‘Atomic’ is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single. ‘Atomic’ is widely considered one of Blondie's best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number six on their list of the 10 greatest Blondie songs, and in 2021, The Guardian ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Blondie songs.
Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri wrote this song with lead singer Debbie Harry, who claimed in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "He was trying to do something like 'Heart Of Glass,' and then somehow or another we gave it the spaghetti western treatment. Before that it was just lying there like a lox. The lyrics, well, a lot of the time I would write while the band were just playing the song and trying to figure it out. I would just be scatting along with them and I would just start going, 'Ooooooh, your hair is beautiful.'"
The song was produced as a mixture of new wave, rock and disco which had proven to be so successful in their number-one single from earlier in 1979, ‘Heart of Glass’. Billboard described ‘Atomic’ as an "electronic enhanced dance number" in which the vocals blend with the instrumental music. Cash Box said that it continues "the rock-dance fission, or rather fusion, with '60s inspired surf guitars and ground zero drumming." The song was released in February 1980 and became the band's third number one in the UK Singles Chart, where it held the top spot for two weeks. Record World called it an "electronic dancer." It reached the Top 40 in the US in Spring 1980.
The accompanying music video for ‘Atomic’ depicts the band performing on stage at what looks like a post-apocalyptic nightclub in which Debbie Harry is wearing a garbage bag as a punkish futuristic costume. The audience at the club are also dressed in suitably futuristic costumes, and footage of a horseman with the "Blondie: in the disco" new year's concert advertisement. and an atomic explosion are also intercut. The video features late supermodel Gia Carangi dancing. The horse "valet" seen in the opening is played by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Label – Chrysalis
Songwriters – Debbie Harry, Jimmy Destri
Producer – Mike Chapman
SONG LYRICS
[Chorus]Uh-huh, make me tonight, tonight, make it right
Uh-huh, make me tonight, tonight, tonight
[Verse 1]
Oh, uh-huh, make it magnificent, tonight, right
Oh, your hair is beautiful, oh, tonight
[Refrain]
Atomic
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
Tonight, make it magnificent, tonight, make me tonight
[Verse 2]
Your hair is beautiful, oh, tonight
[Refrain]
Atomic
Oh, oh, atomic
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, atomic
Oh, oh, atomic
Oh, oh