Songs that mention David Bowie

It goes without saying that David Bowie was a huge influence on many artists over many decades.

Are there many songs out there that reference either the man, his songs or his many personas?

I'll kick it off with Au Contraire by They Might Be Giants

 

RHCP's Californication (song) - "Singing songs off Station to Station...."

 

Phish - "David Bowie"

 

Maybe this Peter Schilling tune from 1983.

 

Who could forget...

 

The Bangles - "Glitter Years"

 

Here's a song by Spanish new wave group Radio Futura from 1980. It's called Divina but it's actually a cover of T-Rex's Ballrooms of Mars.

They altered the lyrics and changed the Bob Dylan reference to David Bowie. I guess back in 1980 was cooler to namedrop Bowie rather than Dylan...

 

Yep, first one I thought of. There are a handful of other songs by other artists that reference Major Tom also.

 

Scorpions - Speedy's Coming

 

Negativland - 'Michael Jackson' track. Mentioning lots of artists, including DB.

Isabelle Adjani - 'Beau oui comme Bowie' (a Gainsbourg track. Translates as 'Pretty, yes, like Bowie!)

 

Parliament - P.Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)

 

Ian McCulloch from the Bunnymen had a track called "Me & David Bowie" on his last solo album.
The lyrics were excruciatingly painful, but he wrote it in 2011 when he heard a rumour that Bowie had cancer so it's quite poignant now

 

Def Leppard - Rocket

 

david bowie wants ideas' by bongwater-



cheers,
rob

 

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Over And Over Again"

 

Back in 2011, a collaboration between the Flaming Lips and Neon Indian asked a question that didn't occur to most of us: "Is David Bowie Dying?"

 

Veruca Salt's 'With David Bowie'.

 

"Hard Life in Country" by The Fall.

 

Bowie's name isn't mentioned, but Frank Zappa's "Be in my Video" is full of references to the type of video that Bowie (and others) produced around 1983/1984. Of course it also references the lyrics of "Let's Dance".

 

Adel Tawil "Lieder" - a radio hit in Germany where he hides 30 titles of well-known songs in the lyrics:
Bowie war für'n Tag mein Held
references to Heroes

 

Tori Amos - Not David Bowie