Some of us are old enough to remember when what we now call ‘old-fashioned’ telephones were the only electronic communication devices available, they were probably attached to a wall and their mobility was thus purely a function of how long the receiver cord was. Happy days.
Of course there are very many songs about, or featuring, references to telephones as well as more up-to-date electronic communications devices, but this was the first that came to mind when I saw the prompt. That probably just goes to show which time-warp I’m trapped in.
It’s Blondie of course, from their third studio album, ‘Parallel Lines’, released in 1978.I can think of at least two other Blondie songs that would equally fit the bill: there’s ‘Call Me’ and – albeit more tangentially – ‘Picture This’ (“picture this: my telephone number”). There are countless others, however: a testament to the ubiquity of remote communication.
I’m in the phone booth, it’s the one across the hall
If you don’t answer, I’ll just ring it off the wall
I know he’s there, but I just had to call
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
I heard your mother now she’s going out the door
Did she go to work or just go to the store
All those things she said, I told you to ignore
Oh why can’t we talk again
Oh why can’t we talk again
Oh why can’t we talk again
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
It’s good to hear your voice, you know it’s been so long
If I don’t get your call then everything goes wrong
I want to tell you something you’ve known all along
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
I had to interrupt and stop this conversation
Your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation
I’d like to talk when I can show you my affection
Oh I can’t control myself
Oh I can’t control myself
Oh I can’t control myself
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
Hang up and run to me
Whoah, hang up and run to me
Whoah, hang up and run to me
Whoah, hang up and run to me
Whoah oh oh oh run to me
Written by Jack Nathan Lee
the only deadhead in the hameau 
It was nice to hear this again.
A great classic for sure!
The 6′ cord that always got tangled up and twisted, but we wouldn’t give it up for anything!
About 50 years ago, there was a company called Phonotas, whose ladies would tour offices equipped with stuff to clean the desk telephones. They also had a magical-seeming cloth (anti-static maybe?) that would miraculously untangle the cord.
How cool! I used to hold the cord and dangle the phone, watch it spin til it stopped, then let out more cord…and on and on… lol