Today, Billie Eilish is the prototypical young pop star. She came up with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, writing subversive songs about her being the “bad guy.” Her commanding presence, attitude, and talent have earned her global fame. Some 40 years ago, Blondie’s Debbie Harry was doing something similar, even rapping in pop songs.
Videos by American Songwriter
It’s too bad that Blondie and Billie haven’t collaborated. If they had, we would see the lineage in full force, the torch passed. Instead, we turned to ChatGPT to see what the artificial intelligence system would come up with when tasked to write a duet in the styles of the two icons.
[RELATED: Best Christmas Song Ever? Blondie Rediscovers Lost Gem with Fab 5 Freddy]
“Dreamland”
(Verse 1)
Debbie:
In the city lights, we come alive,
Billie:
In the neon glow, we’ll take that dive,
Debbie:
A heart of glass, it’s tough as steel,
Billie:
My ocean eyes, they’re too real to conceal.
(Chorus – Debbie and Billie harmonizing)
Debbie:
Call me, call me, a faded dream,
Billie:
Whisper, whisper, things unseen,
Debbie:
Parallel worlds, collide in the night,
Billie:
Our voices merge, in the pale moonlight.
(Verse 2)
Billie:
Crimson lips, your touch so cold,
Debbie:
Electric thrill, a story untold,
Billie:
A voice of the night, I’m in your grip,
Debbie:
A heart of glass, it’s about to split.
(Chorus – Debbie and Billie harmonizing)
Debbie:
Call me, call me, a faded dream,
Billie:
Whisper, whisper, things unseen,
Debbie:
Parallel worlds, collide in the night,
Billie:
Our voices merge, in the pale moonlight.
(Bridge)
Debbie:
Atomic hearts in the night,
Billie:
Ocean depths, taking flight,
Debbie:
Rapture in your touch,
Billie:
Bad guy, we’re in a rush.
(Verse 3)
Debbie:
Heart of glass, won’t shatter now,
Billie:
Ocean eyes, just show me how,
Debbie:
In this dreamland, we’ll collide,
Billie:
Side by side, we’ll take that ride.
(Chorus – Debbie and Billie harmonizing)
Debbie:
Call me, call me, a faded dream,
Billie:
Whisper, whisper, things unseen,
Debbie:
Parallel worlds, collide in the night,
Billie:
Our voices merge, in the pale moonlight.
(Outro)
Debbie:
Atomic hearts, they’ll never break,
Billie:
Ocean eyes, they’ll never fake,
Debbie:
In this fusion of past and now,
Billie:
Our duet, forever, we’ll somehow wow.
Final Thoughts
This song is fun—you can feel the passion and the allure on the page. These two seem like kindred spirits who would have an easy time collaborating, each making the next line more eyebrow-raising. This will likely never happen in real life, but that’s why human beings invented AI and ChatGPT, right?
Photo by Matthew Baker/Getty Images
