that it was the first white funk song ever cut, heavy metal funk, and the band backs him up with muscle: Harry out front, Stein and Frank Infante on guitars, Jimmy Destri on keyboards, Nigel Harrison on bass and Clem Burke on drums, with Mike Chapman producing. Billboard reckoned it the strongest thing on the album, a rock-disco hybrid with a hook to match.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 129 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 1989 | 265 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) | 500 |
| 1998 | 388 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 2003 | 1157 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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