# Mistaken ID & Musical Disillusionment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093 "2004-08-16T16:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/21 "2004-08-17T14:53:18Z")
I had an argument once with a friend where I vehemently claimed that _All The Young Dudes_ was sung by David Bowie. Wrong. It was Mott The Hoople. (Though I think I should’ve gotten some slack because the song was written by Bowie.) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/22 "2004-08-17T15:00:31Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Wow. Linda Perry really doesn’t sound much like Janis Joplin. And the single “What’s Up” was released over 20 after Jopln’s death. I can understand confusion with similarly time artists, but wow, ArchiveGuy… If I were you I’d be tempted to start feeding Mrs. Archive some dis-information, it could be fun. Well, the only radio station she listens to is the “Classic rock from yesterday and today” one so they mix the old & new a lot–but still, I wish I had some Janis I could actually play for her to show her what aural night and day sound like. As for messin’ with her mind, it’s tempting, but I think it’ll be more fun how many other artists are out there that she’s already mistaken about. Kinda like a treasure hunt. 😃 Oh, and Algernon: That’s the one I was most “ignorant” about for the loooongest time. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/23 "2004-08-17T15:10:22Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > I had an argument once with a friend where I vehemently claimed that _All The Young Dudes_ was sung by David Bowie. > > Wrong. It was Mott The Hoople. > > (Though I think I should’ve gotten some slack because the song was written by Bowie.) :eek: Well, I’m admitting my musical ignorance right here and now because I thought the same thing until this very minute. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/24 "2004-08-17T18:18:50Z")
**ArchiveGuy** , **Greywolf73** , maybe we should form a club or something? Guys Who Mistook Hoople For Bowie. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. (Could anyone sound more like Bowie than Ian Hunter? I wonder if he always does, or if it is just on _Young Dudes_.) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/25 "2004-08-17T18:25:20Z")
You guys have to go easy on yourselves - **Bowie** sings the song all the time in concert (when he is of the mind to sing older songs, that is). Just Google “Bowie Young Dudes Sing” and you will read a bunch of concert reports… and a quick check of Amazon shows a version he recorded included on [Best of Bowie](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006JYI7/qid=1092767061/sr=8-2/ref=__2/104-9962073-5987947?v=glance&s=music) ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/26 "2004-08-17T18:28:51Z")
For over a decade I thought U2’s cover of “Everlasting Love” was by The Alarm. It wasn’t until I listened to the U2 B-side album that I found out the truth. I used to think I really hated Crosby, Stills, and Nash because they did all these hippy-dippy songs that I couldn’t listen to for more than a few seconds before I had to change the station. Then one day I got trapped in someone else’s back seat with the radio set to an oldies station, and for the first time in my life I was forced to listen to “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” in its entirety. It turned out I hated one big-ass multipart song of theirs instead of 4 or 5 shorter songs. One friend still thinks Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” was Jefferson Starship. I’ve been correcting him since 1984 (we went to a Springsteen show and he wondered why Bruce would cover JS. I pointed out (a) Springsteen wrote the song and (b) it was Patti Smith, not Starship. After the 1999 E Street Band reunion show, he asked the exact same question. At first I thought he was joking, or just trying to piss me off, but he was serious. He remembered that Bruce wrote the song, but was still confused concerning the performer. Back in say 1994 or so, a radio station was playing Stone Temple Pilots’ “Core” in its entirety. A radio hit came on and I reacted “Huh, I always thought this song was by Pearl Jam.” That happened 2 more times before the album was over. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/27 "2004-08-17T18:32:12Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …a version he recorded included on [Best of Bowie](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006JYI7/qid=1092767061/sr=8-2/ref=__2/104-9962073-5987947?v=glance&s=music) I have that double CD set. It’s fantastic. Though I have to say that I like Mott The Hoople’s version of _All The Young Dudes_ better. I didn’t know he regularly sings it in concert. I thought perhaps he simply recorded it for posterity – in the sense of “I wrote it and I’m going to record it so people know it’s mine.” ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/28 "2004-08-17T20:06:52Z")
I used to think “Hot Blooded” was by Kiss instead of Foreigner. Maybe my 8-year old mind associated Kiss with blood…for some reason. 😃 > [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > For over a decade I thought U2’s cover of “Everlasting Love” was by The Alarm. It wasn’t until I listened to the U2 B-side album that I found out the truth. I’ve always referred to The Alarm as “The Poor Man’s U2” anyway, so that’s not too much of a leap. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/29 "2004-08-17T20:55:56Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > I had an argument once with a friend where I vehemently claimed that _All The Young Dudes_ was sung by David Bowie. > > Wrong. It was Mott The Hoople. > > (Though I think I should’ve gotten some slack because the song was written by Bowie.) I used to think it was **The Beatles**. I warrant no slack. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/30 "2004-08-17T20:59:48Z")
> [@milquetoast](#): > > I used to think it was **The Beatles**. I warrant no slack. Oh good. I wasn’t gonna be the first to admit that I thought it was the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093/31 "2004-08-17T21:02:00Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > I have that double CD set. It’s fantastic. Though I have to say that I like Mott The Hoople’s version of _All The Young Dudes_ better. > > I didn’t know he regularly sings it in concert. I thought perhaps he simply recorded it for posterity – in the sense of “I wrote it and I’m going to record it so people know it’s mine.” There’s a video of Bowie performing this live with Ian Hunter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-id-musical-disillusionment/260093.md?page=1)