"A Rose by Any Name" is a 2013 song by the American new wave band Blondie. It was the lead single from the band's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download, released as a digital download in Europe on June 21, 2013[2] (eleven months ahead of its parent album), though it was never released in the U.S. The song features The Gossip's frontwoman Beth Ditto on lead vocals with Debbie Harry.
| "A Rose by Any Name" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Blondie and Beth Ditto | ||||
| from the album Ghosts of Download | ||||
| Released | June 21, 2013 (Europe) | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Dance-rock | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Matt Katz-Bohen, Laurel Katz-Bohen[1] | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Blondie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Beth Ditto singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and release
editThe song was written by Blondie's keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen and his wife Laurel Katz-Bohen, who had previously penned two songs for the band's previous album, including the single "What I Heard". Debbie Harry has commented that Laurel Katz-Bohen was expecting a baby when the song was written, although the couple were unsure of their gender - this is the meaning of the chorus lyric "if you're a boy or if you're a girl, I'll love you just the same".
The song had its live premiere in June 2013 at the Moscow Arena club in Moscow, Russia, along with several other songs from the upcoming album.[3] On June 20, 2013, the studio version of the song was premiered on the Ken Bruce show on BBC Radio 2.[4] and was made available to listen on the band's official website.[5]
The song was one of five from the new album to be given away as a free download with each ticket purchased for the band's U.S. No Principals Tour in 2013.[6][7]
Artwork
editThe artwork for "A Rose by Any Name" was created by J. H. Williams III, who is also the artist behind the artwork for the album, Ghosts of Download. Williams also created the artwork for the album's second single "Sugar on the Side".[1]
Track listings
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Rose by Any Name" (featuring Beth Ditto) |
| 3:34 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "BLONDIE!". jhwilliams3.com. June 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
- ^ "A Rose By Any Name: single release". deborah-harry.com. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
- ^ "Blondie Setlist at Arena Moscow, Moscow, Russia". Setlist.fm. June 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
- ^ ""A Rose By Any Name" featuring Beth Ditto/premiere on the Ken Bruce show". deborah-harry.com. June 19, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
- ^ "New Track – "A Rose By Any Name"". blondie.net. June 20, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
- ^ "Tour Announcement: No Principals Tour". blonie.net. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- ^ "LISTEN: Blondie/ Beth Ditto Collab, 'A Rose By Any Name'". out.com. June 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-27.