One Way Or Another by Blondie
Released as a single in 1979, One Way Or Another appears on Blondie's 1978 album Parallel Lines. It was written by Debbie Harry and the Blondie crew, with Mike Chapman guiding the track's punchy arrangement. The song pairs a relentless, pop-punk guitar riff with an insistent vocal hook, helping to propel Blondie from the club circuit to MTV-era superstardom. Its snarling energy and memorable melody made it a defining moment of late-70s New Wave, and it remains a staple on classic rock and pop-rock playlists.
Recording history notes emphasize Chapman's crisp, compressed production and the tight, driving rhythm section. Culturally, the track bridged punk immediacy with glossy pop sensibility, and its chant-like chorus and chase-like energy have kept it in film, TV, and cover repertoires for decades.
🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!
What You'll Learn
In this lesson you’ll master Blondie’s signature riff and the song’s driving groove: a palm-muted, power-chord-based motif that repeats over the verse, plus a simple chord progression for the chorus. You’ll learn how to lock in the tight 4/4 feel at a moderate tempo, count the eighth-note pulses, and switch cleanly between muted riffing and fuller strummed sections. We’ll cover tricky parts like maintaining a sharp staccato attack at speed, clean transitions between riff and chord sections, and a beginner-friendly arrangement that captures the energy of the original without getting overwhelmed by speed.
Intermediate; having some experience with power chords, palm muting, and steady timing will help you pick up the main riff quickly.
🎸 Techniques Used
Practice Tips
- 💡Learn the main riff slowly first, then loop small sections with a metronome until the groove locks in.
- 💡Practice hands separately: nail the muted, percussive feel of the riff before adding the full chord sections.
- 💡Play along with the original track or a drum-backed loop to internalize the 4/4 pulse and Blondie’s punchy dynamics.
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