Ranking #255 (#259 in 2017) on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time and with its 1.3 million sales in UK only, “Heart Of Glass” made Blondie one of the zeitgeist bands of the 70s.
Initially called “Once I Had A Love”, and referred to as “The Disco Song,” it was one of the first Blondie songs to be written, albeit with a disco beat and a slower pace, until it was arranged and re-recorded as a more Pop-oriented tune, to sound the way it sounds now.
According to Debbie Harry, who co-wrote the song with Chris Stein, “the lyrics weren’t about anyone. They were just a plaintive moan about lost love.”
Nice demo. But the producer was right... the song became far more interesting and edgier with a dance arrangement, in place of the initial "bossa nova" style. And popularity is not the same as quality... but I don't see this one leading the rankings either, despite how enjoyable it is.