“Denis” was a Top 10 hit for doo-wop group Randy & The Rainbows in 1963 as “Denise.” Blondie, fronted by lead vocalist Debbie Harry, covered it in 1977 on Plastic Letters, its sophomore release.
MixOnline reports: “'(It) sounded like a hit from the minute they started playing it,’ engineer/producer Rob Freeman says. ‘Debbie’s voice was bubbly … and cut right through the rhythm tracks. She had that little growl that would come in every now and then.'” Harry “also played with the lyrics of the song. The band had changed their version from Denise to Denis, French for Dennis, so that Harry could sing ‘You’re my king’ and ‘I’m so lucky ’cause I found a boy like you’ in French.”
This punchy two-minute pop tune went to #2 in the UK, #1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and top 20 in several other countries. The single didn’t perform well in the US, although the album sold very well. The band was well on its way to becoming “the most commercially successful band to emerge from the New York punk/new wave community of the late ’70s” (AllMusic). The half-step modulation is at 1:05.
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