Billboard #1 Hits: #496: ‘ The Tide Is High’- Blondie. January 31, 1981. #1 for 1 week in Billboard Hot 100.
- Single: ‘The Tide Is High’- Blondie
- Record Company- Chrysalis
- Genre: Reggae
- Written by John Holt
- Time: 3:54
- B-side:’Suzy and Jeffrey’
- Album- Autoamerican
- Grade: A
- Peaked at #1 1 week in Billboard Hot 100. #1 in Canada and New Zealand
I don’t know if I didn’t know- or it I had forgotten- that “The Tide Is High’ was a remake. The original was written by John Holt and performed in 1967 by the Jamaican reggae group The Paragons. Blondie’s version done also as reggae -added strings and horns. It was Blondie’s 3rd #1 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100- following ‘Heart Of Glass’ and “Call Me.’
I bought this 45. I still have it. I’m sick of the song, now.
It’s funny, I didn’t realize either Blondie’s version actually was a cover. Now that I’m listening to the original, it kind of sounds funny to me. Undoubtedly, that’s because I’m so much used to Blondie’s take.