Autoamerican Songs Ranked
Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980[7] and reached No. 3 in the UK charts, No. 7 in the US, and No. 8 in Australia. The album was a radical departure for the band, with the opening track “Europa” setting the pace. The track is a dramatic instrumental overture featuring orchestral arrangements and ending with vocalist Debbie Harry declaiming a passage about automobile culture over an electronic soundtrack. Besides rock and pop tracks, the band explored a wide range of other musical genres: “Here’s Looking at You” and “Faces” show jazz and blues influences, “The Tide Is High” was a cover of the Paragons’ 1967 Jamaican ska song, whereas “Rapture” combined funk, rock, jazz, and even saw them embracing the then-emerging genre of rap. The closing track, “Follow Me”, was a cover of a torch song from Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s 1960 Broadway musical Camelot. Here are all of Autoamerican songs ranked.
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10. Go Through It
“The band also stay true to their roots on “Go Through It”, except for the horns, which give the track somewhat of a Mexican feel. Even though it has some glossy horns in it, it’s very catchy and Debbie sounds wonderful.”
9. Do the Dark
“Do the Dark” conjures up visions of snake charmers (listen and you’ll see what I mean) and is the second disco-flavored track, though Deb’s vocals are a little harsher on this one. It’s one of the better offerings and the keyboards are excellent in this one. Do The Dark, which received limited airplay years ago, exemplifies Harry’s talents well, but has too much of a synthetic sound at times.”
8. Walk Like Me
“Walk Like Me”, like the first album’s “In the Sun” is a good take on ’60s surf-rock, with great guitar and keyboards. Walk Like Me sounds like it was a few years ahead of itself, but is a decent effort.”
See more: Blondie Albums Ranked
7. T-Birds
“A huge ’60s Wall-of-Sound production greatly benefits “T-Birds”, which would have been right at home on Blondie’s first album. Another lively cruising tune like Go Through It.”
6. Live It Up
“The album begins with the mostly instrumental Europa, with several lines of skat near the end, making for an excellent lead-in to the next track, the powerful, jazz/disco song Live It Up. Things get going with “Live it Up”, which surprisingly manages to out-disco both “Heart of Glass” and “Atomic”. One of the best tracks, its influence can still be heard in the dance music of 2010. Jimmy Destri’s keyboards really stand out on this one.”
5. Angels On the Balcony
“A bizarre, industrial-type intro brings us to “Angels on the Balcony”. Debbie sounds very sedate, but the band sounds more like their old self on this one. It has a great guitar hook. Angels On The Balcony is a song which begins very quirky; be careful if you’re wearing headphones! This track showcases lead vocalist Deborah Harry’s range, perhaps like no other song on this album. Plus, the band REALLY has it together on this track.”
See more: Blondie Songs Ranked
4. Europa
“The album begins with the mostly instrumental Europa, with several lines of skat near the end, making for an excellent lead-in to the next track. The lush, string-laden instrumental “Europa” certainly does not sound like it was made by the same people who brought us “Eat to the Beat”. Half-way in, Debbie speaks over space-age sounds introducing the album.”
3. Suzy & Jeffrey
“There are various editions of “AutoAmerican” on CD, but there are only two bonus tracks you need bother with. “Suzy and Jeffrey” which was originally only available on the cassette and was the B-Side of “The Tide is High, is a ’60s tragedy-type song about a doomed couple bound for the altar.”
2. The Tide Is High
“The reggae/calypso flavored “The Tide is High” was a #1 hit in 1981 and while it is probably my least favorite of all their hit singles (due to overplay on the Muzak-type station at work), it still plays well 30 years later and is a well-crafted pop song.”
1. Rapture
“The irressistable chimes and tap-dance clacking of “Rapture” are mesmerizing. This was one of the first rap records many North Americans had ever heard, and the novelty no doubt helped propel it to #1 on Billboard for 2 weeks in Spring 1981. Though the lyrics are nonsensical, Debbie’s cool delivery sells the song effortlessly. The searing guitar solo at the climax will give you goosebumps.”
