Blondie’s Call Me Gives Supergirl Her Punk Rock Soul

The first time I heard Blondie’s “Call Me” in the Supergirl trailer, it felt like the filmmakers were making a statement. This wasn’t going to be another polished, by-the-numbers superhero movie. This was going to have some grit, attitude, and a little punk-rock swagger. As it turns out, that choice goes much deeper than simply picking a great song from the 1980s.

Ironically, “Call Me” was never supposed to be a Blondie song in the first place.

The track began when legendary Italian producer and disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder composed the theme for the 1980 neo-noir film American Gigolo. At the time, the working title was “Man Machine,” and Moroder had someone else in mind to perform it. His first choice was Stevie Nicks, but she had recently signed a restrictive contract with Modern Records that prevented her from taking part in outside collaborations.

That rejection turned out to be one of the best accidents in rock history.

Moroder approached Debbie Harry, handing her the unfinished instrumental. Harry reportedly wrote the melody and lyrics within a matter of hours after watching an early cut of American Gigolo. Rather than writing a generic pop song, she crafted the lyrics from the perspective of Richard Gere’s character, Julian Kay, the stylish Los Angeles escort at the center of the film.

Lines like “Color me your color” and “Roll me in designer sheets” weren’t random. They reflected the movie’s glamorous, fashion-conscious world, while Harry said she pictured the opening coastal driving sequence when writing the song’s unforgettable introduction.

Once Blondie recorded the track with Moroder producing, lightning struck. “Call Me” spent six consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single of 1980. More than four decades later, it remains one of those songs that sounds just as cool today as it did when it first hit the airwaves.

That makes it a surprisingly perfect fit for Supergirl.

Everything we’ve seen suggests this isn’t a traditional cape-and-tights adventure. Inspired by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the film feels closer to a cosmic western than a conventional superhero story. There are shades of Mad Max, classic science fiction, and road movies mixed. Kara isn’t presented as the polished cousin of Superman. She’s rough around the edges, independent, and clearly carrying some emotional baggage.

That spirit is exactly what “Call Me” captures. The song balances sophistication with raw energy. It’s stylish without feeling manufactured and rebellious without trying too hard. It gives Kara the kind of soundtrack that immediately tells audiences this version of Supergirl marches to her own beat.

The Blondie connection doesn’t stop with the trailer, either.

According to guitarist Chris Stein, Kara actually wears a Blondie T-shirt during the film, and the production has even launched an official Blondie and Supergirl merchandise collaboration. Rather than feeling like a marketing tie-in, it comes across as part of Kara’s personality. Debbie Harry’s look and attitude have become part of the character’s visual DNA.

What makes this even more fun is that Debbie Harry herself has always been a comic book fan, just not in the way many people expect.

Her favorite comic book hero has long been Popeye.

Back in 1978, at the height of Blondie’s popularity, Harry was photographed by Lynn Goldsmith wearing a sailor cap and a vintage Popeye ringer T-shirt. It became one of her most recognizable looks. Harry has often described herself as a “frustrated comic-book hero,” and she and the other members of Blondie have said that their shared love of classic comics and comic art was one of the things that originally bonded them as a band.

Life has a funny way of coming full circle.

While Popeye was Harry’s comic book inspiration, Harry eventually became the inspiration herself. Artist Brian Bolland famously used Debbie Harry’s early 1980s punk style as the visual blueprint for Judge Cassandra Anderson from Judge Dredd and 2000 AD. More recently, creators such as Amanda Conner have acknowledged that Harry’s fearless New York attitude and unmistakable style helped shape modern versions of Harley Quinn.

Looking back, the Blondie and Supergirl collaboration almost feels inevitable. Debbie Harry spent decades inspiring comic book artists without officially being part of that world. Now one of rock’s greatest icons is finally crossing over into a major superhero film, bringing one of the greatest songs ever recorded along for the ride.

Sometimes the perfect soundtrack isn’t just a catchy tune. Sometimes it tells you everything you need to know about the hero before she even says a word.