SONG REVIEW

Blondie Versus The Paragons

The tide is new wave and rocksteady

The tide was high in this picture. Photo by me.

In 1980, my favourite American new wave band, Blondie, released “The Tide is High.” The original version, by the Paragons, came out in 1967.

The reggae singer John Holt wrote “The Tide is High” for his group, The Paragons. Jamaican DJ Duke Reid produced it.

Blondie’s version of “The Tide is High” was the lead single on their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. It reached number one in the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand.

In 2002, the British girl group Atomic Kitten released a poppier cover of “The Tide is High.” This version was also a number-one hit.

The tide is rocksteady

The Paragons were a 1960s rocksteady band from Kingston, Jamaica, consisting of John Holt, Tyrone Evans, and Howard Barrett. The band recorded “The Tide is High” at Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio, accompanied by Tommy McCook & the Supersonics. The song featured on the 1967 album On the Beach with the Paragons sold well in Jamaica and England.