“Rapture“ is a song by the American pop/rock band Blondie with Debbie Harry….which was from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican in 1980…..when in January 1981, “Rapture” was released as the second and final single from the album…..as the song became their fourth and last single to reach # 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart….where it stayed for two weeks…..plus it was the first # 1 song in the U.S. to feature rap vocals. The song peaked at # 4 in Australia…. and # 5 in the United Kingdom. “Rapture” is a combination of disco, funk and hip hop….with the rap section forming an extended coda….as the song title “Rapture” served to indicate this element. While it was not the first single featuring rapping to be commercially successful….it was the first to top the charts….while its lyrics were especially notable for name-checking hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash. The music video for “Rapture” made its U.S. television debut on Solid Gold on January 31, 1981….and not only became the first rap video ever broadcast on MTV….but was part of its first ever 90-video rotation.
As seen in this video herewith….Debbie Harry & Blondie perform “Rapture” in studio in 1983…..which was seen during USA Network’s Night Flight Video Jukebox segment.
