Def, Dumb and Blonde
Encyclopedia
Def, Dumb & Blonde is the third solo album by the American
singer Deborah Harry
. Released in October 1989, the album saw Harry reverting from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name. Harry worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Mike Chapman who had previously produced the last four Blondie
albums.
Though not a success in Harry's native United States
, the album peaked at #12 in the UK and has been certified "Silver" by the BPI
.
" which was written and produced by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie
of the Thompson Twins
. The single made the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart
. Other singles released from the album included "Kiss It Better
", "Brite Side
", "Sweet and Low
" and "Maybe For Sure
".
and Chris Stein
, unless otherwise noted.
Side B
Side B
Additional personnel
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
. Released in October 1989, the album saw Harry reverting from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name. Harry worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Mike Chapman who had previously produced the last four Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
albums.
Though not a success in Harry's native United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the album peaked at #12 in the UK and has been certified "Silver" by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
.
Singles
This album contained the hit single "I Want That ManI Want That Man
"I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:...
" which was written and produced by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie
Alannah Currie
Alannah Currie is a musician and artist, best known as a former member of the UK pop group, Thompson Twins.-Career:...
of the Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins
The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
. The single made the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Other singles released from the album included "Kiss It Better
Kiss It Better
"Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"...
", "Brite Side
Brite Side
Brite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit...
", "Sweet and Low
Sweet and Low (song)
Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart...
" and "Maybe For Sure
Maybe for Sure
"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
".
Track listing
All tracks written by Deborah HarryDebbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
and Chris Stein
Chris Stein
Christopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
, unless otherwise noted.
Vinyl album
Side A- "I Want That ManI Want That Man"I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:...
" (Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie) – 3:43 - "Lovelight" (Stein) – 3:56
- "Kiss It BetterKiss It Better"Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"...
" (Bailey, Currie, Harry) – 4:19 - "Maybe For SureMaybe for Sure"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
" – 4:30 - "Calmarie" (Toledo, Vasconcelos) – 4:42
- "Get Your Way" – 6:13
Side B
- "Sweet and LowSweet and Low (song)Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart...
" (Toni C., Harry) – 4:49 - "He Is So" – 5:10
- "Brite SideBrite SideBrite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit...
" – 4:34 - "Bugeye" – 4:06
- "End Of The Run" – 7:04
Cassette
Side A- "I Want That ManI Want That Man"I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:...
" (Bailey, Currie) – 3:43 - "Lovelight" (Stein) – 3:56
- "Kiss It BetterKiss It Better"Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"...
" (Bailey, Currie, Harry) – 4:19 - "Bike Boy" – 2:47
- "Get Your Way" – 6:13
- "Maybe For SureMaybe for Sure"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
" – 4:30 - "Calmarie" (Toledo, Vasconcelos) – 4:42
Side B
- "Sweet and LowSweet and Low (song)Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart...
" (Toni C., Harry) – 4:49 - "He Is So" – 5:10
- "Bugeye" – 4:06
- "Comic Books" (Mick Zone, Paul Zone, Armand Zone) – 2:34
- "Brite SideBrite SideBrite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit...
" – 4:34 - "End Of The Run" – 7:04
CD
- "I Want That ManI Want That Man"I Want That Man" is a single released in 1989 by Deborah Harry - her first solo single to be released using her Christian name Deborah instead of 'Debbie'.-Song information:...
" (Bailey, Currie) – 3:43 - "Lovelight" (Stein) – 3:56
- "Kiss It BetterKiss It Better"Kiss It Better" is the second single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde in 1989. The single peaked at number 12 on the US Modern Rock chart, riding the wave of success built by Harry's previous single, "I Want That Man"...
" (Bailey, Currie, Harry) – 4:19 - "Bike Boy" – 2:47
- "Get Your Way" – 6:13
- "Maybe For SureMaybe for Sure"Maybe for Sure" is the fifth and final single lifted from Deborah Harry's third solo album Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:The single which was produced by Mike Chapman became her lowest charting single in the UK, peaking outside the Top 75 at #89 and it subsequently fell off the chart...
" – 4:30 - "I'll Never Fall In Love" (Bush, Ward) – 3:19
- "Calmarie" (Toledo, Vasconcelos) – 4:42
- "Sweet and LowSweet and Low (song)Sweet and Low was the fourth single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde.-Song information:"Sweet and Low" fared marginally better in the UK than the previous single, "Brite Side", by peaking two places higher at #57. It also reached #17 on the US Dance Chart...
" (Toni C., Harry) – 4:49 - "He Is So" – 5:10
- "Bugeye" – 4:06
- "Comic Books" (Mick Zone, Paul Zone, Armand Zone) – 2:34
- "Forced To Live" – 2:02
- "Brite SideBrite SideBrite Side was the third single from Deborah Harry's third solo album, Def, Dumb and Blonde. The single was only released in the UK and was only a very minor success, peaking at #59, it was a severe drop-off from Harry's previous single "I Want That Man" which was a top twenty hit...
" – 4:34 - "End of the Run" – 7:04
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 10 | 20 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 9 | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart | 12 | 7 |
Personnel
- Deborah HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Additional personnel
- Chris SteinChris SteinChristopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, backing vocals, producing assistance, musical arrangements, producer - Lee Foxx – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Phil Astley – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
programming, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Steve Goldstein – keyboards
- Tommy Price – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Terry BozzioTerry BozzioTerry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.-Biography:Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed...
– drums - Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Keith Primi – backing vocals
- Dennis Christopher – backing vocals
- Ian AstburyIan AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
– backing vocals - Gary ValentineGary Valentine LachmanGary Lachman, born December 24, 1955 in Bayonne, New Jersey, is an American writer and musician. Lachman is best known to readers of mysticism and the occult, in the numerous articles and books he has published...
– backing vocals - Mike Chapman – backing vocals, producer
- Bobby Khozouri – keyboards
- Mac Quayle – keyboards
- Arthur BakerArthur Baker (musician)Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
– drums, additional production, remixing - David Bravo – keyboards, programming
- Toni C. – keyboards, programming, producer
- Johann Brundquist – keyboards (overdubs)
- Arif St. Michael – backing vocals
- Adele Bertei – backing vocals
- Biti Strauchn – backing vocals
- Tom Bailey – fairlightFairlightFairlight is a digital audio company based in Sydney, Australia. In 1979 they created the Fairlight CMI, the first digital audio sampler, quickly used by artists such as Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Jean Michel Jarre. They are now a manufacturer of media solutions tools such as digital audio...
, producer - Geoff Dugmore – drums
- Eric Thorngren – producer, arrangerArrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
- Ben Grosse – additional production, remixing
- George Tutko – sound engineer
- "Doc" Dougherty – engineer
- Bob Paustian – mix engineer
- Paul McKenna – mix engineer
- Steve Peck – engineer
- Arthur Elgort – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Deborah Norcross – art direction, designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
- Jeri Helden – art direction, design