Question
Blondie in 1977: Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Jimmy Destri.

Who was originally asked to sing the theme song for "American Gigolo"?

Last updated: March 27, 2026

If you needed one song to announce that the 1980s had arrived, "Call Me" was it. It gave Blondie their second Hot 100 chart topper and proved they weren't a new wave fluke. If you're a fan of the song (and let's be honest, who isn't?), you can thank legal mumbo jumbo for making it happen. Who was originally asked to sing the theme song for "American Gigolo"?

Correct Answer: Stevie Nicks

(Source)

Legal fine print has been ruining people's plans since the dawn of time. Giorgio Moroder originally brought Stevie Nicks an instrumental demo called "Man Machine" and wanted her vocals for the "American Gigolo" theme song, but her label blocked it. And I literally mean her label, because she co-founded Modern Records as a vehicle for her solo career (awkward). Moroder went to Blondie, and Debbie Harry wrote the lyrics in a few hours. Blondie wasn't thrilled that Moroder's session players handled all the instrumentation, but they rode those vocals to the biggest single of 1980.

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