Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 I Want That Man 3:41
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lyrics, music
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lyrics, music, sampler, producer, mixing
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drums
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additional producer, remixer
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producer, mixing
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- A2 Lovelight 3:55
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lyrics, music
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backing vocals
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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- A3 Kiss It Better 4:17
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lyrics, music
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lyrics, music, sampler, producer, mixing
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drums
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- A4 Maybe for Sure 4:26
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lyrics, music
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- A5 Calmarie 4:42
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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lyrics
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Mario Toledolyrics, music
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lyrics, music
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percussion
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- A6 Get Your Way 5:10
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lyrics, music
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- B1 Sweet and Low 4:48
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lyrics, music, producer, mixing
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music, lyrics, producer, mixing
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backing vocals
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Arif St. Michaelbacking vocals
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Biti Strauchnbacking vocals
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engineer
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mixing engineer
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Johann Brundquistkeyboards
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David Bravokeyboards, programming
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keyboards, programming, producer, mixing
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additional producer, mixing
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- B2 He Is So 5:08
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lyrics, music
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- B3 Brite Side 4:32
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lyrics, music, producer, mixing
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music, lyrics, producer, mixing
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additional producer, mixing, drums
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engineer
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mix engineer
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Bobby Khozourikeyboards
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keyboards
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- B4 Bugeye 4:02
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lyrics, music
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- B5 End of the Run 7:03
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lyrics, music
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engineer
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producer, mixing
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music, lyrics
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- Total length: 51:44
Rate/Catalog
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Set listening
Review
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13 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Def, Dumb & Blonde 33 rpm
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Def, Dumb & Blonde Limited Edition
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Def, Dumb & Blonde 33 rpm
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Def, Dumb & Blonde Bonus Tracks
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Def, Dumb & Blonde 33 rpm
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16 Reviews
Not so great, but I love the title.
Published
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A1
I Want That Man
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A2
Lovelight
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A3
Kiss It Better
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A4
Maybe for Sure
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A5
Calmarie
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A6
Get Your Way
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B1
Sweet and Low
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B2
He Is So
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B3
Brite Side
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B4
Bugeye
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B5
End of the Run
Def, Dumb and Blonde is overall a very consistent 52-minute listen that's hard to stop once you've started it. It's catchy from start to finish and has decent variety in a much more controlled manner than Blondie's Autoamerican - a good album, but one that tried a few too many things for its own good. The supreme tracks on this one are Brite Side and the beautiful seven-minute closer. Another interesting pick is Calmarie, a succesful change of style in the middle and partially sung in a language I have no clue about.
While the vinyl record is "all killer no filler", if you want the full experience you should prefer to get the CD version, as it is a few songs longer.
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
A master work
Finally, in 1989, Deborah Harry released an album that was not only produced by Blondie's main producer, Mike Chapman, but was every bit as strong as `Parallel Lines', `Eat to the Beat' and `Autoamerican'. `Def, Dumb and Blonde' is Harry at the peak of her enigmatic powers, tapping punk, new wave, dance, pop and 60s girl bands to create a delectably assured whole.Curiously, the weakest song on the album is the opening single, `I Want That Man' (written by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie from The Thompson Twins), which was a huge hit in a number of countries outside the US. In comparison to the rest of the album, it is overly frivolous and frothy, plus it suffers from piano-heavy production that dates it rather badly. While it is certainly not bad, the rest of the record is much better.
This set of 15 songs features no less than eight first rate Harry/ Chris Stein (Blondie guitarist and former long time partner) compositions. The album could have comprised only these and the first two singles and it would still have been brilliant. `Maybe for Sure' and `He Is So' are dreamy, haunting new wave pop partners. `Get Your Way' is an awesome dance rocker with a quirky, attitude-heavy rap break. `Bike Boy' is a screeching mid-70s punk rocker and `Brite Side' is an almost-ballad, full of the beautifully poetic turns of phrase that are uniquely Deborah Harry (though the mix featured in the closing credits of the 80s/90s TV series, `Wiseguy' was better). But the pièce de résistance is the stunning, epic closing track, `End of the Run', a spoken word reminiscence on a time of leather jackets, guitars and cars - Harry has never been heard in finer voice than this.
The remaining tracks, by other writers, are all very fine. `Comic Books' (a cover of a song by 70s New York punk rockers, The Fast) and `Forced to Live' are punk companion pieces to `Bike Boy', while `Calmarie', a slow bossa nova styled piece co-written by Brazillian jazz percussionist, NanĂ¡ Vasconcelos, sports Harry in an utterly virtuosic vocal performance.
`Def, Dumb and Blonde' is one of the very best things Deborah Harry has ever recorded, with and without Blondie. It is clear evidence of the benefits of working with a producer that `gets' the artist - which her previous solo project producers evidently did not. It might have been a relative commercial flop, but it is an absolute must for any rock collection.
Published
CCD 1650 CD (1989)
Though Harry never truly found her form outside of Blondie, this is still a quite entertaining offering from this sassy New Wave sex symbol (well, I thought so at the time - and still do, as a matter of fact).
Published
CHR 1650 Vinyl LP (1989)
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A1
I Want That Man
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A2
Lovelight
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A3
Kiss It Better
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A4
Maybe for Sure
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A5
Calmarie
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A6
Get Your Way
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B1
Sweet and Low
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B2
He Is So
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B3
Brite Side
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B4
Bugeye
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B5
End of the Run
Published
I love Debbie, in every way. Blondie are one of my fave bands.
But yeah...Debbie's solo career never took off. If this is considered as her best solo album, well, that doesn't say much about the rest of her solo stuff.
To be fair, it's not all bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Chris Stein and Debbie wrote some of the best stuff they had written since Blondie...and perhaps even just the last good things they have ever written in this album. Okay, they didn't write the best song in the album, the first track I Want That Man, which is a pop rocker that could have competed with anything Madonna had out around the same time. And yes, they really had nothing to do with their version of Calmarie, an old Portuguese tune, apart from Deborah's credit for coming up with the 'additional English lyrics', nevertheless, this is perhaps her best vocal performance. But they wrote the cool tune Sweet and Low that opens up the B-side and He is So that is in the same style as Blondie's Dreaming. Brite Side is interesting, and while this album is sold as a Deborah Harry one (also the first official release as Deborah Harry and not Debbie Harry) Chris Stein should get a lot credit for his involvement in the songwriting and for practically playing most of the instruments...in this song Brite Side, he pretty much plays every instrument. The freaky thing about this song is that it sounds like it stepped out of a Blondie album that came out later...listen to Debbie's voice...it sounds like her voice now, but this is supposed to be 1989...
Get Your Way is a catchy tune too.
But whereas the album is okay, there are things that prevent it from being plain good. Every song is at least a minute too long. Also, ever since Rapture (a song I love) Debbie has unfortunately felt the need to rap in every record she has done...and here and there you can hear that. It doesn't work...maybe they should have disturbed Grandmaster Flash again or something. Also, Stein falls into a few traps here and there by throwing in senseless and methodical guitar solos, though they may have worked live they sound too systematical in the studio versions of the songs, even in Get Your Way that is one of the strongest tracks in my humble opinion... End of the Run, the last track, is 7 minutes long, for chrissakes...and why is it? It's not even good, and the first two minute are of Debbie talking over some slow epic rock shit.
It's nice to see, however, that Debbie doesn't fall into the trap of singing and performing like Madonna...after all, I'm not the only one to say that Madonna grew out of Debbie's semi-retirement from show-biz to look after her partner at the time Chris Stein who was very ill. She says it wasn't a big deal and that she doesn't regret it, but apparently if you mention Madonna's name to her she kind of narrows her eyes at ya...
But yeah...Debbie's solo career never took off. If this is considered as her best solo album, well, that doesn't say much about the rest of her solo stuff.
To be fair, it's not all bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Chris Stein and Debbie wrote some of the best stuff they had written since Blondie...and perhaps even just the last good things they have ever written in this album. Okay, they didn't write the best song in the album, the first track I Want That Man, which is a pop rocker that could have competed with anything Madonna had out around the same time. And yes, they really had nothing to do with their version of Calmarie, an old Portuguese tune, apart from Deborah's credit for coming up with the 'additional English lyrics', nevertheless, this is perhaps her best vocal performance. But they wrote the cool tune Sweet and Low that opens up the B-side and He is So that is in the same style as Blondie's Dreaming. Brite Side is interesting, and while this album is sold as a Deborah Harry one (also the first official release as Deborah Harry and not Debbie Harry) Chris Stein should get a lot credit for his involvement in the songwriting and for practically playing most of the instruments...in this song Brite Side, he pretty much plays every instrument. The freaky thing about this song is that it sounds like it stepped out of a Blondie album that came out later...listen to Debbie's voice...it sounds like her voice now, but this is supposed to be 1989...
Get Your Way is a catchy tune too.
But whereas the album is okay, there are things that prevent it from being plain good. Every song is at least a minute too long. Also, ever since Rapture (a song I love) Debbie has unfortunately felt the need to rap in every record she has done...and here and there you can hear that. It doesn't work...maybe they should have disturbed Grandmaster Flash again or something. Also, Stein falls into a few traps here and there by throwing in senseless and methodical guitar solos, though they may have worked live they sound too systematical in the studio versions of the songs, even in Get Your Way that is one of the strongest tracks in my humble opinion... End of the Run, the last track, is 7 minutes long, for chrissakes...and why is it? It's not even good, and the first two minute are of Debbie talking over some slow epic rock shit.
It's nice to see, however, that Debbie doesn't fall into the trap of singing and performing like Madonna...after all, I'm not the only one to say that Madonna grew out of Debbie's semi-retirement from show-biz to look after her partner at the time Chris Stein who was very ill. She says it wasn't a big deal and that she doesn't regret it, but apparently if you mention Madonna's name to her she kind of narrows her eyes at ya...
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
With Blondie dead and buried for 7 years, Deborah Harry had more or less eased into the role of an aging icon of yesteryear with sporadic ventures into music alternating with a notable, if not flashy, secondary career as an actress. At 44 in an increasingly youth-oriented music scene, it would have been understandable if she made acting her primary gig. As she was no longer at the forefront of the music industry, it would be likewise understandable if her musical dabblings amounted to little more than victory laps. While this is indeed partially apparent in Def, Dumb & Blonde, the album contains enough charm and invention to be worthy of exploration.
Released in 1989, Def, Dumb & Blonde fits comfortably in the era. By and large, it feels as if a concerted effort was made to update her previous successes for production standards and mainstream tastes of the time. At times, this is to the detriment of the album. "Kiss It Better", for better and for worse, sounds as if it was taken straight out of a Top 40 station in 1989, with little of Deborah's unmistakable imprint noticeable. At least it is enjoyable, whereas "Bugeye" is a lifeless attempt at a sultry rock come-on. "Maybe for Sure" fares a little better, but is still stripped of much of its potential through needless gloss. The worst offender is "Get Your Way", which amounts to little more than a collage of mailed-in seduction, a trademark rap that populates every album after the success of "Rapture", and a shiny guitar solo fitting of the zeitgeist. Unfortunately, it is not the only attempt to cash in on previous hits, as the obligatory homage to "The Tide Is High" comes in the form of the forgettable "I'll Never Fall in Love", which could explain why it is not available on either cassette or vinyl editions of the album.
Thankfully, some of these attempts to update Deborah's sound work well. The shimmering dance pop of "I Want That Man" is so catchy and anthemic that it is easy to forgive the requisite guitar solo thrown in. Nods to Blondie's punk roots come in the welcome form of "Bike Boy", "Comic Books" and "Forced to Love", which remain true to form in clocking in under 3 minutes. The first in particular sees a vintage '77 Harry vocal, proving that she still had the voice for spiky punk pop in her mid-40s. Even better is the delectable confection of "Sweet and Low", full of sassy swagger and innuendo that climaxes with a fantastic chorus.
The greatest rewards come when Deborah stretches herself. "Calmarie" can best be described as a jungle new age lullaby sung half in Portugese and half in English. Somehow, it works, and the song achieves a gorgeous serenity. Equally disarming is the ballad "He Is So", in which guitars and synth strings illicit a lush atmosphere fitting for Harry to let down her guard, enraptured in an ecstasy that leaves her, for once, at a loss for words. Best of all, though, is the bonafide electro-ballad "Brite Side", a synth pop sunburst so good that it warrants comparison to Yaz's "Only You". In fact, it is so thrilling that it renders superfluous an epic and rather poignant look into her past in the form of "End of the Run", which threatens to become a power ballad at every turn, but manages to rein in the hairspray.
In the end, Def, Dumb & Blonde is a mixed bag. Nevertheless, the pedestrian style updates and feckless homages to Blondie's glory days are far outnumbered by worthy gems of the late 80s and exciting new avenues. Curiously for a pop album, most of these highlights are found in the second half, giving it the effect of ending with a bang. It adds up to a record that succeeds despite its flaws, and while not a knockout, it is the best album Harry would be associated with since The Hunter and until The Curse of Blondie.
Released in 1989, Def, Dumb & Blonde fits comfortably in the era. By and large, it feels as if a concerted effort was made to update her previous successes for production standards and mainstream tastes of the time. At times, this is to the detriment of the album. "Kiss It Better", for better and for worse, sounds as if it was taken straight out of a Top 40 station in 1989, with little of Deborah's unmistakable imprint noticeable. At least it is enjoyable, whereas "Bugeye" is a lifeless attempt at a sultry rock come-on. "Maybe for Sure" fares a little better, but is still stripped of much of its potential through needless gloss. The worst offender is "Get Your Way", which amounts to little more than a collage of mailed-in seduction, a trademark rap that populates every album after the success of "Rapture", and a shiny guitar solo fitting of the zeitgeist. Unfortunately, it is not the only attempt to cash in on previous hits, as the obligatory homage to "The Tide Is High" comes in the form of the forgettable "I'll Never Fall in Love", which could explain why it is not available on either cassette or vinyl editions of the album.
Thankfully, some of these attempts to update Deborah's sound work well. The shimmering dance pop of "I Want That Man" is so catchy and anthemic that it is easy to forgive the requisite guitar solo thrown in. Nods to Blondie's punk roots come in the welcome form of "Bike Boy", "Comic Books" and "Forced to Love", which remain true to form in clocking in under 3 minutes. The first in particular sees a vintage '77 Harry vocal, proving that she still had the voice for spiky punk pop in her mid-40s. Even better is the delectable confection of "Sweet and Low", full of sassy swagger and innuendo that climaxes with a fantastic chorus.
The greatest rewards come when Deborah stretches herself. "Calmarie" can best be described as a jungle new age lullaby sung half in Portugese and half in English. Somehow, it works, and the song achieves a gorgeous serenity. Equally disarming is the ballad "He Is So", in which guitars and synth strings illicit a lush atmosphere fitting for Harry to let down her guard, enraptured in an ecstasy that leaves her, for once, at a loss for words. Best of all, though, is the bonafide electro-ballad "Brite Side", a synth pop sunburst so good that it warrants comparison to Yaz's "Only You". In fact, it is so thrilling that it renders superfluous an epic and rather poignant look into her past in the form of "End of the Run", which threatens to become a power ballad at every turn, but manages to rein in the hairspray.
In the end, Def, Dumb & Blonde is a mixed bag. Nevertheless, the pedestrian style updates and feckless homages to Blondie's glory days are far outnumbered by worthy gems of the late 80s and exciting new avenues. Curiously for a pop album, most of these highlights are found in the second half, giving it the effect of ending with a bang. It adds up to a record that succeeds despite its flaws, and while not a knockout, it is the best album Harry would be associated with since The Hunter and until The Curse of Blondie.
Published
Def, Dumb & Blonde is Debbie Harry's third solo album and many people consider it her strongest -- but I feel it doesn't gel quite as well as it should, especially on the expanded CD version with four bonus tracks that aren't so good. Debbie had a U.K. hit with "I Want That Man" and a U.S. dance hit with "Sweet and Low", but otherwise this album, like her other solo efforts, was not very successful on the charts. Former Blondie producer Mike Chapman produced some of the songs. The highlights are "Maybe for Sure", "Get Your Way", "Brite Side", "Bugeye", and the closer "End of the Run", which might be the best song on the entire record. I have to say Def, Dumb & Blonde plays much better on vinyl without the bonus tracks, which are unremarkable except for "Bike Boy". Also, the single version of "Sweet and Low" (actually a remix) is preferable to the album version. Overall this has some decent late 80s tracks, but it isn't very memorable.
Published
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