"One Way or Another" is a song by Americanrock bandBlondie from their 1978 albumParallel Lines. Lyrically, the song was inspired by Blondie frontwomanDeborah Harry's experience with a stalker in the early 1970s, an incident which forced her to move away fromNew Jersey. The song's music was composed by bassistNigel Harrison, who introduced theVentures-influenced track to keyboardistJimmy Destri.
"One Way or Another" was released as the fourth North American single fromParallel Lines, following the band's chart-topping "Heart of Glass" single. The song reached number 24 in the US and number 7 in Canada. It was not released as a single in the UK, but later charted in 2013, along with a cover by British bandOne Direction forComic Relief, with the latter reaching number 1.
"One Way or Another" has since seen critical acclaim for Harry's aggressive vocals and the band's energetic performance. It has been ranked by many critics as one of the band's best songs, has appeared on several compilation albums, and has become a live favorite for the band.
Written byDebbie Harry andNigel Harrison for the band's third studio album,Parallel Lines (1978), "One Way or Another" was inspired by one of Harry's ex-boyfriends whostalked her after their breakup.[7] According to Harry, the boyfriend's constant calling and persistent stalking forced her to move out ofNew Jersey.[8] The stalking had taken place in 1973, when Harry was a member ofThe Stilettos; Harry's former bandmate Elda Gentile recalled, "It was freaking us all out, especiallyChris [Stein]".[9] Harry explained in an interview withEntertainment Weekly:
I was actually stalked by a nutjob so it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event. But I tried to inject a little bit of levity into it to make it more lighthearted. I think in a way that's a normal kind of survival mechanism. You know, just shake it off, say one way or another, and get on with your life. Everyone can relate to that and I think that's the beauty of it.[10]
Musically, the song was composed by bassist Nigel Harrison, who first introduced the song to keyboardistJimmy Destri.[11] He explained, "My original music for 'One Way or Another' was thispsychedelic,Ventures-like futuristicsurf song gone wrong. Jimmy [Destri] really liked this piece of music, and we would play it on the road. Then Debbie picked up on it; she came up with the 'getcha-getcha-getcha's'".[12] Harry later claimed to have worked out the song live with Harrison.[13] The song was recorded between June and July 1978 at New York's Record Plant studio.[8] According to Harrison, producerMike Chapman came up with the chaotic ending section.[12]
In addition to its appearance onParallel Lines, the song was included on the US and Canadian versions of the band's first hits compilation,The Best of Blondie (1981), as it was released as a single there, but not on the international releases. It has since appeared on multiple other compilations, including a re-recorded version on 2014'sBlondie 4(0) Ever.
Blondie released a manipulated live version of the song (with the audience noise removed) as the theme for the 1999 US television seriesSnoops. This version was released in the US as a bonus track on theLivelive album.[15] The original un-edited live version was later included on the European edition ofLive, which was re-titledLivid, instead of the manipulated one.[16] Harry has since noted the song as a live favorite, recalling concerts where the crowd would point back at her and sing along.[11]
Since its release, "One Way or Another" has seen critical acclaim.Billboard said that "One Way or Another" as "moves in machine gun fashion as Debbie Harry's vocal sounds almost demonic."[17]Cash Box noted the "gritty fuzz guitar," "pummelling drum beat," "slightly quirky" beat, "engaging bass line" and said that "Harry's slinky vocals are delivered with playful aggressiveness."[18]Pitchfork praised the song as "exuberant new wave, far looser than the stiff, herky-jerky tracks that would go on to characterize that sound in the 80s,"[19] whileLouder said of the track, "It was the song that took them from the punk clubs of New York to the arenas of the world, and cemented Debbie Harry's status as rock's foremost badass."[8]Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 298 on its list ofthe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[20]
Paste ranked the song as the second greatest Blondie song, writing that the song "stands as one of the best songs—by Blondie or anyone else—of all time."[21]Billboard ranked it as the band's fifth best song,[22] whileUltimate Classic Rock named it as the band's sixth best, writing, "From the opening stabbing guitar riff to the song's wailing, chaotic finale, 'One Way or Another' is the sound of a great band earning its rep."[23]The Independent named it as the band's ninth best.[24]
English-Irishboy bandOne Direction covered "One Way or Another" as a charity single forComic Relief 2013, titled "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)", as it also interpolates lyrics fromthe Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" ("I wanna hold you, wanna hold you tight /Get teenage kicks right through the night"). The single was released on 17 February 2013, and was produced byJulian Bunetta andJohn Ryan.
Ahead of its release, an early version of the song leaked online. A spokesperson forSyco Music told theDaily Mirror, "It is very disappointing that the song has been leaked and we are currently investigating the matter."[37]
The single received mixed reviews from music critics. Robert Copsey ofDigital Spy said "the cheeky lyrics, bouncy pop-rock melody and singalong chorus feel like an obvious but reassuringly safe option for this year's official Comic Relief single", concluding that it was "predictable but [...] undeniably fun".[36]About.com critic Bill Lamb called the single a "strong performance", assessing, "The layering of the 'Na Na Na Na' bridge from 'One Way Or Another' with the chorus, "I wanna hold you wanna hold you tight, get teenage kicks right through the night" is truly inspiring." However, Lamb also noted that "lyrically, 'One Way Or Another' is nearly a song about the finer points of stalking, and that can be just a bit creepy coming from young males."[38]
Jessica Sager ofPopCrush summarised it as "catchy, fun and ... sounds exactly what you'd expect when One Direction cover Blondie." Sager additionally praisedLouis Tomlinson's vocals as sounding "phenomenal" in his solo.[39] Writing forMTV, Jenna Rubenstein assessed: "1D's version sticks mainly to the original's vibe, mixing in sugary-sweet pop production with Blondie's punk rock sensibilities."[40]
Writing forThe Observer, Kitty Empire was scathing, describing the medley as "execrable".[41] When the single reached number 1 in theIrish Singles Chart,RTÉ described the news as "shocking", noting the single as "just a bit ho hum".[42] TheBelfast Telegraph was equally critical, blasting the cover as a "travesty" that had been "re-worked into a sanitised Comic Relief single", which were "scrappy shadows of the originals".[43][44]
PopMatters gave it the No.1 spot on its "Best Mainstream Pop Singles of 2013" list, calling it "the most inspired, fun track of the year".[45]
The song was later included in the Japanese edition of the band's third studio albumMidnight Memories as the 19th track.[46]
"One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" debuted at number one on theUK Singles Chart dated 24 February 2013, shifting 113,000 copies in its first week—the second highest first-week UK sales for any song in 2013 at the time.[47] It marks their third chart-topper and seventh top ten hit in the United Kingdom.[48] As of March 2013, the song has sold 292,000 copies in the UK.[49]
One Direction debuted the song live during the2013 Brit Awards on 20 February 2013.[52] The group also performed the song live during the Comic Relief telethon on 15 March 2013.[53]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^Molanphy, Chris (October 14, 2023)."This Ain't No Party?! Edition".Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast).Slate. RetrievedNovember 10, 2023.
_by_One_Direction.png)
