Good lord, yes, today, Monday, is the day David Jones, aka The Thin White Duke, aka Ziggy Stardust, turns 60 years old. David Bowie at 60, who would've imagined it?
For years now, Bowie has perched high at the top of my favorite musical artists list. I first got into Bowie in the hydrogen-peroxide hairdo era of "Let's Dance" and "China Girl," then sometime around 1989 got his Changesbowie greatest hits cassette, which blew my mind like few albums since (spanning from the dreamy nihilism of "Space Oddity" to the top-40 bop of "Blue Jean" on one slim tape). To varying degrees of obsession, Bowie's been tops of my pops ever since. Today I've got every Bowie album of note and a healthy stack of bootlegs to add up to more than 50 CDs, far more than any other artist in my CD closet.
I think what I demand most from a musician is change, the ability to come up with new angles and new ways of showing us the world. "Space Oddity" and "Warszawa" and "Little Wonder" barely sound like they're from the same planet, let alone by the same man. Bowie is the king of that chameleon mutation.
I decided to mark Mr. Bowie's 60th by listing my Top 25 David Bowie Songs of All Time, "High Fidelity" style. In flicking through the Bowie CDs in my collection, it was like finding familiar old friends again. My final tally is a scattered list, some popular faves, some lesser-known tracks. I've long settled on Bowie's "Berlin" era, roughly 1976-1980, as my favorite part of his career, though I've also got a soft spot for the "electronica" Bowie comeback of the late 1990s' Outside and Earthling albums. His earliest hippie-dippy stuff never did much for me ("The Laughing Gnome"? Egad), and even Hunky Dory I have to be in the right frame of mind to dig. But the sprawling diversity and creativity of Bowie's nearly 40 years of music still amazes me, and every new Bowie album remains worth buying to me.
It's fair to say my top 25 could be totally different tomorrow; that yours is likely entirely another kind of list. But that's the Beauty of Bowie – there's as many Bowies as there are songs out there. What are your favorite Bowie songs?
Article comments
1 - Bowie Fan
Two of my favorite David Bowie songs are: Motel and The Man Who Sold the World.
2 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
My list would include a couple songs from my favorite Bowie album, Aladdin Sane ("Watch That Man," "Panic in Detroit," "Cracked Actor," "Panic in Detroit," "Jean Genie," etc.)
3 - D'oh
Happy Birthday, David!
He's earned it, because he transcends fashion.
4 - Leslie Bohn
Life on Mars, Kooks, Hold on To Yourself, I am a DJ, Star, Five Years, Yassassin, Subterraneans, Queen Bitch...
Sorry, haters, but "Modern Love" is a great song, too.
And of course so many of those you mentioned.
5 - El Bicho
"Everyone maligns Bowie's Tin Machine phase"
Not everyone. "Heaven's in Here" is a damn fine song.
Bowie has too many songs, but not yet mentioned is the brilliant "I'm Afraid of Americans" and his duet on with Queen on "Under Pressure."
In true "High Fidelity" snob style, I must point out that "High Fidelity had Top Five Lists.
6 - Nik
See, just about every song everyone's mentioned I did put on my Top 25 list in some alternate universe - there were many near misses! Ah well.
7 - Ugluspegill
I have to admit that I miss Life on Mars on this list. For me it ranks as one of the greatest pop songs ever made.
8 - Bill Sherman
What? No "Suffragette City"?
9 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! A link to this article appears on our Myspace Profile page.
10 - Nik
OK, I should've done a Bowie "Top 60" in honor of his 60th (which my original thought until my wife began laughing at me mercilessly). ;)
11 - Bowie Fan
Great article, honoring musics best singer and songwriter
12 - bob
5 years
13 - godoggo
What Ugluspegill and Bill Sherma said.
14 - TOAM
I like the old stuff better than the new stuff.
The duet with Queen was excellent too.
15 - theJANK
How can anyone not have mentioned "Aladdin Sane"? It is haunting, technically awesome (listen to Garson's piano bridge and the subtle use of guitar by Ronson throughout...), apocalytical lyrics of a stunning nature and just a great song!!!!
"Don't Look Down" is overlooked also...
16 - Richard Mogg
Heroes is wonderful live, he has too many great tracks to mention, he's way ahead of anyone else still! Diamond Dogs I love and Cracked actor, Jean Jeanie is a wonderful single. I could go on and on, he's just fantastic. Happy Birthday Main man.
17 - Jeff
I'm proud to say the first time I heard Suffragette City (1973)in Junior High I got up on the coffee table and started dancing at a friends. What a relief from the Eagles, Crosby, Stills etc. I'm still a fanatic. I applaud all your choices....Here's a few of mine: Lady Grinning Soul,Beauty and the Beast,Boys Keep Swinging,Fantastic Voyage, Absolute Beginners,Always Crashing in the same Car,Strangers When We Meet. It's very hard to pick only a few. He's one of the best at "Love Songs - Ballads". And his remakes of others songs are brilliant. And I really like his latest stuff. Thanks for your article.
18 - Christopher Rose
Great piece.
A current fave is "5 Years" from Ziggy Stardust. Here's the first verse as a little reminder/taster...
"Pushing thru the market square, so many mothers sighing
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying
I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and TVs
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat-skinny people, and all the tall-short people
And all the nobody people, and all the somebody people
I never thought I'd need so many people"
Great stuff.
19 - JeniQ
Five Years, after seeing it on the 'Best Of' DVD, is now one of my latest favorites. I'm also in love with Quicksand and Young Americans. Check out my date with Bowie on my blog.
20 - Matt
Umm where is Cygnet Committee?
21 - tia
great list. but yeah, Life on Mars and The Man who sold the World
are two really big songs for me.
22 - Anna
WILD IS THE WIND and WORD ON A WING!!!
23 - BLOWURMIND
starman is the best!