Union City Blue

"Union City Blue"
Single by Blondie
from the album Eat to the Beat
B-side	"Living In The Real World" "I Feel Love"
Released	November 1979
Format	Vinyl 7" single
Genre	Rock new wave
Length	3:23
Label	Chrysalis (UK)
Writer(s)	Deborah Harry Nigel Harrison
Producer(s)	Mike Chapman
Blondie singles chronology
"Dreaming" (1979) "Union City Blue" (1979) "The Hardest Part" (1980)
Music sample Union City Blue

"Union City Blue" is a song by the US rock band Blondie. It was written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison, and was featured on their fourth studio album Eat to the Beat from 1979. The tune was inspired by the 1979 movie Union City, which Debbie Harry appeared in (she wrote the lyrics one evening during a break in the shooting).^[1]

Single information

The song was released as the second single from the album in the United Kingdom, where it reached no. 13 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1979; it was never released as a single in the US. The video for the single, directed by David Mallet, was filmed at the Union Dry Dock, Weehawken, New Jersey.

The track was re-released on CD and vinyl in 1995 as a maxi single in both the UK and US, featuring various remixes of the song by Diddy, Burger Queen, OPM and Jammin' Hot. A previously heavily bootlegged live version from 1979 of Donna Summer's hit "I Feel Love" was included as a b-side. Charting a second time after its original 1979 release, the single peaked at no. 31 in the UK. The remixed version of "Union City Blue" was also included on the compilations Beautiful: The Remix Album (UK) and Remixed Remade Remodeled: The Remix Project (US).

Track listing

UK 7" (Chrysalis CHS 2400)

1. "Union City Blue" (Nigel Harrison, Deborah Harry) – 3:18
2. "Living in the Real World" (Jimmy Destri) – 2:53

UK 1995 Remix CD1 (7243 8 82466 2 0)

1. "Union City Blue" (Diddy's Power & Passion Edit) – 3:38
2. "Union City Blue" (Diddy's Power & Passion Mix) – 8:34
3. "Union City Blue" (Vinny Vero's Turquoise Mix) – 8:23
4. "Union City Blue" (Jammin Hot's I Can't Believe It's Not Diddy Mix) – 7:37
5. "Union City Blue" (Burger Queen Peroxide Power Mix) – 7:40

UK 1995 Remix CD2 (7243 8 82467 2 9)

1. "Union City Blue" (Diddy's Power & Passion Edit) – 3:45
2. "I Feel Love" (Live) – 7:53
3. "Union City Blue" (The OPM Poppy Mix) – 8:48
4. "Union City Blue" (Original Version) – 3:18

US 1995 Remix CD (7243 8 58474 2 4)

1. "Union City Blue" (Diddy's Remix Edit) – 3:38 *
2. "Union City Blue" (Original Single Version) – 3:18
3. "Union City Blue" (Vinny Vero's Turquoise Mix) – 8:23
4. "Union City Blue" (Burger Queen Peroxide Power Mix) – 7:40
5. "Union City Blue" (OPM Poppy Mix) – 8:48
6. "Union City Blue" (Diddy's Power & Passion Mix) – 8:34
7. "I Feel Love" (Live) – 7:53

• * Identical to the UK Diddy's Power & Passion Edit mix.

Chart peaks

Chart (1979–1980) Peak position Germany (Official German Charts)[2] 54 Ireland (IRMA)[3] 17 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4] 47 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[5] 13

Chart (1995) Peak position UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6] 31 US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[7] 30

Cover versions and uses

The song has been covered on several occasions, notably by The Railway Children and Radiohead. The song is featured in the 1981 horror film The Hand, as well as the 2007 dark comedy, Margot at the Wedding.^[8]

References

1. Bangs, Lester (1980). Blondie. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-6712-5540-4.
2. "Offiziellecharts.de – Blondie – Union City Blue". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Union City Blue". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
4. "Charts.org.nz – Blondie – Union City Blue". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
5. "Archive Chart: 1979-12-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
6. "Archive Chart: 1995-10-28" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
7. "Blondie – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
8. Ruhlmann, William. "Original Soundtrack – Margot at the Wedding". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 26, 2013.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics