Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads that just won’t go away. They sneak into your subconscious. They are epic earworms that you find yourself humming uncontrollably, singing in the shower, or tapping the beat to with your foot or ballpoint pen when you should be working. Sometimes they even keep you awake at night. Whether they are current hits, one-hit wonders, movie soundtrack gems, holiday favorites, or songs from your youth, their catchy vocals, riffs, hooks, and choruses seem to linger for days.
Here, those songs find a home, no matter the genre. Here, those epic earworms are revisited, explained, and celebrated. Here, you may find the song that haunts you tomorrow. Here is today’s unescapable song of the day…and the story behind it.
Today’s Epic Earworm: Blondie — “Call Me”
Today’s epic earworm, “Call Me,” was a huge hit for Blondie in 1980. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in the United States and also hit Number One in Canada and the United Kingdom. The song was certified gold, and it earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal the following year.
Not My First Choice, But…
“Call Me” was written by Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder for the soundtrack of the feature film “American Gigolo.” When Moroder finished writing the music for the song that would become “Call Me,” he contacted the singer he wanted to sing the song on the soundtrack, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. Nicks’ record contract would not allow her to do the song, though, so that is when Moroder contacted Debbie Harry of Blondie. He sent her the eight-minute-long instrumental track, which he called “Man Machine.”
Harry wrote the lyrics for the song in less than a day. She eventually ended up recording multiple versions of the song. The eight-minute version was used for the movie soundtrack. Then a three-and-a-half-minute version was recorded for radio edit, and a two-minute and 15-second version was recorded for the music video. Believe it or not, Harry even recorded a Spanish version, “Llámame.” Moroder may not have gotten his first choice for the song, but everything seems to have worked out well for him in the end.
