Burn baby burn! The disco days are my favorite days, and if I could choose a decade to live through, it would be the seventies, hands down! I blame the bellbottoms, big hair, metallic bodysuits, platform shoes and mega disco hits for making me such a sucker for seventies glam. And, just when it couldn’t get any better, in 1978 Blondie showed up and fused a little rock ‘n roll into the disco sound of the times. Their song “Heart of Glass” was an instant hit and is still well-known even today.
But, like any fabulous song, it only has lasting power if you can strip away all the bells, whistles, and seventies synthesizers and it still sounds pleasing to the ear. While “Heart of Glass” had all the makings of a disco-meets-new-wave hit, at its very core, it’s truly a great song–as proven years later by this impromptu driving performance from Robin Benedict and Sam Klass.
When Sam, sitting in the passenger seat, asked his best friend Robin to drive him to the airport, I don’t think either of them expected to have a successful jam session in the car. Sam sets up the camera on the dash and breaks out his mini guitar. He starts to strum the opening chords to the beloved Blondie hit and sings a much more toned down version. His voice is bouncy and reminiscent of Jack Johnson. Then, enter Robin who channels her inner Deborah Harry, and releases her rock goddess voice with the second verse.
This performance is happening all while she’s driving! Robin doesn’t skip a beat–or miss an exit–while ripping out some pretty raw vocals. She’s got that natural rock ‘n roll angelic quality that gives lift off to this folky and seriously in-the-moment car performance. Minus a few hasty lane changes, Robin manages to keep her eyes on the road and drive safely without falling short on her vocal delivery!
Sam keeps the beat on his little guitar, his lower easy-listening voice underpinning Robin’s sharp projection. It’s a great collaboration that meshes their two styles. Not only did they nail the song, but they also made it just in time for Sam’s flight. Love this duet!
Click the video below to watch these two give “Heart of Glass” their best shot. They’re so good, and they’re not even trying. I’d love to see what would happen if they had an actual stage and two microphones! New disco magic!
