Top 200 Bowie Recordings - #1 - Heroes (1 Viewer)

[Ghost Rider]

You deserve some flaming for this one, as Changes falls in the pantheon of iconic rock songs. We all like what we like, so it’s no big deal. Given your previous comments about Hunky Dory, it is not surprising you would not be a fan of Changes. Would you like to get a preemptive thumbs down vote in for Life On Mars?

Hell no! Life On Mars? is a great song, one of my favorites by Bowie.  I might try to come up with a top 10 or 20 once you have finished. Life On Mars? will definitely be way up there.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I ran into this same friend just before we all lost our minds with the virus. Changes came on the radio, and he AGAIN mentioned "It was only the name of the mutha plucking tour!" 30 years after the fact.

Can't help but think Bowie did this on purpose, as some sort of inside joke.

 

[Anarchy99]

Can't help but think Bowie did this on purpose, as some sort of inside joke.

That would make sense if he didn’t play it at all that year, but he played Changes on 91 of his 108 shows on the tour. 

 

[Ghost Rider]

See, here is the advantage of this thread: it gets me to listen to songs that maybe I hadn't in a while.  I just listened to Quicksand and it is better than I remember it being before.  How about that?

 

[Anarchy99]

#11 - Adrian Belew With David Bowie - Pretty Pink Rose (Young Lions - 1990), (Music Video - 1990), (Live - 1990)

The song stems back to the Never Let Me Down era. After Chernobyl, Bowie penned Time Will Crawl and also started working on Pretty Pink Rose in 1987. Once the Glass Spider tour ended, he was a singer without a band and teamed up with the members of Bryan Adams' band to record some demos in 1988. At that point, the song was part Time Will Crawl pop era Bowie and part Tin Machine noise Bowie, and he had high hopes for the song. No matter what Bowie was working on, he always had something percolating in the background. While in Tin Machine, Bowie behind the scenes was working on releasing his back catalog for the first time on CDs with the Ryco record label. He was also planning to release a new career retrospective box set, a newly recorded version of Fame, and a new greatest hits CD. He was also planning a massive solo world tour performing his greatest hits, and he essentially did all this behind the collective backs of the members of Tin Machine. Things turned awkward when Bowie finally revealed his plan to Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels, who just assumed Bowie wanted him to switch gears and join forces with Bowie as a solo act. Except Bowie wasn't asking him to go on the massive world tour . . . he was only telling him about it.

Bowie had worked with Adrian Belew previously. He was the lead guitarist on the 1978 tour and had played on most of the 1979 album Lodger. Belew has had an interesting career in his own right. He's been a long time member of King Crimson. He's played on albums for lots of famous artists including Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Frank Zappa, Nine Inch Nails, Joe Cocker, and Talking Heads. At one point, when the members of Talking Heads were planning a mutiny, Belew was set to replace David Byrne. Bowie called Belew and asked him to be the lead guitarist and musical director for the upcoming tour. One of the first things Belew did right was to tell Bowie that there would not be a sideshow and monstrosity that was the Glass Spider tour, and the tour would bring focus to the music.

Belew's last solo album had sold well and gotten some airplay. He was finishing up his next album, and working with Bowie might have derailed Belew's plans for the album and his own tour. To get the guitarist on board, Bowie agreed to write and sing on two songs on Young Lions, and he promised to deliver a hit single that would be played nightly on the Bowie tour. Bowie swore up and down he had a great track ready to go, and he gave Belew the Pretty Pink Rose demo. Belew described the song as awful . . . lifeless, limp, and plodding. He hated it, so he completely reimagined and redid the song. At one point, the opening lyrics were "She had t!ts like melons . . . it was love in the rain" (Instrumental Belew Demo - 1989). Bowie's original lyrics were rewritten after the Berlin Wall came down and capitalism took root in Russia, so the song was retooled to reflect the changing political climate there (although the lyrics "the left wing's broken, the right's insane" could apply to a lot of places even now).

This song checks off all the boxes for me. Screeching guitar, upbeat tempo, memorable lyrics, and a real world tie in. (Back in college, this song became part of the folklore to a girl I became involved with. We eventually went to see Bowie on this tour together.) The single hit #2 on the U.S. Modern Rock / Alternative Tracks chart and #24 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It was the only single for Belew to ever chart in the U.K. Pretty Pink Rose was performed on 98 dates on the 1990 Sound + Vision tour and never performed again after that.

I'm guessing people may find fault with this pick, as it isn't exactly a selection from the "Bowie's popular hits column." That's ok, the song that kicks off my Top 10 is lesser known than this one is. Few will know it, most will have not heard it, it doesn't come from any of Bowie's most creative periods, and it wasn't a hit. What could go wrong? I suggest the next song will not be on anyone else's Top 10, but that's what makes the list interesting. But I am fully aware I will take grief for listing it that high, but I will stand my ground and defend it, if need be.

 

[Anarchy99]

#10 - David Bowie - Slow Burn (Heathen - 2002), (Video - 2002), (Live x 1 - 2002), (Live x 2 - 2002), (Live x 3 - 2002), (Live x 4 - 2002), (Live x 5 - 2002), (Live x 6 - 2002), (Live x 7 - 2002), (Live x 8 - 2002), (Live x 9 - 2002)

Like I said, most people will be . . . Huh? What? Never heard of it. The heart wants what the heart wants, and I love this song. Bowie lived in NYC during the 9/11 attack. Slow Burn is an outgrowth of that. Like many songs, a lot is left to individual interpretation. Some feel Bowie was imagining being trapped in the the WTC just after the attacks. Others feel it is about the mood of a scared and frightened city. Some people think it has to do with the security situation post 9/11 and suddenly having to worry about everyone and everything.

But it quite certainly IS NOT a happy song. In many Bowie songs, the lyrics seem like random words and odd concepts thrown together because they were cute or rhymed. Slow Burn has pain and emotion packed into the lyrics and the performance. Like many Bowie songs, the situations and real world equivalents tend to present themselves over and over again as the years go by. "Oh, these are the days. These are the strangest of all. These are the nights. These are the darkest to fall."

Bowie performed at the Concert For New Your City a month after the 9/11 attacks. The Who also appeared, and Bowie caught up with guitarist Pete Townshend. Pete had played on a couple of tracks from Scary Monsters in 1980 (which I referenced earlier). Bowie asked Townshend if he would work with him again on another track. Bowie later sent Slow Burn as a work in progress, and Townshend sent back his work on lead guitar. Bowie and Townshend were never in the studio together on this one, as Townshend recorded his parts in London while Bowie recorded the rest of the song in NYC. To me, the blend of sound emanating from Townshend's guitar, producer Tony Visconti's work on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bowie's vocals just fit and work so well together on the studio version. The mix is close to perfect.

I first bumped into this song by accident. Bowie played on an episode of A&E Live By Request, which was broadcast on TV and I had tuned in. I was out of my Bowie phase but figured the show would be interesting and entertaining. My wife was at work, the kids were asleep. so I figured maybe I could relive my Bowie days. He played Slow Burn that night, as the Heathen album had just been released a few days earlier. It instantly clicked and resonated with me after the powerhouse performance. Except the band was entirely different than the one on the album. Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard on guitars, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, old timer Mike Garson on keyboards, and by that point regular tour drummer Sterling Campbell. I heard the studio version on the radio the next day . . . and it remains the only time I have ever heard it on the radio.

What happened next with this song defies description. It was the first single released off the album Heathen and was rolled out to a few countries (including the U.S.). But from jump street, Columbia Records did not want to release the song in England. Once again, a label deciding the fate of a song without even giving it a chance. Apparently, they felt Bowie was repeating himself in terms of the sound and subject matter of the song and concluded it would never sell there.

To promote the song and the album, Bowie performed it live 7 times over promotional appearnaces on TV shows over a few weeks (including visits on Letterman, Conan, and the Today Show). Then the unthinkable happened. For whatever reason, the record label bailed. They canceled the single's release in other countries and no longer wanted to promote it. Bowie had performed it live on his first two dates of the Heathen tour . . . and then it got shelved forever. It essentially got played 9 times over a few weeks and never saw the light of day again. I linked all of them, not for any reason, but just because.

The Heathen album eclipsed 1 million copies sold, hit the Top 5 on the album charts in the U.K., and climbed to #14 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. To this day, I am flumoxed over the sudden and draconian dismissal of Slow Burn. I still listen to it regularly and think it is one of Bowie's best work. But you guys can try to convince me otherwise . . .

 

[Ghost Rider]

Slow Burn isn't a bad little song.  Wouldn't come closing to touching my top 10, but to each their own. Personal tastes and all that.

I had never heard Pretty Pink Rose till just now.  Not bad.

 

[Tom Servo]

Just popping in here to say that Sirius XM has a Bowie channel during the month of May. 

 

[Dr. Octopus]

#10 - David Bowie - Slow Burn (Heathen - 2002), (Video - 2002), (Live x 1 - 2002), (Live x 2 - 2002), (Live x 3 - 2002), (Live x 4 - 2002), (Live x 5 - 2002), (Live x 6 - 2002), (Live x 7 - 2002), (Live x 8 - 2002), (Live x 9 - 2002)

Like I said, most people will be . . . Huh? What? Never heard of it. The heart wants what the heart wants, and I love this song. Bowie lived in NYC during the 9/11 attack. Slow Burn is an outgrowth of that. Like many songs, a lot is left to individual interpretation. Some feel Bowie was imagining being trapped in the the WTC just after the attacks. Others feel it is about the mood of a scared and frightened city. Some people think it has to do with the security situation post 9/11 and suddenly having to worry about everyone and everything.

But it quite certainly IS NOT a happy song. In many Bowie songs, the lyrics seem like random words and odd concepts thrown together because they were cute or rhymed. Slow Burn has pain and emotion packed into the lyrics and the performance. Like many Bowie songs, the situations and real world equivalents tend to present themselves over and over again as the years go by. "Oh, these are the days. These are the strangest of all. These are the nights. These are the darkest to fall."

Bowie performed at the Concert For New Your City a month after the 9/11 attacks. The Who also appeared, and Bowie caught up with guitarist Pete Townshend. Pete had played on a couple of tracks from Scary Monsters in 1980 (which I referenced earlier). Bowie asked Townshend if he would work with him again on another track. Bowie later sent Slow Burn as a work in progress, and Townshend sent back his work on lead guitar. Bowie and Townshend were never in the studio together on this one, as Townshend recorded his parts in London while Bowie recorded the rest of the song in NYC. To me, the blend of sound emanating from Townshend's guitar, producer Tony Visconti's work on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bowie's vocals just fit and work so well together on the studio version. The mix is close to perfect.

I first bumped into this song by accident. Bowie played on an episode of A&E Live By Request, which was broadcast on TV and I had tuned in. I was out of my Bowie phase but figured the show would be interesting and entertaining. My wife was at work, the kids were asleep. so I figured maybe I could relive my Bowie days. He played Slow Burn that night, as the Heathen album had just been released a few days earlier. It instantly clicked and resonated with me after the powerhouse performance. Except the band was entirely different than the one on the album. Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard on guitars, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, old timer Mike Garson on keyboards, and by that point regular tour drummer Sterling Campbell. I heard the studio version on the radio the next day . . . and it remains the only time I have ever heard it on the radio.

What happened next with this song defies description. It was the first single released off the album Heathen and was rolled out to a few countries (including the U.S.). But from jump street, Columbia Records did not want to release the song in England. Once again, a label deciding the fate of a song without even giving it a chance. Apparently, they felt Bowie was repeating himself in terms of the sound and subject matter of the song and concluded it would never sell there.

To promote the song and the album, Bowie performed it live 7 times over promotional appearnaces on TV shows over a few weeks (including visits on Letterman, Conan, and the Today Show). Then the unthinkable happened. For whatever reason, the record label bailed. They canceled the single's release in other countries and no longer wanted to promote it. Bowie had performed it live on his first two dates of the Heathen tour . . . and then it got shelved forever. It essentially got played 9 times over a few weeks and never saw the light of day again. I linked all of them, not for any reason, but just because.

The Heathen album eclipsed 1 million copies sold, hit the Top 5 on the album charts in the U.K., and climbed to #14 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. To this day, I am flumoxed over the sudden and draconian dismissal of Slow Burn. I still listen to it regularly and think it is one of Bowie's best work. But you guys can try to convince me otherwise . . .

I did not know this song. I liked it. I won’t comment if it’s top 10 “worthy”, since this is my first time hearing it - like I said my blind spot with Bowie of from about 1993-2005.

 

[Anarchy99]

I did not know this song. I liked it. I won’t comment if it’s top 10 “worthy”, since this is my first time hearing it - like I said my blind spot with Bowie of from about 1993-2005.

It dawned on me that the biggest issue with compiling a list will be that not everyone will have been exposed to 400+ songs. That makes it harder, as people that might be familiar with 40 songs have a much easier time in coming up with their 10 favorites. Like you, I hadn’t been into Bowie for over 10 years when Slow Burn came out. I discovered it by accident. For people that haven’t heard some of these songs, it will be hard to consider them near the top when there are others they have heard hundreds of times. 

 

[Dr. Octopus]

It dawned on me that the biggest issue with compiling a list will be that not everyone will have been exposed to 400+ songs. That makes it harder, as people that might be familiar with 40 songs have a much easier time in coming up with their 10 favorites. Like you, I hadn’t been into Bowie for over 10 years when Slow Burn came out. I discovered it by accident. For people that haven’t heard some of these songs, it will be hard to consider them near the top when there are others they have heard hundreds of times. 

I bought Black Tie White Noise  which I really liked in its quirky way and then for some reason none of his stuff really hit my radar until The Next Day, which I really liked and then of course  BlackStar.

 

[Anarchy99]

#9 - David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Acoustic Demo - 1971), (Live First Performance - 1972), (Live - 1973), (Live - 1978), (Live - 1990), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002), (Live - 2003), (Live - 2004)
Covers: Bauhaus, Def Leppard, Cybernauts, Green Day, Phish, Gail Ann Dorsey, Grade, Rausch, Stun Gun, Chevy Metal, AFI, Massacre, Nina Hagen, Katie Melua, Dirty Scavenger, Elliot Brood, Balzac, Margot & The Nuclear So And So's, Bloodstone, Gourds, Capsula, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Nuit D'Octobre, White Buffalo, Jeff Dahl, Rolly Teranishi, Thursday Night Collective

We'll go much more traditional Bowie for this one. The persona that turned him into a star. Technically, Ziggy the character only was around for a year, but he sort of was around intermittently from 1970-1974. Ziggy Stardust, the song, may not be the greatest song about bisexual alien rock stars communicating with extraterrestrial beings, but most people would probably rank it in their Top 10 songs about bisexual alien rock stars communicating with extraterrestrial beings. Another Bowie song that is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Rolling Stone ranked it #277 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. As discussed previously, the song was never released as a single (although it hit #17 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart 44 years later in 2016 after DB died).

As embarrassing as it sounds, I thought this was a Bauhaus song as a misguided teen. I did a weekly radio show in high school (and later in college). Bauhaus released their version of the song in 1982, which became a decent hit among the alternative rock community. They had recorded at Trident Studios (where Bowie recorded frequently in the early 70's). They punked someone at the record label, saying they had found a secret recording of Bowie's hidden at Trident Studios. Their version hit #15 on the UK singles chart. Imagine my surprise (and stupidity) when I later bought Changesonebowie the following year (Bowie's first greatest hits collection) . . . when I actually was shocked that Bowie had covered a Bauhaus song! 

From 1970-1972, Bowie dabbled in songs that would appear on Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, and Ziggy Stardust. ZS the song was written and initially recorded before Hunky Dory was recorded and released. Ziggy's clothes, hair, and makeup were based on the Malcom McDowell character in A Clockwork Orange. DB said the Ziggy character so took over his life that he claimed it was driving him to madness and insanity, so he had to kill off the character. He went decades without watching any tape of his performances as Ziggy. It is thought that he finally watched himself performing as Ziggy when the remastered and expanded version of Ziggy Stardust the movie was released in 2003 . . . and he thought it was hilarious. Some also believe that is why Bowie brought back a number of Ziggy era tunes for his Reality tour. Suffragette City followed by Ziggy Stardust closed each show . . . meaning Ziggy was the last song he played on his final full show. That was at the Hurricane Festival in Germany in 2004, where he is said to have experienced a heart attack 3/4 through the show. . . and still finished the concert.

The song was retired more times than Brett Favre. He retired Ziggy the character in 1973, but ZS the song reappeared in 1978. It went dormant again until 1990, where Bowie said this time he meant it by saying he wouldn't be performing it again. Over 150,000 people got treated to the surprise performance of the song at the Glastonbury Festival in 2000, a performance NME magazine called the greatest festival show performance of all time. (Bowie had also performed at the 1971 Glastonbury Festival). I don't know about it being the greatest festival performance ever, but the Live at Glastonbury album is really good. After that performance, Bowie (thankfully) kept Ziggy on the setlist the rest of the way. For a song that was "retired," it ended up being the 7th most played Bowie song at 436 performances.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I don’t see any complaints on that one other than it should have been even higher.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I don’t see any complaints on that one other than it should have been even higher.

It would have been the last song I listed,  but that's because I list everything alphabetically.

 

[Anarchy99]

#8 - Queen With David Bowie - Under Pressure - (Hot Space - 1982), (Demo - 1981), (Studio Outtake - 1981), (Queen First Live Performance - 1981), (Queen SNL - 1982), (Rehearsal W/Annie Lennox - 1992), (Live W/Annie Lennox - 1992), (Live - 1995), (Live - 1996), (Live - 1997), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2003), (Live - 2004), (Queen + Paul Rodgers - 2006), (Queen + Adam Lambert - 2014)
Covers: Foo Fighters, Train, Keane, Pink, Eddie Vedder & Ben Harper, Shawn Mendes & Teddy Geiger, The Used & My Chemical Romance, Will.I.Am - Gavin Rossdale - Tom Jones - Jennifer Hudson, Joss Stone, Smash Mouth

This one originally started out as a song called Feel Like by Roger Taylor. At the time, Queen was recording Hot Space in Switzerland and Bowie was there recording his songs for the Cat People film. They bumped into each other one night and agreed to try to record something together. Queen then asked Bowie to sing backup vocals on a song called Cool Cat (Original With/DB) for Hot Space. Eventually, Bowie didn't like how he sounded, so the song was released without his vocal contributions (Album version). They decided they would try to record something else together. While they were brainstorming what else they could do, Queen bassist John Deacon came up with perhaps the catchiest baseline of all baselines. Everyone took a break to go out for pizza . . . and Deacon forgot the baseline while they were out. After they all struggled to remember it when they all came back to the studio, eventually drummer Roger Taylor remembered it (which seems crazy given how simple it is).

The recording session for Under Pressure can best be described as "everyone made it out alive (barely)". Ask any of those that were involved . . . it was a struggle and a mostly miserable experience. Freddie Mercury and Brian May (and the rest of Queen) often squabbled over how to record songs. Bowie was used to calling all the shots all the time. Add those together, and it was a power struggle between music titans. Members of Queen claim Freddie wrote almost the entire retooled song. The compromise was the song was credited to all the members of Queen and Bowie. Bowie was quick to want to change just about everything during the recording of the song, insisting that they add the claps and snaps at the beginning from the moment the tape started rolling. A lot of the vocal embellishment by both singers was improvised . . . and sometimes that was well received and other times not. Perhaps there was miscommunication from the beginning, as it sounds like Queen wanted to be in control of the music and the arrangement and have Bowie just sing. It appears Bowie looked at it as a chance to work with a new group of musicians and get them to see his vision. By that point, everyone involved were already superstars and didn't want to budge. Either way, the song does appear to have turned into a collaborative effort. The studio outtake linked above is pretty interesting. Neither Queen nor Bowie were in love with the finished product, but the key word was that it was finished.

As a side note, Bowie first met Freddie (at the time still using his given name Farrokh Bulsara) when Mercury worked at a clothing store in London in 1969. It is said he sold Bowie a pair of boots.

Under Pressure became the second Queen song to top the UK singles chart after Bohemian Rhapsody did in 1975. They would hit #1 again with Innuendo, the Somebody To Love version with George Michael, and a version of We Will Rock You with 5ive. Their performance on Saturday Night Live was the last time they performed in the United States with Freddie Mercury. As previously mentioned, Bowie followed Queen at Live Aid in 1985 . . . why they couldn't have performed the song together is one of life's great mysteries.

The first time Bowie played the song live was at the Freddie Mercury Tribute in 1992 with Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics. Bowie then adapted the song into his live shows for many of his remaining performances, played as a duet with Gail Ann Dorsey.

I was torn where to rank this one, as I am not sure if the Queen resurgence helped or hurt my opinion of the song. I was a Queen fan long before I was a Bowie fan, so I bought Hot Space because I was a Queen fan. Under Pressure has been played to death over the last year or two with the Queen revival (and the passing of Bowie before that). Music critic Anthony Miccio called Under Pressure the best song of all time. While I certainly wouldn't go that far, I still enjoy it. I have a suspicion that some people will say this one is ranked too high . . . but I guess we will find out.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

#8 - Queen With David Bowie - Under Pressure -

I have a suspicion that some people will say this one is ranked too high . . . but I guess we will find out.

I guess I would say that but only because I don't really consider it a David Bowie song. I consider it a Queen song (with David Bowie) - not sure if that makes sense.

It's a great song though.

 

[Anarchy99]

I guess I would say that but only because I don't really consider it a David Bowie song. I consider it a Queen song (with David Bowie) - not sure if that makes sense.

It's a great song though.

I would say you had a lot stronger case for Comfortably Numb not being a Bowie song (because it's not) and Gilmour / Wright were the primary musicians (with Bowie chipping in some vocals). This one Bowie was actively in the studio from the time it was recorded. There are various thoughts on who wrote what (lyrically and musically), who creatively pushed things in certain directions, and who advised on the production and mixing of the song.

Under Pressure became a regularly performed song on Bowie's tours. It appeared on 4 Bowie albums. Here is Bowie's version of how the song was put together . . .

"The song was written from the ground up on the night I visited their studio. I believe the riff had already been written by Freddie and the others so then we jointly put together the different chord sections to make it a cohesive piece of music. Then Freddie and I came up with our individual top line melodies. So when you hear Freddie sing, that’s what he wrote and when you hear me sing, that was mine. Then we worked on the lyrics together. I still cannot believe that we had the whole thing written and recorded in one evening flat. Quite a feat for what is actually a fairly complicated song."

HERE is a long discussion about the song.

Just curious, using this type of logic, should China Girl be considered a Bowie song since Bowie only co-wrote it with Iggy Pop (and Pop recorded it)? Should All The Young Dudes not be considered a Bowie song (even though he wrote and recorded it at the same time as Mott The Hoople and performed it for 35 years)?

I don't think there are right or wrong answers on these types of questions, but it does raise an interesting question in terms of what should be considered a song performed by a particular artist.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I would say you had a lot stronger case for Comfortably Numb not being a Bowie song (because it's not)

It's just the way I feel about the song - not saying it's right.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I think of Under Pressure as more of a Queen song as well, one where David Bowie guest stars, but it's a great song either way, and I am fine with it in the top 10.

Not sure exactly where I would rank Ziggy Stardust, but it would likely be top 10.  In fact, I am guessing 3-4 songs from that record would be in my top 10 (Starman, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust and maybe Moonage Daydream).

 

[NYRAGE]

Under Pressure would be in my top 5 of either Queen or Bowie's catalog. It's so hard making these lists, especially numbering favorites. There are just too many great songs.

My top 10 (today I guess):

1. Space Oddity

2. Life on Mars?

3. Under Pressure

4. Ashes to Ashes

5. Starman

6. Ziggy Stardust

7. Changes

8. Heroes

9. Moonage Daydream

10 Rebel Rebel (probably tied with another 10 songs)

 

[Anarchy99]

#7 - David Bowie - Stay (Station To Station - 1976), (Single Version - 1976), (Rehearsal - 1976), (Live - 1976), (Dinah Shore Show - 1976), (Live - 1978), (Rehearsal - 1983), (Live - 1983), (Rehearsal - 1990), (Live - 1990), (Stay ' 97 - 2020), (Live - 1999), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002)
Covers: Peter Murphy, Sweet Wine, Munch, Clifford Slapper & Marcella Puppini

To anyone that has been paying attention even slightly to my comments about the songs, this one should come as no surprise and has been telegraphed since much earlier in the countdown. Remember the theme: loud, up tempo songs with screeching, distorted guitars. Enter Stay, which is a textbook example of what I just described. I doubt it will be on the casual fans list of top Bowie songs . . . it wasn't on any of the greatest hits packages, didn't get a ton of airplay, and if you didn't know about it then you would not have been exposed to it. Simply put, this is the type of song that the walls shake when played at proper volume . . . the walls of your neighbor's house down the street.

The song is about a drug addict pleading with his significant other not to leave. Guitarist Carlos Alomar called the recording session a cocaine frenzy. The result support his description. They had to map out who played what and where in terms of the guitar parts to create a fully integrated symphony of noise. It's one of the few Bowie songs where Bowie himself is almost an after thought. There aren't many lyrics, and his singing more supports the multiple layers of guitar licks than standing out above them. The live versions were usually the highlight of the evening for the guitarist de jour . . . simply watching the videos does not do justice to what was a jolt of energy to the live sets. The studio version features an outro of two and a half minutes of guitar solos swapping back and forth. The live versions extended that even more.

Earl Slick played guitar on the studio version (and the 1983, 2000, and 2002 versions). Stacy Heydon lit it up on the 1976 live versions. Adrian Belew played on the 78 and 90 versions. Stevie Ray Vaughan plays on the 1983 rehearsal version. Reeves Gabrels plays on the 1997 version (which was just cleaned up and released recently). Page Hamilton is the guitarist in 1999. At 431 live performances, it was the 9th most played Bowie song. The Gabrels version features a retooled version of the song, so it is arranged and performed differently than the other live performances (which are more true to the original).

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Love that Dinah Shore clip. Nice to have David & Fonzie exchange their respect for each others work. Also good that Rhoda's mother showed up.

 

[Anarchy99]

Love that Dinah Shore clip. Nice to have David & Fonzie exchange their respect for each others work. Also good that Rhoda's mother showed up.

I never really understood how Bowie got on the Dinah! show. She was as straight laced, Betty Crocker, and Girl Scouts as they come. She previously had a night time variety show, but this Bowie appearance was on her daytime talk show. Basically, Bowie was performing for stay at home moms and their young kids. And then he performed a loud rocking song about a struggling druggie performed by Bowie in the height of his coke days. I can't think of an example of a performer and a show's audience being more further apart. This was a family show, and when she had performers on, they were almost always non-controversial, clean cut, and anti-inflammatory as they come. I would have to guess she had no idea who he was and knew nothing about his music prior to his appearance. SPOLIER ALERT: another stunning Bowie performance from this same show is still to come (and we only have 6 songs left).

 

[Dr. Octopus]

#7 - David Bowie - Stay (Station To Station - 1976), (Single Version - 1976), (Rehearsal - 1976), (Live - 1976), (Dinah Shore Show - 1976), (Live - 1978), (Rehearsal - 1983), (Live - 1983), (Rehearsal - 1990), (Live - 1990), (Stay ' 97 - 2020), (Live - 1999), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002)
Covers: Peter Murphy, Sweet Wine, Munch, Clifford Slapper & Marcella Puppini

 it wasn't on any of the greatest hits packages, didn't get a ton of airplay, and if you didn't know about it then you would not have been exposed to it. Simply put, this is the type of song that the walls shake when played at proper volume . . . the walls of your neighbor's house down the street.

I like this song a lot. Not sure if it cracks my top 25 which I will try and put together for after you are done. I'm an album, and not just a song, guy and the "Big 5" Bowie records for me are Ziggy, Hunky Dory, Aladan Sane, Scary Monsters and Station to Station - and there are many others I love/like as well of course - so no songs on those records are obscure to me. I wasn't as familiar withe the live version in your first link but it's awesome.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I never really understood how Bowie got on the Dinah! show. She was as straight laced, Betty Crocker, and Girl Scouts as they come. She previously had a night time variety show, but this Bowie appearance was on her daytime talk show. Basically, Bowie was performing for stay at home moms and their young kids. And then he performed a loud rocking song about a struggling druggie performed by Bowie in the height of his coke days. I can't think of an example of a performer and a show's audience being more further apart. This was a family show, and when she had performers on, they were almost always non-controversial, clean cut, and anti-inflammatory as they come. I would have to guess she had no idea who he was and knew nothing about his music prior to his appearance. SPOLIER ALERT: another stunning Bowie performance from this same show is still to come (and we only have 6 songs left).

The audience seemed to like him.

 

[Anarchy99]

#6 - David Bowie - Let's Dance (Let's Dance - 1983), (Demo - 1983), (Single / Video - 1983), (Rehearsal - 1983), (Live - 1983), (Live W/Tina Turner - 1985), (Live - 1987), (Live - 1990), (Stripped Down - 1996), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002), (Live - 2003)
Covers: Bono, Rob Thomas, Adam Lambert, Culture Club, Chic, Duran Duran, Maroon 5, Craig David

The song that got me hooked on Bowie. To me, 1983 was one of the best years in music history with the MTV / new wave factor . . . but I lived the experience and that makes a big difference. My music tastes as a kid in the 70's were pretty straight forward and mainstream . . . Elton John, Billy Joel, The Eagles, Foreigner, Queen, Bay City Rollers  , Fleetwood Mac, The Police, etc. Then I became a high school and college DJ that required playing lesser known artists and I started leading a double life musically speaking. From then on, I had my mainstream artists I liked but then started following a bunch of lesser known and alternative artists. Bowie falls somewhere in the middle, but Let's Dance pulled him into the mainstream category. The song topped the charts in the U.S. and U.K. and is said to still be one of the Top 300 best selling singles in Britain. The song hit #1 in at least 15 countries. The album sold over 10 million copies.

Bowie may have been a musical genius, but he was notoriously cheap and did not want to spread the wealth. Throughout his career, he would come up with basic ideas and frameworks for songs, and his bandmates would frequently come up with key contributions to both lyrics and the music. The guitar players were often given chord progressions and told to come up with riffs or solos on their own. When Bowie put bands together to go tour, he fully expected the musicians to play for scale (essentially a minimum set amount per show and not a cut of the gate).That's partly how Bowie had guitar players like Earl Slick and Stevie Ray Vaughan drop out of tours. Bowie also looked at it that the musicians should be happy and thankful for having the privilege to perform with him.

As popular as the song and the album were, Bowie has Nile Rodgers to thank. Even though Bowie got full credit for writing the song, it's way more Rodgers and a lot less Bowie. Rodgers describes the evolution of the song in a great story HERE. His guitar playing in that clip is great. Everything about the song fits like a glove . . . the funky bass beat, the drums and guitar, the production, it all works.

The 1983 world tour was called the Serious Moonlight tour, taken from lyrics of the song. Some folks have said that Bowie included thT in the song because when Rodgers really liked a recorded section of the song he would say all the time that version was SERIOUS. Rodgers also had a reputation of going out late, well after hours, and thus the moonlight was added.

Let's Dance ended up being both a blessing and a curse. It took Bowie from the artistic, creative rocker category and moved him into the mainstream pop rock chart topping category. Attendance records are sketchy, but the Serious Moonlight tour played 96 dates in 15 countries with an estimated 3 million tickets sold. Individual shows had as many as 80,000 people, and Bowie headlined one of the nights at the US Festival in front of 300,000 people.

The problem for Bowie was he never really wanted to be a pop star, he wanted to write and record whatever he wanted without label oversight, and he did not ever want to be put in a position to crank out hits and albums that were expected to be big sellers. What was interesting for me at the time, I fully expected all of Bowie's other work (past and future) would sound like Let's Dance. Obviously, it did not . . . but what I uncovered going backwards was just as good and even more interesting.

As expected, since it was Bowie's most popular song, it made regular appearances on tours once it came out. I always preferred the longer album version to the single (but the shorter version is the one that gets the radio airplay). I wouldn't quite say that the song has run its course and has been played out. I still enjoy catching it when it shows up on the radio. I wasn't a huge fan of the 83 / 87 / 90 liver versions. To me they are meh. But I always liked the 1996 Bridge School stripped down version that I linked (it sounds completely different). Since I got tired of the original version, I really latched on to the new arrangement Bowie started playing circa 2000 and newer (with the flamenco style guitar and lounge style intro).

 

[Leroy Hoard]

While shopping for groceries today I heard the lyric "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues."  Way better than their usual playlist .

 

[Gr00vus]

#7 - David Bowie - Stay

Currently my favorite Bowie track. Glad to see it place so high.

 

[Anarchy99]

I like this song a lot. Not sure if it cracks my top 25 which I will try and put together for after you are done. I'm an album, and not just a song, guy and the "Big 5" Bowie records for me are Ziggy, Hunky Dory, Aladan Sane, Scary Monsters and Station to Station - and there are many others I love/like as well of course - so no songs on those records are obscure to me. I wasn't as familiar withe the live version in your first link but it's awesome.

I tend to agree that listening to Bowie is usually better suited to full albums vs. just playing random songs from his entire career. Hearing songs from different eras many times just doesn't work out well at times.

 

[Gr00vus]

#7 - David Bowie - Stay  Stacy Heydon lit it up on the 1976 live versions.

Here's more video of that guy playing this song. Unfortunately the audio isn't great. He starts soloing around the 9:50 mark and just keeps going. Sounds a bit like Eddie Van Halen at points - before there was an Eddie Van Halen.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Also notable about the song Let's Dance is that SRV was apparently pissed when he saw the video, which show Bowie miming the guitar part at the end of the song that SRV played.  That aside, this song was my intro to Bowie and I loved it from the start.  And still do.  I wasn't wild about the album version once I heard it years later.  Whenever I listen to the song, it is always the single edit.  Definitely a top 10 Bowie track for me as well.

I like Stay, but it wouldn't touch my top 10, or top 20, or top 30. But to each their own.

 

[Anarchy99]

Also notable about the song Let's Dance is that SRV was apparently pissed when he saw the video, which show Bowie miming the guitar part at the end of the song that SRV played.  That aside, this song was my intro to Bowie and I loved it from the start.  And still do.  I wasn't wild about the album version once I heard it years later.  Whenever I listen to the song, it is always the single edit.  Definitely a top 10 Bowie track for me as well.

I like Stay, but it wouldn't touch my top 10, or top 20, or top 30. But to each their own.

I have heard several different stories about SRV and the video. I have no idea if any of them are true or if there’s anything to them. One was DB and SRV had already had talks about Stevie going on tour but Stevie was more committed to furthering his own career and wasn’t really into promoting DB anymore. One was that SRV hadn’t really made it yet in the music biz and was still driving a truck and would be late to sessions or practice (and Bowie finished the video without him).  Another was DB and SRV had a falling out over Stevie’s GF being around, and Stevie blew off the video shoot and DB ad libbed playing the guitar part when SRV didn’t show up. Like I said, who knows what to believe???

 

[Ghost Rider]

I have heard several different stories about SRV and the video. I have no idea if any of them are true or if there’s anything to them. One was DB and SRV had already had talks about Stevie going on tour but Stevie was more committed to furthering his own career and wasn’t really into promoting DB anymore. One was that SRV hadn’t really made it yet in the music biz and was still driving a truck and would be late to sessions or practice (and Bowie finished the video without him).  Another was DB and SRV had a falling out over Stevie’s GF being around, and Stevie blew off the video shoot and DB ad libbed playing the guitar part when SRV didn’t show up. Like I said, who knows what to believe???

I supposed, but SRV, who was still an unknown at the time (I believe his debut record was still a few months away from being released), being pissed sounds believable.  I am sure there were many, who like me, saw the video and just assumed that Bowie was playing the guitar because he was miming it, instead of wondering, "damn, who was that playing that killer solo??"

 

[Eephus]

I never really understood how Bowie got on the Dinah! show. She was as straight laced, Betty Crocker, and Girl Scouts as they come. She previously had a night time variety show, but this Bowie appearance was on her daytime talk show. Basically, Bowie was performing for stay at home moms and their young kids. And then he performed a loud rocking song about a struggling druggie performed by Bowie in the height of his coke days. I can't think of an example of a performer and a show's audience being more further apart. This was a family show, and when she had performers on, they were almost always non-controversial, clean cut, and anti-inflammatory as they come. I would have to guess she had no idea who he was and knew nothing about his music prior to his appearance. SPOLIER ALERT: another stunning Bowie performance from this same show is still to come (and we only have 6 songs left).

In the mid-70s, Dinah had a highly publicized relationship with Burt Reynolds who was near the peak of his fame and was 20 years younger.  And her golf tournament became a huge annual festival for lesbians.

 

[Anarchy99]

Into the Top 5 we go . . .

#5 - David Bowie - Moonage Daydream (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Arnold Corns Version - 1971), (Live Debut, BBC - 1972), (Live - 1972), (Live - 1973), (Live - 1974), (Live - 1995), (Live - 1996), (Live - 1997), (Live - 2002)
Covers: Eagles Of Death Metal, Crowded House, White Stripes, Killers, Marilyn Manson, Phish, L.A. Guns, Cybernauts, The Cult, Last Shadow Puppets, Borns, Racer X, Charlie Sexton, Peter Murphy, Melissa St Moore, Futurebirds, Ava Cherry, Sass Jordan, Spacehog, Angelo Moore, Evan Rachel Wood

A lot of fans and critics alike feel Moonage Daydream is the best track from Ziggy Stardust. Who am I to disagree? From those that were around at the time, it has been described as the ultimate teen anthem and an arena rock tour de force. Fans of Guardians Of The Galaxy or School Of Rock may recognize it. After listening to it again several times today, I fear #5 may actually be ranking it TOO LOW. Ultimate Classic Rock lists it as their #3 best Bowie song.

The Arnold Corns version was released as a single in 1971. Needless to say, it sold so poorly they had to give copies away. The re-recording of the song for the Ziggy Stardust album was recorded in two takes. Ronson improvised the guitar solo (he did not play on the original version). For all it's crunching guitar chords and solos, to me, what sets the song apart is the sax and piccolo bridge in the middle of the song (which technically I believe in this case was a pennywhistle). I would say this song is as good as it gets (except I can't really say that with 4 more songs still remaining).

The song was another tour highlight in 72 / 73 / 74 / 95 / 96 / 97 / 02. Over the years, Bowie would introduce it as: "A song written by Ziggy." After listening to the live 1973 version again, today may be the day to listen to the complete final concert of ZSATSFM Band. By the time the ZS tour was in full swing, everyone knew Moonage Daydream was going to be the highlight of the show . . . Bowie, the band, and the crowd. Ronson would conjure up some extra magic each night, fans would be screaming along, and bassist Trevor Bolden said arenas would go absolutely nuts on the opening notes. Many people feel the final three minutes of the live 1973 version are the best three minutes of Ronson's playing career.

Moonage Daydream made it into a handful of shows on the 2002 Heathen tour . . . which Bowie nicknamed the Searching For Jackelopes Tour. Apparently, there was a jackelope at the opening of his European tour. No one knows why, or how, or where it came from. Just as mysteriously, it disappeared. Bowie seemed equally confused, so he dubbed the rest of the tour as the Searching For Jackelopes Tour. The version from that tour is quite good. While other ZS tunes made it to his final Reality Tour, sadly Moonage Daydream did not make the final cut. Once again, Bowie took a 20+ year performance sabbatical with Moonage Daydream. It must be nice to have so many songs to choose from that you could just toss some aside for two decades. I'm just disappointed that Bowie didn't play it in any of the times I saw him.

 

[zamboni]

Glad Moonage made it to the top 5. Would be strong consideration for #1 overall for me. 

 

[Ghost Rider]

Still feels like Moonage Daydream is too low.

Chidding aside, great song, and definitely a top tier Bowie tune. That outro is sublime. 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Glad Moonage made it to the top 5. Would be strong consideration for #1 overall for me. 

Maybe the best song off perhaps his best album.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Glad Moonage made it to the top 5. Would be strong consideration for #1 overall for me. 

same for me 

 

[Anarchy99]

#4 - David Bowie - Space Oddity (David Bowie - 1969), (Demo 1 - 1968), (Demo 2 - 1969), (Demo 3 - 1969), (Demo 4 - 1969), (Original Video - 1969), (U.S. Single Edit - 1969), (U.K. Single Edit - 1969), (Hits A Go Go - 1969), (Ivor Novello Awards - 1970), (Live - 1971), (Live - 1972), (BBC - 1972), (Live - 1973), (TV - 1973), (Live - 1974), (Acoustic Re-Recording - 1979), (Live - 1983), (Live - 1990), (Live - 1997), (Tibet House - 2002), (Last Performance - 2002)

Covers: Ween, Duran Duran, Gail Ann Dorsey, Natalie Merchant, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn & Marilyn Manson, Def Leppard, Mike Masse & Jeff Hall, William Shatner, Saigon Kick, Gabrielle Aplin, Chris Hadfield, Ramin Djawadi, Helloween, Tangerine Dream, Peter Murphy (I could probably come up with 300 covers of Space Oddity if I put some work into it . . .)

The song that put Bowie on the map . . . eventually. I always liked it, felt it was a little overrated, still gets a little too overplayed (especially given the expansive catalog of Bowie songs). But failure to acknowledge it as a creative tour de force and not respect what it meant to Bowie's career would be unwise.

The release history on this one is pretty confusing. The song was recorded and released just before the moon landing in 1969. The initial single hit #5 in the U.K. and #124 in the States. With the surge in popularity from Ziggy Stardust, the song was released again in 1973 . . . where hit reached #15 in the U.S. but did not chart in England. In 1975, the Brits threw it out there again, this time topping the charts (while not charting in the US of A). The re-recorded version in 1979 (for a TV show) was released as a B Side to Alabama Song and hit #23 in the British charts (but did nothing in the States). In 1980, it was released with Ashes To Ashes and billed as "The Continuing Story of Major Tom," which hit #1 in Britain and #101 in the States.

For anyone that really has listened to the early Bowie recordings, Space Oddity was a complete departure to his early work. It was included on his second self-titled album (in some places they renamed the album Space Oddity). In case anyone was wondering, the guitarist on this one is Mick Wayne, who was in a couple other bands that no one will probably have ever heard of. One of them was a group called The Outsiders (who had Jimmy Page as a guitarist). Wayne went on to form a band called Junior's Eyes (who Bowie used as a backing band for his brief tour in 1969). Junior's Eyes was notable because they had worked with pianist Rick Wakeman and producer Tony Visconti. The band also had a different guitarist name Tim Renwick, who would go on to be a band member for both Roger Waters and David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd. It was at a Junior's Eyes performance that Bowie first met Mick Ronson.

Future long time producer Visconti actually refused to produce Space Oddity, as he felt it was a cheap publicity stunt and way too gimmicky of a song. At the time, Bowie was without a record contract and did all sorts of things to make money, including playing folk festivals, modeling, working as a mime, doing some commercials, and attempts to get into acting. All along, Bowie intended for the song to be a duet. The song first gained any notice on July 5, 1969 when it played over the PA system during the Rolling Stones’ Hyde Park concert. Even though the lunar landing occurred just after that, the song did not start ascending the charts until several months later and hit #5 in November.

The song would go on to be included in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame's Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. VH-1 ranked it #60 on their Top 100 Rock Songs of All Time. NME magazine listed it as the 26th Greatest #1 Singles in History. The Guardian ranked it as the #27 Greatest British #1 Songs In History. Bowie waived any licensing costs or fees and allowed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to perform his version of the song, performed aboard the International Space Station in 2013. A similar no cost fee arrangement was negotiated to allow the video to be posted on YouTube.

Space Oddity was first performed in the last few days of 1968. Bowie played it in limited doses in 69 / 70 / 71. It became pretty much any every night affair in 72 / 73 / 74. Bowie got tired of playing it, but it returned for the 83 Serious Moonlight Tour. It reemerged for the 90 Sound + Vision greatest hits tour. Bowie pretty much pulled the plug on it after that. He played it on his 1997 birthday show and then twice in 2002 (at the request of his band). He added in a snippet or a verse 2 or 3 times on the 2004 leg of the Reality Tour, but essentially it went out of the rotation after 1990.

And then there were three . . .

 

[zamboni]

#4 - David Bowie - Space Oddity 

Covers: Mike Masse & Jeff Hall

This one just came up on my shuffle - terrific harmonies as usual by these two guys.

 

[Anarchy99]

Two of the remaining three are obvious. The other one will probably catch me a ton of grief. 

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Two of the remaining three are obvious. The other one will probably catch me a ton of grief. 

Cmon Magic Dance

 

[Ghost Rider]

You could’ve put Space Oddity at number 1 and I would’ve been fine with it. I think this might be one of those instances where an artist’s most well known song really is their best song. It’s that good. Number 4 is still pretty good, though.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

#4 - David Bowie - Space Oddity (David Bowie - 1969), (Demo 1 - 1968), (Demo 2 - 1969), (Demo 3 - 1969), (Demo 4 - 1969), (Original Video - 1969), (U.S. Single Edit - 1969), (U.K. Single Edit - 1969), (Hits A Go Go - 1969), (Ivor Novello Awards - 1970), (Live - 1971), (Live - 1972), (BBC - 1972), (Live - 1973), (TV - 1973), (Live - 1974), (Acoustic Re-Recording - 1979), (Live - 1983), (Live - 1990), (Live - 1997), (Tibet House - 2002), (Last Performance - 2002)

Covers: Ween, Duran Duran, Gail Ann Dorsey, Natalie Merchant, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn & Marilyn Manson, Def Leppard, Mike Masse & Jeff Hall, William Shatner, Saigon Kick, Gabrielle Aplin, Chris Hadfield, Ramin Djawadi, Helloween, Tangerine Dream, Peter Murphy (I could probably come up with 300 covers of Space Oddity if I put some work into it . . .)

The song that put Bowie on the map . . . eventually. I always liked it, felt it was a little overrated, still gets a little too overplayed (especially given the expansive catalog of Bowie songs). But failure to acknowledge it as a creative tour de force and not respect what it meant to Bowie's career would be unwise.

The release history on this one is pretty confusing. The song was recorded and released just before the moon landing in 1969. The initial single hit #5 in the U.K. and #124 in the States. With the surge in popularity from Ziggy Stardust, the song was released again in 1973 . . . where hit reached #15 in the U.S. but did not chart in England. In 1975, the Brits threw it out there again, this time topping the charts (while not charting in the US of A). The re-recorded version in 1979 (for a TV show) was released as a B Side to Alabama Song and hit #23 in the British charts (but did nothing in the States). In 1980, it was released with Ashes To Ashes and billed as "The Continuing Story of Major Tom," which hit #1 in Britain and #101 in the States.

For anyone that really has listened to the early Bowie recordings, Space Oddity was a complete departure to his early work. It was included on his second self-titled album (in some places they renamed the album Space Oddity). In case anyone was wondering, the guitarist on this one is Mick Wayne, who was in a couple other bands that no one will probably have ever heard of. One of them was a group called The Outsiders (who had Jimmy Page as a guitarist). Wayne went on to form a band called Junior's Eyes (who Bowie used as a backing band for his brief tour in 1969). Junior's Eyes was notable because they had worked with pianist Rick Wakeman and producer Tony Visconti. The band also had a different guitarist name Tim Renwick, who would go on to be a band member for both Roger Waters and David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd. It was at a Junior's Eyes performance that Bowie first met Mick Ronson.

Future long time producer Visconti actually refused to produce Space Oddity, as he felt it was a cheap publicity stunt and way too gimmicky of a song. At the time, Bowie was without a record contract and did all sorts of things to make money, including playing folk festivals, modeling, working as a mime, doing some commercials, and attempts to get into acting. All along, Bowie intended for the song to be a duet. The song first gained any notice on July 5, 1969 when it played over the PA system during the Rolling Stones’ Hyde Park concert. Even though the lunar landing occurred just after that, the song did not start ascending the charts until several months later and hit #5 in November.

The song would go on to be included in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame's Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. VH-1 ranked it #60 on their Top 100 Rock Songs of All Time. NME magazine listed it as the 26th Greatest #1 Singles in History. The Guardian ranked it as the #27 Greatest British #1 Songs In History. Bowie waived any licensing costs or fees and allowed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to perform his version of the song, performed aboard the International Space Station in 2013. A similar no cost fee arrangement was negotiated to allow the video to be posted on YouTube.

Space Oddity was first performed in the last few days of 1968. Bowie played it in limited doses in 69 / 70 / 71. It became pretty much any every night affair in 72 / 73 / 74. Bowie got tired of playing it, but it returned for the 83 Serious Moonlight Tour. It reemerged for the 90 Sound + Vision greatest hits tour. Bowie pretty much pulled the plug on it after that. He played it on his 1997 birthday show and then twice in 2002 (at the request of his band). He added in a snippet or a verse 2 or 3 times on the 2004 leg of the Reality Tour, but essentially it went out of the rotation after 1990.

And then there were three . . .

#1 for me

 

[Ghost Rider]

Two of the remaining three are obvious. The other one will probably catch me a ton of grief. 

To quote Judge Smails, let's go, while we're young!

 

[Anarchy99]

To quote Judge Smails, let's go, while we're young!

Literally minutes away from the next song.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Literally minutes away from the next song.

Feels like it's been five years since the last one.

 

[Anarchy99]

#3 - David Bowie - Life On Mars? (Hunky Dory - 1971), (Video - 1973), (Live - 1972), (Live - 1972), (Live - 1976), (Live - 1980), (Live - 1983), (Live - 1990), (Live - 1999), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002), (Live - 2003), (Live - 2004), (Live - 2005), (Remixed Version - 2003), (Remixed Version - 2016)
Covers: Lorde, Todd Rundgren, Annie Lennox, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Joe Jackson, Seal, Cybernauts, Chris Martin, Michelle Branch, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Lange, Fall Out Boy, Aurora, Rick Wakeman, Frida (From ABBA), Heaven 17, Vamps, All About Eve, Mike Garson, Culture Club, Sinead O'Connor, Shirley Manson (Garbage), Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Sophia Anne Caruso, Flaming Lips, The Bad Plus

We are at a point where a bunch of songs could be tabbed as the #1 Bowie song and there would be valid arguments for all of them. Life On Mars? certainly fits the bill, as Neil McCormick, chief rock music critic of The Daily Telegraph, ranked the song at #1 on his "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" list (that's not just Bowie songs . . . that's ALL SONGS). Pitchfork magazine named it the best song of the 1970s. According to Acclaimed Music, it is the 85th best song in popular music history. The website Digital Spy had a poll, and fans voted Life On Mars? as Bowie's best song.

The song is both simple and complex. A girl gets peeved at her parents, storms out to go to the movies, gets stood up by a friend, sees a bunch of weird things that don't make sense to her in the movie, and ponders where else can she go . . . is there life on mars? Bowie commented that the song basically wrote itself. Bowie was out in a park and wrote the song in an afternoon.

Several years before writing Life On Mars?, Bowie was asked to write English lyrics for a French song by Claude François called Comme d’Habitude. Bowie created a set of lyrics which he called Even A Fool Learns To Love. However, singer / songwriter Paul Anka purchased the rights to the song and instead turned the song into My Way, which was made famous by Frank Sinatra. In response, Bowie essentially stole the chord progressions and musical themes from My Way. Bowie didn't even pretend that he "borrowed" from the song, as he inscribed “Inspired by Frankie” on the LP cover.

Bowie seemed to have fashioned the song as a love song (although I personally don't see the song in that light). At one point, Bowie introduced the song by saying "You fall in love, you write a love song. This is a love song." Some have speculated that the song was written after an affair gone bad between Bowie and actress Hermione Farthingale, who had appeared in several early Bowie videos in 1969. Like all great things Bowie, the song failed to chart at all in the U.S.

As you can see from the long list of links, Life On Mars? was performed for years and years. It was part of a medley in 73 and 76. It got the spotlight and a full treatment in the 1983 and 1990 tours and made regular appearances in the 2000s. Many feel his performance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1980 was his strongest vocal performance. It was a somewhat odd selection to play on TV, as the song was first released in 1971, became a hit after it was released as a single in 1973, and really hadn't been performed in a full version since 1972. Bowie was not touring off the Scary Monsters release. Carson introduced Bowie's performance as a pair of space songs (he also played Ashes to Ashes). That version features guitarist G.E. Smith, who was the guitar player for awhile in Hall & Oates and fronted the Saturday Night Live Band as well. The 99 and 02 versions are also really good.

I am also a fan of the Lorde version from the British Bowie Tribute. She performed with a band full of long time Bowie contributors. Bowie was a huge fan of Lourde and called her the future of music. She is easily young enough to have been the granddaughter of almost everyone on the stage.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Great song, definitely one of his best. I thought it was going to be number 1.  Rick Wakeman plays the piano in this one.