Backfired

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"Backfired"
Debbie Harry - Backfired.jpg
Single by Debbie Harry
from the album KooKoo
ReleasedJuly 1981
Recorded1981
GenreNew wave, dance-rock
LabelChrysalis Records
Songwriter(s)Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Producer(s)Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Debbie Harry singles chronology
"Backfired"
(1981) 		"The Jam Was Moving"
(1981)
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"Backfired" is the debut solo single from the American singer-songwriter and Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry. Released in 1981, it was taken from her gold-selling debut solo album KooKoo.

Song information[]

"Backfired" peaked at #32 in the UK, and #43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (though it remains Harry's highest charting solo single in the US). It also peaked at #71 on the U.S. Soul chart,[1] and #29 on the Dance chart.[2] The single also managed to become a hit in only a few other countries including Sweden and Australia.

In an attempt to distinguish herself as a solo artist, Harry's image upon the single's release was quite different from her established image with Blondie. She had dyed her hair darker and had a new sci-fi inspired look, as seen in the music video for the song directed by H.R. Giger, who appeared in the video wearing a mask and mimes the male back-up vocals on the song.

Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the Chic who had just produced a huge hit album for Diana Ross, "Backfired" further developed Harry's experimentation with dance music as seen in some of Blondie's material (the Chic-inspired "Rapture" having been a No. 1 hit for them earlier the same year), this time delving more into funk music.

The 7" edit of "Backfired" appears on the Chrysalis Records/EMI compilation Most of All - The Best of Deborah Harry. A remix of the track by Bruce Forrest and Frank Heller was included on the 1988 Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation Once More into the Bleach. The original extended 12" mix from 1981 appears as a bonus track on both the 1994 and 2005 CD re-issues of the album KooKoo.

Track listing[]

7"

  1. "Backfired" (7" Edit) (Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards) - 3:34 About this soundListen (help·info)
  2. "Military Rap" (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) - 3:47

12"

  1. "Backfired" (12" Mix) (Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards) - 6:23
  2. "Military Rap" (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) - 3:47

Charts[]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4] 28
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 32
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 43
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 29
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 71
US Cash Box Top 100[10] 39

References[]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 247.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 118.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 134. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Charts.nz – Debbie Harry – Backfired". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Debbie Harry – Backfired". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "Debbie Harry: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "Debbie Harry Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Debbie Harry Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Debbie Harry Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending September 19, 1981". Cash Box. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
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