On January 10th, it marked 4 years sine the world lost the musical genius that was David Bowie. Bowie pushed not only musical boundaries and crossed genres , but he also established that you firmly feel comfortable in your own skin . I'm a old soul and even though my pop culture taste is dramatically different from my generation , I can confirm that almost everybody I meet has heard of Bowie. It's as common knowledge to know of Bowie like people know the Beatles and even Elvis Presley . Here are top 10 of my personal favorite David Bowie Songs .
10. "Sons of the Silent Age" Heroes (1977)
A real hidden gem off of Bowie's second Berlin produced records , this track really proves that Bowie could experiment and it pays off. With the Jazz fusion intro and synthesizers, It could of easily been a track from his Ziggy Stardust era only a few years back. Lyrically , the song revolves around the concept of the main character dealing with themes of psychotic withdrawal . The song is also a point a view on growing up and living through your young adulthood if you have previously read the short story How To Talk To Girls At Parties by Neil Gaiman . I particularly love this track for Bowie's vocal delivery and studio drummer Dennis Davis with his laid back , groovy feel .
9. "Young Americans" Young Americans (1975)
The title track from Bowie's 1975 release has Motown and soul influences , and it bleeds all over . Like I said before , when Bowie could experiment , it works and works effectively. With another sax driven intro and Bowie channeling his inner Elvis Presley and climatic falsetto which channels Smokey Robinson , it's truly a song for the ages .
8. "Oh! You Pretty Things" Hunky Dory (1972)
The second track off of Bowie's 1971 masterpiece , this track is oozing with playful lyrics , tongue in cheek humor, and a staccato piano intro. The songs has the feel of vaudeville throughout and it could easily fit into any Marx Brothers film . It's truly a gem of a track and would recommend giving it a listen , let alone the whole Hunky Dory album because it has some Bowie's best work .
7. "Ziggy Stardust" The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
The title track and main character on Bowie's breakthrough glam rock LP. This not only only shows Bowie and his Ziggy Stardust persona in full force, but also showcases his band which is believe it or not the Spiders From Mars. Mick Ronson is always overlooked as a guitarist . He may not solo like Jimmy Page or create memorable riffs like Keith Richards , but his tone and precision is crucial for the classic David Bowie sound we have come to know today and it shines beautifully from start to finish .
6.'The Jean Genie" Aladdin Sane (1973)
This song showcases how close Bowie came to achieve the famous Chicago blues based sound off his 1973 LP with the now forever famous makeup he flaunts on the cover . The famous fuzzy, thumping riff was played in perfection by Ronson, but Bowie penned the riff . Lyrically , it's one of Bowie's many love letters to New York City and describe close friend and frequent collaborator Iggy Pop of the legendary punk band The Stooges. That same year, he helped produced Pop's most critical release Raw Power.
5. "Modern Love" Let's Dance (1983)
Let's Dance help ushered in a new generation of fans for Bowie. The album is packed with monster hits that ooze the new-wave movement . Modern Love is the best song off the LP though. Lyrically, the song is about struggle to find solace in love and religion . Bowie's idol growing up was Little Richard, and the song structure is centered around a call and response technique and is he tip of the hat to Richard's defining hit "Tutti Frutti". Unknown at the time but would soon become a legend in his own right , Stevie Ray Vaughan provided guitar for the LP , including this tune. Bowie recruited him after seeing him live and being blown away.
4. 'Life on Mars?" Hunky Dory (1972)
The shining song from Hunky Dory,the song is based on a interesting story that Bowie created . One being from a young girl's prospective and because of an argument with her parents and being sensitive to the media, goes to see a movie . The closing lines are the song title . Musically , Bowie was inspired by Frank Sinatra's My Way, and the piano chords are exactly the same. On the liner notes of the LP, you can see Bowie giving credit with (Inspired by Frankie) next to the track listing .
3. "Heroes" Heroes (1977)
The title track off of Bowie's most famous Berlin trilogy recordings , the song is inspired by Bowie's then producer Tony Visconti and one of backup singers who worked on the album . The story the song though is much more powerful in context . The song tells the story of two German lovers who were so devoted to one another and they would meet every single day under a gun turret on The Berlin Wall. It's a beautiful song, yet also melancholy . We can be heroes , but something is always missing .
2. "Moonage Daydream" The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
The entire song oozes the whole Glam Rock persona Bowie was trying to achieve at the time . It's one the best songs off of the legendary LP and Bowie's vocals and Mick Ronson's guitar playing compliment one another perfectly. The song is also a standout for the soulful guitar solo Ronson plays that drives the song to a close. If you listening closely enough , the chord progression underneath the solo have the same feel to "Hotel California" by The Eagles.
1. "Queen Bitch" Hunky Dory (1971)
The cream of the crop for me when it comes to Bowie. I love everything about this track. The song is directly inspired and is a tribute to The Velvet Underground, who Bowie loved and imitates their gritty New York City style and sound. David Bowie loved Lou Reed (the rhythm/lead guitarist for the Velvet Underground) and the two would become lifelong friends. Bowie helped produced Reed's monumental debut solo LP Transformer the following year. The guitar provided by Mick Ronson is gritty, distorted, and mean as hell . The riff was homage to rockabilly icon Eddie Cochran's Three Steps to Heaven. Such a hidden gem and this songs needs to get more attention
