"Island of Lost Souls" by Blondie

Song#:  1052
Date:  05/29/1982
Debut:  66
Peak:  37
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Following the success of their album "Autoamerican," which featured the dual #1 hits "Rapture" and "The Tide is High," members of the band took a hiatus. However, they all kept busy with different projects of their own with the most high profile one being Deborah Harry's first solo album. When it came time to reconvene for the next Blondie album, dynamics had changed in the group and they were fractured at best (a lawsuit didn't help matters). They rallied to fulfill their label contract with a concept album of-sorts titled "The Hunter." This first single was issued and it debuted fairly high on the pop chart. However, its initial success was short-lived as the song petered out just inside the Top 40. Without a major hit, lackluster interest from fans, and dismal critical reviews, the album limped to #33 and tanked. The disappointment coupled with drug use, illness, and media focus always on Harry weighed on the band and by November the group announced their breakup. They would reform many years later for the 1999 album "No Exit," which included their final pop chart entry "Maria" (#82).

ReduxReview:  Okay, so "The Tide Is High," which was a remake, was well-done, catchy, campy fun. This song sounds like they were trying to capture that magic again via a calypso style. Oh...just...no. In what universe would this be a good idea? Harry and Chris Stein wrote it, so I would think the blame for this mess resides with them. Blondie liked to genre hop throughout their albums, but on this one they just took it one hop too far and landed in the drink. And that is basically what this song sounds like - a once-great band drowning and dying.

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  Before her music career, Harry was a Playboy Bunny - the term coined for the wait staff at one of Hugh Heffner's Playboy Clubs (thanks to their outfits). She worked in the New York club from 1968-1973. At the time she had long brown hair.

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