A Great Cultural Debate of the Early Eighties

Even before the great Cynthia Ann Lauper vs. Madonna Louise Ciccone debate there were lots of heated discussions in our circles about who was the coolest girl in rock'n'roll.

Top candidates where these 3 ladies:

Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Tremble), in 1981, singer for band Blondie, performed "Rapture", the first No. 1 song in the U.S. to feature rap vocals and the first rap music video on MTV ever. Does not speak for MTV and the so called audiences but for band Blondie and Debbie Harry, nevertheless.

Christine Ellen Hynde of The Pretenders sang "Back On the Chain Gang" in concert and on MTV and rightfully claimed the title of coolest music journalist playing it out herself after having had enough of judging other people. She has published a really good book on music life and biz quite recently.

And while LaDonna Adrian Gaines (Donna Summer), a Vienna Volksoper member for a short time, had already excited us to new levels with "Hot Stuff" in '79, when she did "State of Independence" in 1983 we really were what we call "hin und weg" in the little country we came from.

Already in the 60ies & 70ies lady rockers and queens of soul and disco had impressed but from the mid 80ies the number of cool and well known women in rock'n'roll went up steeply with the above mentioned Cyndi and Madonna but also Chaka Khan, the "reborn" Diana Ross, Vicki Peterson and Michael Steele of the Bangles, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman of the Revolution, Sheila E. and Boni Boyer of the post Revolution Prince band, Queen Latifah, Sandra and Samantha Lawrence of the Wee Papa Girl Rappers and many more. Not to forget.

But for the late 70ies come early 80ies it was these 3 ladies mostly that impressed us and paved the way for more to come. Donna Summer sadly has already left us but Debbie and Chrissie have survived it all and are still performing, amazingly too, sometimes.

Chrissie Hynde has published a really "must read" book in her life in rock'n'roll titled "Reckless, My Life as a Pretender". If you are even a bit interested in rock music and the cultural changes of the last 50 years, go buy and make sure to read it.