Video courtesy of RedBullMusic.

Think of all the prolific songs from the late ’70s and maybe there are a few that immediately come to mind: The Knack’s “My Sharona,” The Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” and, of course, the endless string of disco hits infesting the nightclubs of midtown Manhattan. There’s one song, though, that truly defines the feel of the urban jungle circa 1979. Featuring an angelically harmonic voice floating over an interspersion of exotic beats, Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” introduced us to the soul of New York’s burgeoning New Wave scene. The tune is frequently viewed as representative of the decade’s close, bringing to mind a scene of revelry and gritty discotheques. But despite being one of the most beloved tunes of the decade, the song originally stirred a bit of controversy. Blondie had emerged from the depths of CBGB, sharing the same stage as many of the original hardcore punk bands. Upon the quintet’s release of the dance-heavy “Heart of Glass,” self-described “punks” became quick to point the finger and accuse the band of “selling out.”

“I loved that it pissed off all our peers,” Blondie guitarist Chris Stein says with a smile in the beat: repeat video, “because it was like us being punk in the face of punk.”

In one of the latest installments of Red Bull Music Academy’s “beat: repeat” series, Stein revisits the classic and explains the technical mastery that led to one of the band’s most iconic songs. Take a look at the video above and get a new perspective on an innovative song!

Featured image courtesy of Red Bull Music Academy.