The Nerves wrote one of new wave's most enduring earworm melodies. They never got the credit.
Formed in 1974, the trio of Jack Lee, Peter Case and Paul Collins crafted short, effervescent songs designed to cram epic brilliance into two minutes. They were not quite punk. They rejected the label "power pop". They gigged relentlessly, shared stages with Devo and the Ramones, pressed their own EP and booked a gruelling nationwide tour.
The music industry ignored them. In 1978, they split.
Then came the sting. Blondie released Parallel Lines, their smash-hit third album. It opened with a cover of the Nerves' song Hanging on the Telephone. The Blondie version became a signature track for the band and a signature wound for the three musicians who wrote it.
The Nerves helped other groups to fame through their tireless work ethic and songwriting brilliance. But the music industry scrubbed them from history. According to the Guardian, a deathbed wish may now give them a second chance at recognition and success.
The band's story reflects a common tragedy in popular music. Groups with genuine talent, distinctive sound and fierce dedication can still be eclipsed by larger acts who record their work. The Nerves did everything right, yet the timing and fortune that launches careers never arrived. What remains is a single song, played by someone else, that proves what they were capable of all along.