Play it Again, Sam #22b - "Hanging on the Telephone"

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"If you don't answer I'll just ring it off the wall," as it turns out, was a perfect lyric (just how perfect, I'll touch upon in a second) for the band in question for the "cover" portion of today's Play it Again, Sam. We are at #22b - Blondie's cover of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone." Seriously, and take all the time you need, can you name one female rock goddess cooler than Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry? (OK, Chrissie Hynde aside, the answer is "no.") The Nerves' power pop classic, "Hanging on the Telephone," was a perfect tune for Debbie Harry's ultra-cool, attitude-filled image, a no-brainer cover for highly influential Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Blondie. Recorded for Blondie's smash 1978 album, Parallel Lines, "Hanging on the Telephone" was the second single released from that album. While it failed to chart here in the US, the song fared quite well overseas, reaching #5 in the UK, and charting in a total of six European countries, as well as hitting the Top 40 (#39) in Australia. And it sounds nothing like Parallel Lines' monster hit, the disco-fied "Heart of Glass." No, "Hanging on the Telephone" is Blondie at their new wave best! Totally awesome! (Info verified by Wikipedia)