I guess I was starting to lose interest a bit by the time Blondie released this although I did buy it from the ex-jukebox bargain bins the year it came out. The fact that I was familiar with the original may not have helped or maybe it did?! It struck me as too too contrived and self consciously knowing somehow and I always preferred their original compositions anyway. But hey it still had Debbie on it hey?! It's only pop music!

On this day in music history: January 31, 1981 - “The Tide Is High” by Blondie hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by John Holt, it is the third chart topping single for the New York based rock band fronted by lead vocalist Debbie Harry. The song is a cover of the Jamaican rock steady classic originally recorded by The Paragons in 1967. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein discover the song on a compilation tape of Caribbean music that a mutual friend gives them, while they are in London. “Tide” is released as the first single from Blondie’s fifth studio album “Autoamerican” in November of 1980. Early US pressings of “Tide” erroneously credits the songwriter as being “Duke Reid”(The Paragons producer) rather than John Holt. It is corrected on subsequent pressings of the 45. The single also includes the non-LP B-side “Suzy And Jeffrey” which also becomes a fan favorite. Entering the Hot 100 at #81 on November 15, 1980, it climbs to the top of the chart eleven weeks later. “The Tide Is High” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.