Rapture

"Rapture" is a song by the American rock band Blondie. It was released as the second and final single from their fifth record Autoamerican on January 12, 1981 via Chrysalis Records.

The song was written by vocalist Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein in 1979 after attending multiple rap events in New York, starting in 1978 when the rapper Fab 5 Freddy, who is mentioned in the song, took them to one.

“Rapture” was the first song containing rap vocals to hit number 1 on US charts and the first rap music video to broadcast on MTV. The single spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold one million copies in the US, where it was certified Gold by the RIAA. It also charted in Canada at number 3 and in the UK and Australia at number 5.

The song was covered by Soldier Boy in the tv show The Boys. It has also been covered by many other artists, including Alicia Keys for the 2010 film Sex and the City 2, Lizzo for the tv show Made In Chelsea and Erasure as a bonus track for their 1997 album Cowboy, among others.

In 2005, “Rapture" was mashed with the song “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors and was titled “Rapture Riders”.

In November of 2021, Blondie released an alternate version of the track titled “Yuletide Throwdown” which featured Fab 5 Freddy himself. This was later included on their 2022 debut archival project Against The Odds: 1974 - 1982.