X/Z Song Trader: "Dreaming"

A Gen X Rocker Discusses Music With His Gen Z Daughter

Sep 05, 2024

About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a music journalist, author and musician. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.

Check out the whole X/Z Song Trader series.

Steve’s Perspective

I recently read Blondie co-founder/guitarist Chris Stein’s excellent memoir, Under A Rock.

It includes an interesting collection of rearview observations and insights about the formation of the seminal New York punk/new wave band, their journey into ‘70s/‘80s superstardom, and their career ups and downs since that heyday. (I also loved Debbie Harry’s equally engaging memoir, Face It.)

Stein does a great job of showing how the Big Apple’s cultural conditions in the ‘70s made it possible for groundbreaking bands like Blondie—and their legendary peers in Ramones, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, et al.—to exist.

“In 1972 the city was relatively empty. It felt to me like there was more of a focus on work and the day-to-day normal comings and goings of regular inhabitants. In and around this facade of vague normalcy, the various freak cultures that were based on shared affinities in sex, art, and music wove themselves throughout society without much actual overlap. There was not much gray-area fringe culture that was represented by something like the current ‘hipster.’ The fringe groups lived in their own spaces and stayed fringe; there was very little integration except at nodal points like Andy (Warhol) or Max’s (Kansas City).”

I love the idea that the “freaks” had their own spaces to dream, away from the judgements of normies—the perfect conditions for any creative scene to grow and thrive in my experience (and the results from ‘70s New York certainly speak for themselves).

These outsider artists might have been broke and living on the edge, but at least dreaming was free. For me, that’s always been the underlying message of Blondie’s song “Dreaming,” the stunning lead track from their 1979 album Eat To The Beat.

Behind all that melancholy escapism is an outstanding performance by drummer Clem Burke. This is one of my all-time favorite rhythm tracks because (as I’ve written before elsewhere) Burke delivers a masterclass on how to hold down a solid back beat while relentlessly propelling the song forward.

But the busy Keith Moon-style drumming only works because “Dreaming” is an absolutely perfect pop song, from the opening snare roll and punishing tom fills to the chugging guitars, melodic keyboard line and, of course, Debbie Harry’s vocals.

Most people these days don’t think of rock and roll as dance music, but it’s impossible to keep from moving whenever this one comes on. It was a cutting edge new wave song when it was originally released, but it’s all built on a timeless foundation of British Invasion hooks, girl group soul, and power pop energy.

There are many excellent tracks to choose from Blondie’s ‘70s albums.

“X Offender,” their tweaked cover of “Denis,” “Call Me,” “Sunday Girl,” “Heart of Glass,” their cover of The Nerves’ “Hanging on the Telephone,” and “Atomic” all come to mind, but “Dreaming” will always be a go-to for me.

I’m not sure how much time you’ve spent with this track before, but I’d be curious to know what you think after listening more closely. What’s your favorite Blondie song? Are there any artists these days that you think are following in Blondie’s footsteps?

Lucy’s Perspective

Having so much knowledge about a song or the songwriters’ history honestly makes it ten times more fun to listen.

Blondie is a band I’ve only spent a little bit of time with here and there for classics like “Heart of Glass,” “One Way Or Another,” and “Call Me,” all of which are wonderfully written and perfectly executed pop songs. On the other hand, I am not as familiar with “Dreaming.” It seems like something I might have heard on classic rock radio in the car.

One thing I love about this song is how the story is sort of hidden.

Most of the time you’re too distracted by the upbeat-dance vibe to notice what exactly the lead singer is saying. I like that you specifically pointed out what lyrics you liked from the song, because it encouraged me to keep an ear out. A hidden story—or maybe not hidden, so much as quieter—will always get me into a track since it's the first thing I think of when I rate a song in my head.

“One Way Or Another” has always been my favorite Blondie song, though I’m sure that isn’t a niche take at all. I love the upbeat vibe and kind of lyric repetition—it’s also just such a fun listen. I know I heard that one for the first time in an episode of Gilmore Girls when Jess finally decides to leave Stars Hollow.

It was not only a very integral part of the show, but also an equally intense song. And not for nothing, hearing it on this soundtrack definitely gave it a boost up in my song rankings since Gilmore Girls is my all time favorite show.

I was already thinking of Kate Clover before I even read your question about what modern artist sounds like Blondie.

Kate Clover reminds me of them in the way the band looks and definitely because of the similar pop/rock sounds. I hear similarities on a lot of tracks, but “Love You To Death” is probably the most like “Dreaming” to my ears.

When we saw Kate Clover live, I really did think several times to myself—and likely out loud to you—how reminiscent it felt of this kind of classic pop/rock music. It’s a sound that feels severely depleted in modern culture, but is very worthwhile.

I really enjoyed this song and the history lesson on the ‘70s/’80s New York scene. Blondie will always be the classic band. I can’t wait to explore more pop/rock music from that time.