Bowie gets back to R&B. I like it. That vocal key progression that pays tribute to The Beatles' "Twist And Shout". And, this gave us another example of Nile Rodgers's sound without Bernard Edwards.
"Let's Dance" The song that introduced Bowie to "my" generation (born in 1972). Before this, he was rock's Creepy Weirdo (TM), whose late '70s albums were too weird to listen to. Before "Let's Dance," my only knowledge of Bowie had been from seeing the "Ashes to Ashes" video on TV, which scared the hell out of me at age 8 or 9. I see it hit #1 in May 1983 but I don't remember hearing it a lot until much later in the year when we moved from Greensboro to Cary and had MTV. The thing is, I divide my childhood into pre June 1983 and post June 1983, as that's when we moved, and this song belongs to the post June 1983 era...in my mind. Bowie got some slack from guitar afficionados for miming to Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar solo in this video. Some feel he did SRV dirty by not taking him on tour, or offering him a low salary to do so (can't remember the story). It does make me laugh, however, to remember Chuck Klosterman's quote that once "Let's Dance" hit big, David Bowie spent the rest of the '80s dressed like a waiter at the Olive Garden.
I remember hearing "Cat People" on the radio the year before so I had a vague idea of who Bowie was when "Let's Dance" started to gather steam. Whatever issues one might have with David Bowie "selling out", "Let's Dance" was a solid pop single bolstered by crisp production.
Let's Dance was easily my earliest exposure to Bowie. It was great that he cashed in the chips and reaped a major smash hit that for the first time put him in the black financially (he was officially freed of the Mainman contract that went through his royalties up to 1982) and while the Let's Dance album was a solid collaboration (but also his spottiest since 1969, the first album to have legitimate filler), it also proved to be an albatross because EMI had a "pop star" now (he'd infamously refer to these as his Phil Collins years) with him and the next two albums would be the worst of his discography, spending years redeeming himself afterwards
It's like he spent the bulk of the '90s apologizing for both his '80s stuff AND for Tin Machine (which was never more than a cult band that also received backlash) and then spent the bulk of the '00s saying "Thank you for accepting my apology." I can't believe he and Prince have been gone 4 years.
Re: INXS The One Thing It's weird, cause the 'next' song MTV played a lot by INXS was Don't Change. Wikipedia confuses things by saying this was their first international hit, which in the States it wasn't. Anyways, it only reached 80 in the States, but I think it's a better song, and like The One Thing, it got a lot of air time on MTV. Fun fact: Bruce Springsteen did a "boss" version of this song when playing concerts in Australia in 2014.
When I lived in Boston in the late eighties, there was a guy who would do wonderful busking versions of various Beatles songs near Harvard Yard; my friends and I would sometimes grab a snack and sit and listen to him. Occasionally when he'd launch into Twist and Shout, just after he did the ah---ah---AH part, he'd segue into Let's Dance as a joke. So I always flash back to that time of my life when I hear this song.
I was today years old when I realized Nike Rodgers produced on the track. My favorite part of the song is the chorus, it's just so beautifully loud and chaotic.
For all you 80s children, I recommend you go back and check out David Bowie's albums before the late 70s.
According to songfacts: On the surface, this song is about dancing with a lover, but according to Nile Rodgers, there's a deeper meaning. He told Mojo: "When David wrote those lyrics, he was talking about the dance that people do in life; the conceptual dance of not being honest. He sings, 'put on your red shoes and dance the blues.' Like you're pretending to be happy but you're sad." The official video was directed by David Mallet. It was filmed in Australia and features an Aboriginal couple who are struggling against Western cultural imperialism. The video was described by Bowie as a "very simple, very direct" statement against racism. According to Mallet, they shot the bar scenes in the morning, which didn't go over well with the locals, who didn't appreciate Bowie and fashionable crew. Some of the patrons also resented the Aborigines who starred in the clip, and mocked them with their own dance moves. Mallet shot this on film and edited it into the video - the white people dancing in the bar were actually making fun of the couple. Red Shoes are a theme in the video and appear in the lyrics, "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues." This is a reference to the 1948 movie The Red Shoes, where a dancer performs in a ballet of that name. The idea is that the red shoes make you dance - it's based on a Hans Christian Andersen story of the same title. Kate Bush recorded a song about the same subject. Let's Dance by David Bowie - Songfacts
Same with me. Later on I discovered he was the same person who did "Changes". I always liked "Changes" as a kid but didn't know who it was. Then even later on, late 80's I finally realized that SRV played on the "Let's Dance" album and it made me like those tunes even more!
and would significantly make an impact on the style of pop guitar solos...bringing a relatively unknown Stevie Ray Vaughn into the studio, who basically simply channeled Albert King. Albert once told Stevie...”yeah, I heard you just did my ****...” and even Nile Rodgers at first was confused by Bowie’s choice and was like “...if you want Albert King, let’s just get Albert King.” But even Stevie was humbled and basically was like...”I just figured Albert’s licks would work and I was right.” I know Bowie was keen on having Stevie do the leads because he wanted to take him on tour, but Stevie’s issues with his regular intake of certain chemicals, an overbearing wife and his managements inability to negotiate made that impossible.
I’ve been patiently waiting for this period to be commented on...as an opportunity to shamelessly share my interesting claim to fame... My current avatar pic is me at age 12ish...getting ready to go see Van Halen on the Diver Down tour. Their opening act that night was After the Fire...whom I did not understand at the time and actually the crowd was pretty merciless to them. Now, fast forward some 30 years later, I was introduced to Andy Piercy, leader of After the Fire and I was graciously given the opportunity to work him in some worship conference contexts and we became friends. I mentioned I saw them open for Van Halen as a teenager and he shared some stories of the road with his days in ATF. Andy is a wonderful, humble and very talented musician/producer/mentor/songwriter who rarely drops names or even uses his CV as a way to self promote. So...one day, my church was planning an outdoor concert event that would have my Yacht Rock band be the entertainment and we asked Andy if he would be up for traveling and singing "Der Kommisar" with us backing him up....it took some doing...he was not that keen on the idea...but after some convincing and pleading he agreed. Originally, we were just going to have him come up and sing/rap a couple of verses..but being the consummate pro, he re-learned the vocal, memorized it and and sang the whole thing with us. We had to bring it down a whole step (which actually made it sound even more sinister), but he killed it. He didn't tell us at the time, but it was the only time he had ever performed it live in the US, as After the Fire had broken up by the time it took off in the states. So, I get to claim that I got to be a part of premiering "Der Kommissar" live with the actual singer in the US. There is no video of it, so don't ask...;-) Andy told me there would be blood if it ever hit YouTube! ;-)
I got to see Springsteen perform ‘Don’t Change’ in Albany as well. It was a very pleasant surprise as it was assumed he’d abandon it after Australia. I’ve always loved that song
When I said that, I was thinking pretty much what you said ---> 1955-56 (rock/Elvis), and 1964 (Beatles/British Invasion), and maybe 1974-75 (early disco). I don't really have the time or energy to argue this any further (I'm still working full time, and physically going there, at risk to both my and my family's health) --- and this topic is way down on the importance scale for me. We're just going to have to disagree a bit. I don't think we're as far apart as our posts might make it seem -- I do see 1983 as a demarcation point, like you -- but unlike you I didn't necessarily like the result. I also didn't dislike what it was changing from.
"Let's Dance" hit #1 for just a week in Canada, but was in #2 for something like 4 or 5 weeks before and after making the top spot. I think it is still great song!
Beat It Just okay except for the guitar solo, which is great and almost iconic. This song sure kept the Jackson juggernaut going. Let's Dance Bowie goes commercial, but it works. I really like this. Some great guitar work from Stevie Ray Vaughan on it as a bonus. Which is all kinds of odd on a commercial David Bowie new wave dance hit. I got nuttin' good to say about the next one coming up, so I'll see you guys again in the summer of 1983.
The original demo of the track that Nile officially released a couple years ago (it got a 12" single Record Store Day release in 2018) actually shows how much of a Chic track it actually was. Bowie famously told Nile "I want hits" during their initial meeting since Bowie hadn't really had a US hit since 1976's "Golden Years" (as beloved today as Heroes and Ashes To Ashes are, they didn't even make the hot 100) and the rise of MTV, the ending of his indentured servitude to Mainman (which had essentially deprived Bowie of any decent royalties) for good as well as leaving RCA for a new label was a perfect time to cash it in
That was similar to the case in the US, it spent a couple weeks at #2 behind the song that replaced it and didn't leave the top 5 until July
Bowie sure had a knack for finding mega-talented guitarists before they were a household name. Has any other single act worked with as many talented guitarists over the years?
