# Your Favourite Bowie Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904 "2016-01-12T04:44:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/61 "2016-01-14T00:08:06Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Tin Machine seem to get fairly short shrift One thing I like about the whole Tin Machine project was that it gave me the opportunity to see Bowie, not in a stadium or a sports arena, but in a theater, like an ordinary mortal. šŸ™‚ The downside was that they played only Tin Machine material, no previous Bowie stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/62 "2016-01-14T00:54:28Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Heroes is one of the greatest songs ever written. > [@Eonwe](#): > > I can bliss out on Heroes for an hour at a time, listening to that wailing guitar feedback over the slowly chugging grove. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Definitely ā€œHeroesā€ here, as well. When I learned of his death, thatā€™s the song I put on (and introduced my 19 month old daughter to. We have our daddy-daughter music listening parties, but we havenā€™t gotten to Bowie yet, so this was her introduction.) ā€œHeroesā€ has always been a moving song for me, a wistful (and yes, chugging) song played over Robert Frippā€™s brilliantly pitched feedback. Listening to it now, just lovely. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/63 "2016-01-14T00:57:56Z")
Like so much of Bowieā€™s work Heroes has a rare (often unique) theme and sentiment. Itā€™s just one that resonates with the mainstream. For me, perhaps for tenuous reasons, itā€™s a real working class anthem - you donā€™t have to be the facebook guy to do good things. Also, every time I hear it it reminds me he quite properly turned down Queenieā€™s knighthood. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/64 "2016-01-14T00:58:55Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Octarine - I canā€™t go on YouTube at work, but go on there and search for Bowie Five Years Dinah Shore. Itā€™s heartwrenching - he sounds like heā€™s about to break into tears for the whole song. Iā€™d never heard that one before - thank you! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/65 "2016-01-14T01:04:24Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Like so much of Bowieā€™s work Heroes has a rare (often unique) theme and sentiment. Itā€™s just one that resonates with the mainstream. > > For me, perhaps for tenuous reasons, itā€™s a real working class anthem - you donā€™t have to be the facebook guy to do good things. Also, every time I hear it it reminds me he quite properly turned down Queenieā€™s knighthood. I massively (and unexpectedly) welled up during the opening ceremony of London 2012 when Team GB walked into the stadium and - just coincidentally šŸ˜‰ - _Heroes_ started playing. It was a perfect moment, I think. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/66 "2016-01-14T01:08:27Z")
He was asked of course - Danny Boyle asked him repeatedly. That would have been something. Chris Hoye was even wearing wings. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/67 "2016-01-14T02:06:17Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > One thing I like about the whole Tin Machine project was that it gave me the opportunity to see Bowie, not in a stadium or a sports arena, but in a theater, like an ordinary mortal. šŸ™‚ The downside was that they played only Tin Machine material, no previous Bowie stuff. I think Bowieā€™s idea was a Year Zero approach, that he would distance himself from the bloated excess of his last couple of albums by not touching his previous material. They did tackle a couple of covers: here they take [Working Class Hero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqvr_YR9GxA) outside for a thunderous kicking, and Roxy Musicā€™s [If There Is Something](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAkIGB-_y1Q) gets a good shoeing as well. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/68 "2016-01-14T03:47:09Z")
Width of a Circle Sweet Thing/ Candidate/ Sweet Thing Reprise Station to Station The Bewley Brothers Breaking Glass Buddha of Suburbia Drive In Saturday All the Madmen Soul Love Lady Stardust His version of See Emily Play Big Brother Fantastic Voyage Move On Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud/ All the Young Dudes/ Oh! You Pretty Things medley from Hammersmith Odeon Ziggy show Subject to change dailyā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/69 "2016-01-14T07:30:17Z")
KNONā€™s ā€œSpreadinā€™ the Jamā€ show was playing a set of live Bowie tonight. At the end, they played a few songs that were recorded at rehearsal sessions when Stevie Ray Vaughn was considering joining his band. Thereā€™s a few clams, as would be expected at a rehearsal, but itā€™s already a damn good sounding band. The version of [ā€œThe Jean Genieā€](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCqtQo6cHig) from it is currently my favorite version of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/70 "2016-01-14T08:36:40Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > KNONā€™s ā€œSpreadinā€™ the Jamā€ show was playing a set of live Bowie tonight. At the end, they played a few songs that were recorded at rehearsal sessions when Stevie Ray Vaughn was considering joining his band. Thereā€™s a few clams, as would be expected at a rehearsal, but itā€™s already a damn good sounding band. The version of [ā€œThe Jean Genieā€](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCqtQo6cHig) from it is currently my favorite version of the song. I still donā€™t think Stevie Ray Vaughanā€™s guitar suited Bowie, but I love the jazzy into to that track. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/71 "2016-01-14T09:07:49Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Okay, can I be an idiot? I have never liked Letā€™s Dance. Thatā€™s not quite right - I like the song - itā€™s cool. But itā€™s called Letā€™s _Dance_ and yet the groove isnā€™t really danceable. And itā€™s a _Nile Rodgers_ groove - if anyone knows how to lay down a dance groove, itā€™s Nile fuckinā€™ Rodgers. But itā€™s more herky-jerky than funky and dancey. > > Drives me nuts!! šŸ˜‰ But, then, Bowie was always about being just outside the comfort zone. > > And **salinqmind** - yeah Heroes has that effect on me, too. Layers and layers. If youā€™re an idiot, so am I. I have exactly the same reaction to _Letā€™s Dance_. Itā€™s a fine song, sure. But one of his most popular ? I donā€™t get it. And as you say, itā€™s not even his most danceable. Off the top of my head, _Young Americans_ is much more sexy-dancey. Yet, when a Bowie song is on the radio, 50% of the times, itā€™s _Letā€™s Dance_. While Iā€™m at it, Iā€™ll add that _Heroes_ is not in my top 10. I like it but from a distance. Maybe itā€™s because I clearly gravitate towards _Low_ when it comes to the Berlin Trilogy. Same thing with _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_. Itā€™s one of my favourite albums but Iā€™m way more fond of _Hunky Dory_. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/72 "2016-01-14T19:39:36Z")
Right now the one I would like to hear is Little China Girl. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/73 "2016-01-14T20:38:27Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > If youā€™re an idiot, so am I. I have exactly the same reaction to _Letā€™s Dance_. Itā€™s a fine song, sure. But one of his most popular ? I donā€™t get it. And as you say, itā€™s not even his most danceable. Off the top of my head, _Young Americans_ is much more sexy-dancey. Yet, when a Bowie song is on the radio, 50% of the times, itā€™s _Letā€™s Dance_. I have the same reaction to that whole album. It has some good singles, but for the first time in Bowieā€™s career {or at least the first time since the late 60s when he was still finding himself} it doesnā€™t sound like a coherent album. Prior to _Letā€™s Dance_ heā€™d been best known as an album artist, each with a particular sound, image and persona. Ironically for an artist with such a killer "Greatest Hits"catalogue, his singles almost seemed like an accident, a byproduct. Then suddenly his image was no more complex than ā€œtanned blonde grinning rock star in nice suitā€, and his album was a product, a bunch of very clever, very catchy singles and an equal amount of filler: nobody ever needs to hear ā€œCriminal Worldā€ or ā€œShake Itā€ again. Heā€™d starting selling millions of albums, but the overall sound was of a man losing his creative rudder. Listen to _Young Americans_ instead. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/74 "2016-01-15T08:46:17Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > I have the same reaction to that whole album. It has some good singles, but for the first time in Bowieā€™s career {or at least the first time since the late 60s when he was still finding himself} it doesnā€™t sound like a coherent album. Prior to _Letā€™s Dance_ heā€™d been best known as an album artist, each with a particular sound, image and persona. Ironically for an artist with such a killer "Greatest Hits"catalogue, his singles almost seemed like an accident, a byproduct. Then suddenly his image was no more complex than ā€œtanned blonde grinning rock star in nice suitā€, and his album was a product, a bunch of very clever, very catchy singles and an equal amount of filler: nobody ever needs to hear ā€œCriminal Worldā€ or ā€œShake Itā€ again. Heā€™d starting selling millions of albums, but the overall sound was of a man losing his creative rudder. Listen to _Young Americans_ instead. Thatā€™s an spot-on assessment. _China Girl_ is an excellent pop song, _Letā€™s Dance_ and _Modern Love_ are good but the rest of the album is pretty much forgettable. Except thatā€¦ ā€¦I happen to really, really like _Criminal World_ :o. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/75 "2016-01-15T10:30:36Z")
I think the first Bowie song that I was at an age to appreciate and enjoy was _This Is Not America_. Itā€™s a gentle and simple song that washed over me successfully. Iā€™ve liked his songs before and after, but just as part of the music landscape. When he did his ā€œLetā€™s Danceā€ album was when I really noticed him, so songs like _China Girl_ and _Modern Love_ feature strongly in my memory of him, and the duet with Jagger for ā€œLive Aidā€ _Dancing In The Street_. Then I started to realise he was the one who sang things like _Space Oddity_ and _Fashion_, somehow I hadnā€™t made the association before, and I appreciated him a bit more. I was around 14yrs old. Then when I was 16 he did _Labyrinth_, which I **love**! I wouldnā€™t say I am a Bowie fan, but I do like a lot of his songs. He faded away a bit from my notice after that, and things heā€™s done since the 90s, like when he did ā€œTin Machineā€, havenā€™t made much impact on me. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/76 "2016-01-15T14:45:56Z")
This is a bit like reducing Picasso to ā€˜your favouriteā€™. Itā€™s entertaining but kind of misses the point of how a great artist changes the way we look at us, and the world. Of all people, I thought Madonna really nailed it this week. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ice\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Machine)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/77 "2016-01-15T22:01:41Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > My all time favorite David Bowie song is [Breaking Glass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgdCIAEupNI) from _Low_ (which is also my favorite Bowie album). Been listening to Bowie during my commutes all week and expect it will take the rest of the month to go through what I have which may only be a third or less of what he put out. My answer is identical to this and what I was about to post. Iā€™m a generation behind Bowie so didnā€™t start listening to him until the late 80s and didnā€™t pick up Low until probably close to '90 but it remains my favourite. Noting \*\*Mr. Dribbleā€™s \*\*mention of Laughing Gnome some of early Deram songs I quite like but can probably only handle a listen of Laughing Gnome less than once a year and have trouble making it through to the end. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/78 "2016-01-15T22:11:29Z")
> [@Ice\_Machine](#): > > Been listening to Bowie during my commutes all week and expect it will take the rest of the month to go through what I have which may only be a third or less of what he put out. My answer is identical to this and what I was about to post. Iā€™m a generation behind Bowie so didnā€™t start listening to him until the late 80s and didnā€™t pick up Low until probably close to '90 but it remains my favourite. > > Noting \*\*Mr. Dribbleā€™s \*\*mention of Laughing Gnome some of early Deram songs I quite like but can probably only handle a listen of Laughing Gnome less than once a year and have trouble making it through to the end. Iā€™m just picturing someone putting the record on and listening for 1 minute and 30 seconds and then grabbing the needle off and running from the room, and then marking the calendar. Anyone mention ā€œCanā€™t help thinkin about meā€ yet? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/79 "2016-01-15T22:19:26Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > Thatā€™s an spot-on assessment. _China Girl_ is an excellent pop song, _Letā€™s Dance_ and _Modern Love_ are good but the rest of the album is pretty much forgettable. Except thatā€¦ > > ā€¦I happen to really, really like _Criminal World_ :o. It does have a good vocal, so Iā€™ll give it a pass. But ā€œShake Itā€ is is the sound of Bowie about to spend the next 5 years sucking thick lumps through a thin straw. ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904/80 "2016-01-15T22:19:54Z")
For some reason, i cannot find Bowieā€™s ā€œBlue Jeanā€ videoā€¦where they go to false/negative colors. Itā€™s the best dance he ever did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-songs/742904.md?page=5)