Rapture

I've wanted to write about Blondie's "Rapture" for quite some time, and I finally bit the bullet.  I've been searching and reading high and low trying to figure this song out, and I think I've thrown in the towel.  A while ago, I read all kinds of interesting conversation about "finger popping" and "twenty-four hour shopping," -- as in the fact that those were not the lyrics that Debbie Harry actually sings.  If you listen closely, you can definitely hear something other than "popping."  I won't say what it is that people claim to hear, but I think I agree.  Plus, I looked up "finger popping" in some urban dictionaries, and well, it's pretty much what it sounds like.  However, I did hear another performance of the song with Debbie Harry and Eve on VH-1's "Divas Live" from 2004, and I swear it sounds like she says finger snapping or something completely different.  Maybe it is something different each time.

I actually never knew what the lyrics were to this song at all.  All I could understand was "raaaaaaaaaapture....."  Or at least that's how it sounded to me.  I also could hear "Fab 5 Freddy told me" something or other.  Please, do not get me wrong here.  I absolutely love Blondie and would honestly pass out if I ever met Debbie Harry in person.  I think the group was genius, and I actually don't mind that I can't understand the lyrics.  No problem at all.  The video has always scared me, though.  I really think it's the guy in the white tux dancing around expressionless with sunglasses.  It creeped me out.  But, it's okay.  Now that I am older, what strikes me the most about the song is actually the instrumental part.  Sounds like chimes in the beginning, but I am guessing it's a synthesizer.  Then, the bass guitar and rhythm guitar lines are just intermingled perfectly.  To me, I really hear the bass and the brass section most prominently.  I swear I hear saxes, too.  It's quite the intricate instrumental backing for this awesome tune.  Of course, Debbie Harry's voice can put you in a trance with it's sweet and ethereal quality on this song.  I was really surprised to see her singing with Eve on the VH-1 special -- but surprised in a good way.  Debbie Harry truly is a rock legend, and she can sing with whomever she pleases across all genres -- and it kicks a--!!!!!  What else can I say?  Not much!  Enjoy -- I've added the original video and the clip from the 2004 Divas Live.

Rod Stewart Pop-Up Video Fun - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

So, this evening I was poking around on the VH-1 Classic site and found some interesting clips. For instance, I had no idea that there was a VH-1 Divas show filmed in 2011. They had some really terrific artists performing, but unfortunately, I am a bit picky and couldn't find any songs that I wanted to write about. Since the show highlighted soul music, and they had Chaka Khan as one of the artists, I had hoped they would perform "Tell Me Something Good." But, alas, no such luck.

I figured I'd look around the site some more, and I found a listing of the first 30 videos played on VH-1. Low and behold, Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was number 26. It was written in 1978, but since it was one of the first videos on MTV, that would mean it aired in 1981, so it's kind of a decade crossover. I found the "Pop-Up Video" version of the original video and thought it was hysterical, so I just had to add it here. The pop-up captions are really funny -- especially the one about him turning his head away from the camera when he forgot the words. Kind of reminds me of my post about him performing with Stevie Nicks: Stevie and Rod on Tour.  As I watched the video, I realized that Carmine Appice was the drummer. I probably should have know that, because I used to work with artists at the company that owns Ludwig drums, and he was a Ludwig artist. So, it was pretty cool to see a quick shot of him in the video with his Ludwig set. Come to find out, he wrote most of the music for this tune. Pretty cool. The lyrics are sort of comical today, although I guess they were realistic in the day. I love when he sings, "Now hold on a minute, before we go much further, give me a dime, so I can call my mother." Hmm...alright. I wonder if someone would actually say that back then. I can just imagine Rod Stewart running to the pay phone at the disco..."Hello, mom, uh...I won't be home tonight." I also noticed in the captions that he was married to Rachel Hunter at the time this video came out. I think he's had a couple of wives since then and a bunch of kids. That's alright. He's Rod Stewart. Although he did not say this song was about him, I think it probably worked to his advantage over the years...