365 Days of Songs (1979)
Blondie, “Union City Blue”
MUSIC
Good lord, the drumming on this one. I know, that’s not typically the starting point for talking about a song, but Clem Burke’s drumming is just so damn good here. Just what he’s doing with the crash cymbals and kick drum are incredible! He’s the pulse of the song.
And the song has a ton of great elements. Amazing melody, great guitar parts, dynamics, a perfect false stop before the soaring coda, and open-ended lyrics that work in concert with the music to create a story.