Song · Blondie
“X-Offender” by Blondie
From the album Blondie (1976)
“X-Offender” by Blondie appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2002 and 2022. It was first released in 1976 on the album Blondie. Its best result is #735 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,176 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (BlondieVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"X Offender" was Blondie's very first single, put out on Private Stock in June 1976 ahead of their self-titled debut, and it started life as something much seedier. Gary Valentine wrote it as "Sex Offender", about a teenage boy arrested over his younger girlfriend; Deborah Harry flipped the story into a streetwalker who falls for the cop who busted her, and the nervous label made them soften the title.
Richard Gottehrer, who had cut records with the '60s girl group the Angels, co-produced with Craig Leon, and you can hear that lineage all over it, with Jimmy Destri's Farfisa and Clem Burke's drums pushing Harry's sly vocal along. It didn't chart, but it caught the ear of Chrysalis, who took the band on after hearing it and the album, and it came back later on the flip of "Rip Her to Shreds".
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 | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1291 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 795 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2022 | 735 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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