"Rapture" is a song by the American pop/rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. In January 1981, "Rapture" was released as the second and final single from the album. The song became their fourth and last single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It was the first number-one song in the U.S. to feature rap vocals. The song peaked at number four in Australia and number five in the United Kingdom. "Rapture" is a combination of disco, funk, and hip hop with the rap section forming an extended coda.
The versions appearing on the U.S. and UK 7" and 12" singles were quite different. The US 7" single, also issued with a different cover picture, used the Autoamerican album version and the US 12" single used a version with an additional verse, making it just 40 seconds longer. For the UK and other market single releases, producer Mike Chapman remixed the track completely. The Special Disco Mix has a different introduction and a longer instrumental break with new percussion overdubbed, and includes the extra verse, making it 10 minutes long. The UK 7" version was an edit of this Special Disco Mix without the extra verse. A slightly different edit with the extra verse appeared on the band's first "greatest hits" compilationThe Best of Blondie in 1981. The album track "Live It Up" was also extended and remixed for the B-side of the non-U.S. 12" single. This 8-minute version was included on the 1994 UK CD edition of Autoamerican and was reissued as part of EMI's 15-disc Blondie Singles Box in 2004. Blondie re-recorded the song for their 2014 compilation albumGreatest Hits Deluxe Redux. The compilation was part of a 2-disc set called Blondie 4 Ever which included their 10th studio album Ghosts of Download and marked the 40th anniversary of the forming of the band. The picture of Debbie Harry used for the UK editions of the original 7" and 12" "Rapture" singles was later used for the cover of 1995 compilation .
Remixes
Other than the original remixes from 1981, the first official remix of "Rapture" can be found on the 1988 compilation album Once More into the Bleach. The track was remixed again and reissued as a single in both the UK and the US in 1994 this time peaking at No. 8 in the U.S. BillboardHot Dance Club Play. This remix was included on compilations The Platinum Collection, ' and '.
Rapture Riders
In 2005, "Rapture" was "mashed" with The Doors' 1971 single "Riders on the Storm" into "Rapture Riders" by Go Home Productions. This unofficial mashup remix was later approved by both bands and released as a single credited to Blondie vs. The Doors. It was also included on Blondie's 2005 compilation. "Rapture Riders" made the top 10 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart and was a top-40 hit in Australia and Europe.
Covers
scratch mixed "Rapture" on his single "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" and also included the track on his 2002 DJ mix album , editing out all the rap parts. It was also sampled by Won-G for his single "Caught Up in the Rapture", and was interpolated by rapper KRS-One on his 1997 single "Step into a World ". In 2000, it was sampled once more by Glamma Kid on his single "Bills 2 Pay". In that same year, Destiny's Child sampled it on their single "Independent Women". The song was also sampled by the Jungle Brothers in the song "In Days 2 Come" from the album "Done by the Forces of Nature". Elements of "Rapture" were recreated for the Joe Pesci song "Wise Guy", in which he raps in-character as Vincent LaGuardia Gambini from the film My Cousin Vinny. English synthpop duo Erasurecovered "Rapture" in 1997 album, with Vince Clarke providing the rap. It was also included in the setlist for their 2005 tour, "The Erasure Show". Kylie Minogue came onstage to sing a shortened version with Justin Timberlake to complete his performance at the BRIT Awards in 2003. In 2004 at VH1's annual Diva's Live concert, Debbie Harry performed "Rapture" with rapper Eve, who performed her own original rap. Alicia Keys performed a cover of this song on the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack, released on May 25, 2010. Eurobeat/Italo disco artist Sophie released an Italo disco cover of the song in 1989 initially on her My World album. The song later appeared on Super Eurobeat Volume 1 in 1994.
