Rapture

This is kind of late to enter here, but I think someone searching should have something of some substance to read about this song. But before I get to that, let me clear up a bit of ignorance spouted here. First, of course, Blondie did not invent rap, or for that matter, "white rap", whatever that might be. Certainly the group was aware of Gil Scott-Heron (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised) if not "The Last Poets" and similar groups. They knew what they were doing. Finally, it doesn't matter how fast Harry and Stein wrote the song and what, if anything, they were thinking when they did so. Meaning is not a matter for the writer--it is a matter for the listener.

I guess it is natural for people to figure that any rock song they can't understand is about drugs, but I don't think this is valid. When writing about drugs, most songwriters are pretty explicit about it. For example, "I'm Waiting for my Man" is about drugs; "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (LSD, get it?) is not. Even "Lookin' out My Back Door", which seems like a guy coming home, dropping acid, and tripping on his back porch, is probably not about drugs, but rather about a man home from work who finally gets a chance to play with his creativity.

Rapture seems very clear; I thought it was obvious to everyone. It is about environmental destruction and over-blown consumerism. Not that I'm saying it is that simple, but in one sentence, that's what you get. There is clearly a lot about sex, but this too is related to the commoditization of the act. Look at how they deconstruct the human interactions in the song. When dancing close, the body is breathing "almost comatose". They aren't grinding pelvises, they are "back to back" using the sacroiliac join--indicating that they are trying to interact as little as possible with each other. When they do face each other, they don't look at one another. Without human connection, what is left: the things we buy. I think the song is more relevant today than ever.

There is, of course, the whole issue of "The Rapture", and the song gets more into this toward the end. It seems to say, "The Rapture is a myth, no one is really going to come down and destroy you, but your things are going to be taken away from you--by you and the way you live--and you will be left with, what? Each other." Hence the last line, "Get up!"

And despite what someone "heard", the last line before the first "rap" section is "Twenty four hour shopping in rapture". (Some people think Hendrix said "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" too; that doesn't make it so. Meaning is for the listener, but the actual text is for the writer.)

The drug interpretation is always the easiest, but I honestly think this song is about the end of disco.

Lots of references to disco culture, and there's a definite disco beat in the song. Debbie Harry got her start in disco, so it's not surprising that she would use a disco beat, but look at the references - sacroiliac is a pelvic joint, finger popping is that infamous disco move Travolta is doing on the cover of Saturday Night Fever, all of the mentions of bars where people meet and dance. Then the stuff about tea-time technology and the digital (ardour or whatever) which is a fun, slightly psychedelic way of saying that new digital technology is moving music forward. "Have your party on TV" refers to how music was getting a huge presence on TV with music videos (remember that MTV was NOT the first channel ever to show a music video, and their first video was "Video Killed the Radio Star", which is ALREADY about the same phenomenon to which Blondie's line refers).

So my interpretation is the end of disco and with it the disco and cruising cultures being "eaten" by our own move forward in tastes and technology.

probably a science-fiction fantasy about a hungry alien -- but "paint a train" isn't nonsense. It refers to teens spraying graffiti on subways

Am I the only one that actually loves the rap part!

Sounds like voodoo to me, but I'm not sure and most likely wrong. The "man from mars" is a voodoo god (according to wikipedia) Also according to wikipaedia, "the lyrics of "Rapture" included references to hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash." This song rocks, and I'm not fond of rapping.

The dude in white hat and tails was dancer William Barnes, whom also coregraphed the video. Fab Five Freddy made cameo appearance in the video also.

Perhaps,people being harrassed by the cops-"drive all night until you see a light".......

It reminds me of "Stranger from a Strange Planet" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441790348/104-1837774-2486363?v=glance&n=283155 It was about a man known to the world as the "Man from Mars." He was human. Most of the symbols seem to click. I don't know if she could have read it before writing those lyrics, though.

'Magnificent Seven': Great song, but it's not really rap. More like they're half-chanting, half-singing. Anyways, there were white and black groups rapping way before either The Clash or Blondie. Blondie just introduced it to the masses.

Their video for 'Rapture' shows Debbie Harry introducing the music as 'rapping', and explaining a bit behind the technique. I remember thinking, "Yeah -- that's never going to catch on". Wrongo. Great video. Anyone know who the dude in white hat and tails was?

You're thinking of "Stranger in a Strange Land"

Who rapped on "sacroiliac" first - Debbie H. or Grand Master Flash in "The Message"?