This Incredible Blondie Hit Was Actually a Cover of a Jamaican Song From 1967

In 1980, Blondie released a song called “The Tide Is High”. Their third No. 1 single in the United States, “The Tide Is High” is on Autoamerican, Blondie’s fifth studio album.

“The Tide Is High” is actually a cover song, although most people attribute it to Blondie. But it’s Jamaican singer John Holt who wrote “The Tide Is High”. The song was first released by Holt and his group, The Paragons. “The Tide Is High” became a hit for The Paragons in Jamaica. 

Blondie members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein heard “The Tide Is High” while they were in London.  “The Tide Is High” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Dance Club Play charts. It also became a No.1 single in the United Kingdom.

“The Tide Is High” begins with, “The tide is high, but I’m holding on / I’m gonna be your number one / I’m not the kind of girl who gives up just like that / Oh, no.”

“The Tide Is High” and “Follow Me” are the only two songs on Autoamerican that were not written by a member of Blondie.

The Success of “The Tide Is High” for Blondie

“The Tide Is High” comes four years after Blondie released “X Offender”, the band’s debut single. That song didn’t chart, nor did Blondie’s next few releases. But by 1978, Blondie hit their stride with “Denis”. “Denis” hit the Top 5 in the UK. 

“The Tide Is High” became a fan favorite. But it was also loved by John Lennon. Autoamerican came out on November 19, 1980, just a few weeks before he passed away. Still, John Lennon’s son, Sean Lennon, says Blondie’s “The Tide Is High” was one of his father’s favorite songs.

“My father had an old Wurlitzer in the game room of our house on Long Island,” Sean Lennon tells Rolling Stone. “It was filled with 45s, mostly Elvis and The Everly Brothers. The one modern song I remember him listening to was ‘The Tide Is High’ by Blondie, which he played constantly. When I hear that song, I see my father, unshaven, his hair pulled back into a ponytail, dancing to and fro in a worn-out pair of denim shorts, with me at his feet, trying my best to coordinate tiny limbs.”

In 1979, Blondie had their first No. 1 in the United States, with “Heart Of Glass”. Several more singles later, Blondie released “Call Me”, a song that remains one of their most successful singles.

After releasing “The Tide Is High”, Blondie followed the song with “Rapture”. It’s “Rapture” that became Blondie’s final No.1 hit. Blondie had one more Top 20 single in the United Kingdom, with “Island Of Lost Souls”. Sadly, after “Rapture”, Blondie never hit the Top 20 in the United States again, although they did have other international hits.

Photo by Pete Still/Redferns

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