Lead singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein wrote most of Blondie's songs, but not this one. "The Tide Is High" is a cover song, originally recorded by a Jamaican vocal group called The Paragons in 1967. Harry and Stein heard the song on a compilation tape they picked up in London; they thought it was too good not to record. Their version was a huge hit, going to #1 in both the US and UK.
The song was written by John Holt, who sang tenor in The Paragons. Holt wrote a lot of love songs; in this one, he's willing to wait out the high tide to get his girl back. When Blondie recorded the song, they switched the gender so it from: I'm not the kind of man who gives up just like that to: I'm not the kind of girl who gives up just like that
Blondie experimented with many different sounds. They were a punk/new wave band in their early years, making a name playing clubs like CBGB's in New York. This song was their foray into reggae, but they played around with rap on "Rapture" and with disco on "Heart Of Glass."
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