In 1981, This Legendary Rock Group Broke Records With Their Fourth No. 1 Hit
On March 28, 1981, American rock group Blondie landed their fourth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Rapture".
The song has stood the test of time as one of the band's most innovative and forward-thinking tracks, remembered fondly today for its groundbreaking rap verse—which was the first one ever featured in a No. 1 hit.
The song was released as the final single from Autoamerican, the band's fifth studio album. The record peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and marked a huge success for the band, which was quickly becoming one of the leading voices in '80s pop rock.
"Rapture" sold over a million copies in the United States and has since been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Despite the huge acclaim that was brought by the single—and amplified by the subsequent album—Blondie entered a period of relative inactivity following its release.
"Rapture" was Blondie's fourth No. 1 hit following "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", and "The Tide is High"—but it was also the final single they would ever land at the top of the charts. The band officially split up in 1982 after guitarist (and frontwoman Debbie Harry's partner) Chris Stein's health took a serious decline.
Blondie officially returned in 1999 with "Maria", which peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom but barely made a dent on the Billboard Hot 100 and placed at No. 82. The band released several more singles over the following decades, but none placed on the charts.
As mentioned, "Rapture" is widely remembered for being the first Billboard No. 1 hit single to feature a rap verse. As the song draws to a close, Debbie Harry switches her melodic disco vocals for a hip-hop outro that pays homage to pioneers of the genre such as Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash.
Blondie were always praised for incorporating different genres into their music, with elements of heavy rock, soft pop, disco, and hip-hop infused into their unique sound through the years. "Rapture" was a perfect example of the band's ability to blend genres in a way that was both progressive and appealing to general audiences and radio stations.