Meatloaf's singles seldom sink below the 5-minute mark AP Photo Fab Five Freddy (who gets namechecked in the song) Grandmaster Flash, and Melle Mel were essentially in the process of inventing rap music here.ĭoes anybody have a clue what Debbie Harry is actually saying here? No! And it doesn't matter, because the song is more than the sum of its parts, and one of Blondie's best. Of course, the band are indebted to their contemporaries for this reason. Some dismiss Harry's flows as sounding a bit nonsensical, forgetting that this was a time where people were still realising you could talk and rhyme over music.
It's rhythmic guitars and saxophone riffs are structured in the same way the MCs were putting beats together in Brooklyn's underground clubs. Technically, 'Rapture' was the first official rap song to top the Billboard Hot 100. 'Rapture' is mish-mash of sci-fi imagery, disco, with a rap interlude from Debbie Harry to boot. Once again, the theory that pop music has to be punchy and to the point flounders here - with any luck, Styles's debut single will hit 1 billion streams on Spotify alone next year.īlondie's embrace of New York rap jarred and enthralled us all AP Photoīlondie's 'Rapture' arose at a time where the band had released five albums over five years and faced going creatively stagnant.įortunately for the nightclubs of the 80s, that didn't happen. Instead, it set him apart from his bandmates perfectly. It's difficult to verbalise what a move it was to make 'Sign of the Times' not only rooted in Bowie-esque sound palettes, but to make the listener tune in for at least 2 minutes longer than anything else in the top 10 at that moment in time.įor a 23-year-old star trying to make listeners (beyond the fandom you've already cultivated) take you seriously, there was potential for disaster. Gucci suits, acting in a Nolan film, and the adoration of Stevie Nicks will only get you so far.Ĭentral to Styles' whole schitck is taking a chance on the unconventional. There are lots of reasons Harry Styles was able to sustain the superstardom afforded to him through five years in the world's biggest boyband.
Styles' embrace of flair and theatrics sets him apart from his former bandmates AP