We've been missing you and missing each other.
To help us stay connected, we've started a record-from-home covers project.
The first song in our series is “Hanging on the Telephone”, first recorded by The Nerves for their 1976 self-titled EP, and later by Blondie for the 1978 album Parallel Lines. The song was picked out by Nicole, check out her notes below.
Cover Notes:
I’ve wanted to cover “Hanging on the Telephone” for a while now, and it seems fitting that we did it in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve never felt more of a longing to connect with the people I’m closest to than right now. Our interactions are primarily phone or screen-based these days, and it’s just not the same as being beside each other. I’m hanging on, one day at a time, for the day that we can all be physically close to one another again. In the meantime, I’ve been reading Debbie Harry’s “Face It” memoir so once again, this cover is super timely.
I’m sure The Nerves had their own meaning to this song when it was first recorded for their 1976 EP. And Blondie gave it new life on 1978’s infamous Parallel Lines. But beyond the desire to connect, for me, this song also speaks to that slightly obsessive feeling you get when you have a crush on someone. You want to talk to them all the time. You want to know what they’re doing, if they are spending time with someone else, and if they feel the same way that you do. So you wait for the text bubble to show that they are replying, or decide that waiting around is wasted time.
I recorded these vocals on my cell phone in a blanket fort. Natasha and Greg took care of the rest in the basement studio. And in a nod to Blondie’s nod to The Shangri-Las, we started it off with an appropriate sound effect. Enjoy, and (hopefully) see you soon.