Hits like \u2018Heart of Glass\u2019 and \u2018One Way or Another\u2019 quickly became anthems, pushing punk onto the radio at long bloody last, and their star only rose from there.\u00a0Parallel Lines<\/em>\u00a0was followed by the critically acclaimed\u00a0Eat to the Beat<\/em>, and when they released the song \u2018Call Me\u2019 in 1980 for the soundtrack of the film\u00a0American Gigolo,<\/em>\u00a0it cemented their status as a peroxide international sensation.<\/p>\n Blondie finally broke up in 1982, marred by drugs, and singer Debbie Harry went on to pursue sobriety and a moderately successful solo career. But when they regrouped in 1997, it was almost as if no time had passed. Their first album after reuniting,\u00a0No Exit,<\/em>\u00a0was a roaring success, with its first single, \u2018Maria\u2019, topping the charts, ensuring that their commercial credit continued into a new era.<\/p>\n Talking Heads\u2019 ascent to fame was vastly different and a lot more gradual. They enjoyed a moderate success as a local group in New York and released several inspired albums through the 1970s. Alas, inspired albums don\u2019t always equal an influx of cash. Just ask the Velvet Underground before them.<\/p>\n But thankfully, David Byrne\u2019s band\u2019s first commercial breakthrough finally came in 1983 with the release of\u00a0Speaking in Tongues,<\/em>\u00a0a cracking collaboration with legendary producer Brian Eno. The album included the hit \u2018Burning Down the House,\u2019 which finally brought them the chart recognition they\u2019d been working hard for for years, despite signing, \u201cNever for money, always for love.\u201d<\/p>\n The next year, though, was their most successful year as a band. In 1984, Talking Heads released\u00a0Stop Making Sense,<\/em>\u00a0a live album which contained the band\u2019s biggest hit to date, \u2018Psycho Killer.\u2019 1985 saw the release of\u00a0Little Creatures,<\/em>\u00a0a worthy follow-up to the previous commercial success, with hits like \u2018And She Was\u2019 and \u2018Road to Nowhere\u2019 unabashedly stealing the spotlight with a poppy appeal to match any heavily mascara\u2019d\u00a0Top of the Pops<\/em>\u00a0star.<\/p>\n Both bands will go down in history as two of the biggest influences of their time, evident in the echoes modern bands like Midnight Rodeo, but when it comes to commercial success and international recognition, there is really no debate: Blondie takes the gold like candy from a baby. Debbie Harry\u2019s band has sold over\u00a040 million records worldwide, and\u00a0Parallel Lines<\/em>\u00a0alone sold half of that. The fact that they are still active and touring surely contributes to their continued relevance in the music world and commercial sales to boot.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Talking Heads, while just as influential and crucial to the CBGB movement, enjoyed less commercial success, with sales reaching around\u00a010m worldwide. In addition to this, Blondie had several chart-topping hits throughout their career, but although songs like \u2018Psycho Killer\u2019 and \u2018Road to Nowhere\u2019 are forever classics destined to only gain even more airtime at indie discos, Talking Heads never reached number one on the charts.<\/p>\n Even so, these two bands were equally important for the New Wave rise, and when it comes to the generational impact they had, it\u2019s really not fair to pit them one against the other. But in doing so, what this battle truly illuminates is the oddity of Talking Heads. Most fans would be startled to learn that the hugely influential group actually had cumulative sales from their entire discography outstripped by one single\u00a0Footloose<\/em>\u00a0soundtrack. The world is a sham. Both acts deserved more than the slack public could give them.<\/p>\n Blondie\u00a0and Talking Heads were pioneers of the New Wave in New York City, bringing a brand of \u2018intellectual dance\u2019 to the deprived scene of the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Blondie](\"https:\/\/cdn1.faroutmagazine.co.uk\/uploads\/1\/2024\/01\/Blondie-1978-Far-Out-Magazine-F-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/div>How do Talking Heads match up?<\/h2>\n
![\"Talking](\"https:\/\/cdn1.faroutmagazine.co.uk\/uploads\/1\/2023\/07\/Talking-Heads-1985-Far-Out-Magazine-F-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/div>But who was more successful?<\/h2>\n