Debbie Harry turns 75 years old today and she couldn’t be doing it with more class, sass, and a punk rock attitude. As we celebrate her life, we look back at what swung this timeless band into the world, their influence, and life in the 70s – a time of pop culture and politics, discotheque clubbing, and serial killers. If you’re in search of a way to put into words or a few paragraphs a complete and unashamed declaration of love from a fan girl for the innovative frontwoman and face of Blondie, look no further.

The first music video I ever saw was “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. It was recorded on a dusty Polaroid VHS tape with the only word written on it in pencil titled “Music.” Thanks to my mom and her days spent raising a handful of three kids in LA with VH1 playing in the background regularly as she went on about her full day fixing us up our meals or caring for our random childly sicknesses. When a song she liked would play I would watch her rush from the kitchen to the living room to hit “record” on the remote, long before the days of streaming and YouTube. There was something about recording music videos that way that gave us a live experience to some extent, almost like a concert where you’re waiting for that one song to play and when the band finally does, you feel the crowd rush forward to get closer. From what I saw, VH1 disco tracks gave my mom that same rush of excitement.

Upon recently watching High Fidelity on Hulu, I revisited my dusty DVD, CD, and videotape shelf only to find that I still have my mom’s Polaroid cassette in my room. Debbie Harry makes an appearance in the third episode alongside the beautiful Zoë Kravitz, who plays the hopeless romantic and music fanatic, Rob. I highly recommend the show as a satisfying retelling of the book and an interesting take on its film adaptation released in 2000. Aside from the great story and obviously fantastic soundtrack, Kravitz is simply a joy to watch as she portrays such a cool and relatable character from a girl gaze. I especially enjoyed seeing what I could tell was the actress’ genuine state of being starstruck across Debbie Harry.

I couldn’t help but project my own experiences and relationship with music because I can still so vividly remember how I felt seeing that pretty little blonde lady in her beautiful gray dress singing so effortlessly and with an unfazed expression alongside a disco ball. At the time I had no idea of the genre-bending crossover the band would be responsible and credited for in pioneering the way for new styles of music. All I knew was that seeing that first glimpse of music on video and disco paved a craving for more so strong, that it would lead to a blog on the internet some time in the future and me singing “Heart of Glass” like a little kid on karaoke nights.

In continuation of what makes Debbie Harry such an interesting character is her contributions to rap. Yes, rap. Take the song “Rapture,” an unexpected gem released on the band’s fifth studio album, Autoamerican, that combined disco funk with elements of hip-hop, the band successfully released yet another genre-crossing international hit. After “Heart of Glass,” the notably New Wave/Post-Punk group transcended their own expectations that year branching out from their rock roots the same way that The Rolling Stones did the year prior with “Miss You.” This led to a cultural shift that continued on throughout the 70s and 80s.

Another remarkable event that affected Debbie Harry’s life and could have altered music’s history and Blondie altogether is told in her memoir titled Face It, released in October 2019. She recalls a personal encounter so detailed that is absolutely chilling to imagine, with none other than the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. In an anecdote that seems to be entirely about being at the wrong place and the wrong time, the “Call Me” singer recollects getting a ride from Bundy and later acting on her instincts to escape. To say it’s a small world is an understatement, as the consequences of that path being crossed and the possibilities of that encounter could have not only changed the course of her life but many outcomes of music today had a different decision been made. What if in some alternate reality we never got to hear “The Tide Is High” or “Dreaming”? Nightmare right?

One way or another, let us wish Debbie Harry the happiest of birthdays and personally, a huge thank you for introducing me to VH1 and the great experience of watching her sing and age gracefully alongside my mom. Cheers to introducing the first original rap song to chart at number one in the United States, for being who I thought was punk rock Barbie growing up, and for apparently being so into horror films (even featuring in Body Bags in 1993 directed by John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper!) Happy Birthday to this influential figure in rock.