70. “Modern Love” David Bowie (1983, from
Let’s Dance)
https://youtu.be/HivQqTtiHVw
For about the 5th or 6th time in his amazing career, David Bowie recreated himself in 1983, this time to take advantage of the New Wave craze. It could be argued that most of Bowie’s work for years had been New Wave, and especially much of the material on the 3 post-Ziggy albums of the late 70s in which he collaborated with Brian Eno. But on
Let’s Dance he was finally able to match his own output with what the public was enjoying at the time, and so he scored the biggest hits of his career with the title song, the cover of Iggy Pop’s “China Girl”, and “Modern Love.” Of these songs the last was the best, and the most enduring IMO.
EVERYBODY IN DA POOL! WHEEEEE!
ok, we got that out the way.
i'll agree with Timbo here, this is the best off the album. i find the title track to be a tad plodding, and "China Girl", for Bowie being on my personal Rushmore, is as throwaway a tune to me as any in his catalog ... what can i say, it's an insta hand wave/skip, i never even remotely warmed to it.
"Modern Love" is as bouncy and vibrant as he ever allowed himself to be ... the vid is the loosest he ever appeared (IN before someone references the duet w/Jagger vid/song that shall not be named) :X
this was yuuuuuuuuge commercial success for the lovable chameleon, #### it, he deserved every last inch of it ... not one of my favorite albums of his, but ... if we're going here, via Timmah's compass, this is a dynamite choice.
I am hard pressed to make comments not knowing what else is on the list. As already mentioned, Modern Love is not one of the faves of most ardent Bowie fans. Heroes, Ashes To Ashes, Fashion, or even DJ would be more New Wavy than Modern Love.
agreed with all of this, and i'll toss "Boys (Keep Swinging" into that hopper. the "SNL" performance was sublime.
again, if we're going down this route, "Ashes to Ashes" should be sky high up in here - as 'New Wavy' as it was, it was also such an essential Bowie classic. mind bottling brilliance ... the vid remains one of the most surreal artifacts the 80s ever churned out - good lawd, it's such a findmuck.
ps- a genre defiant/dabbling chap, that he was ... when i launch my top 1,047 Goth countdown, expect to see "Warszawa" (Low) to chart easily in the toppest of tiers ... he birfed the genre, proper.