Aladdin Sane (song)
"Aladdin Sane" | |
---|---|
Song by David Bowie | |
from the album Aladdin Sane | |
Released | 19 April 1973[a] |
Recorded | January 1973 |
Studio | Trident, London |
Genre | Art rock, glam rock, avant-garde jazz |
Length | 5:06 |
Label | RCA |
Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
Producer(s) | Ken Scott, David Bowie |
"Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?)" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, the title track from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane. Described by biographer David Buckley as the album's "pivotal" song, it saw Bowie moving into more experimental musical styles following the success of his breakthrough glam rock release The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972.[5]
Title
The name is a pun on "A Lad Insane" and it was inspired by Bowie's half-brother Terry, who had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic.[6][7] An early variation was "Love Aladdin Vein", which Bowie dropped partly because of its drug connotations. The dates in parentheses refer to the years preceding World War I and World War II, with the third unknown date reflecting Bowie’s belief in an impending World War III.[6]
The title has been rendered a number of ways on different releases since 1973. The original vinyl issue of Aladdin Sane listed it as "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)", followed by "
CD reissue the track was referred to as simply "Aladdin Sane", but subsequent CD reissues of the album in 1999, 2003 and 2013 restored the "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" title.Music and lyrics
Bowie wrote "Aladdin Sane" in December 1972 as he sailed back to the UK following the first leg of his US Ziggy Stardust Tour. The subject matter was inspired by a book he was reading, Evelyn Waugh's 1930 book Vile Bodies (filmed in 2003 as Bright Young Things, a phrase that also appears in the song's lyrics). Bowie saw in Waugh's story of "frivolous, decadent and silly" behaviour on the eve of "imminent catastrophe" a reflection of contemporary society, particularly in America.[6] At Bridge School Benefit X in 1996, Bowie played the song acoustically and reflected that the song was "about young people, just between the two wars, wanting to go and screw girls and kill foreigners."[9]
The song features a
I've had more communication in the last 26 years about that one solo than the 11 albums I've done on my own, the six that I've done with another group that I'm co-leader of, hundreds of pieces I've done with other people and the 3,000 pieces of music I've written to date. I don't think there's been a week in those 26 years that have gone by without someone, somewhere, asking me about it!
Garson remembered Bowie's guidance in making the solo come out the way it did:[13]
I had told Bowie about the avant-garde thing. When I was recording the "Aladdin Sane" track for Bowie, it was just two chords, an A and a G chord, and the band was playing very simple English rock and roll. And Bowie said: 'play a solo on this.' I had just met him, so I played a blues solo, but then he said: 'No, that’s not what I want.' And then I played a latin solo. Again, Bowie said: 'No no, that’s not what I want.' He then continued: 'You told me you play that avant-garde music. Play that stuff!' And I said: 'Are you sure? 'Cause you might not be working anymore!'. So I did the solo that everybody knows today, in one take. I always tell people that Bowie is the best producer I ever met, because he lets me do my thing.
"Zion"
A track now referred to as
Personnel
According to Chris O'Leary:[1]
- David Bowie – lead vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar
- Mick Ronson – lead and rhythm guitar
- Trevor Bolder – bass
- Mick Woodmansey – drums
- Ken Fordham – tenor saxophone
- Mike Garson – piano
Technical
- David Bowie – producer
- Ken Scott – producer, engineer
Live versions
"Aladdin Sane" was debuted live in February 1973, prior to the album’s release, and often played in concert during the later Ziggy Stardust tours and again on the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974. A performance from the first leg of the 1974 tour was released on
Other releases
The original song has appeared on several compilations:
- The Best of David Bowie (Japan 1974)
- Chameleon (Australia/New Zealand 1979)
- Changestwobowie (1981)
- The Best of 1969/1974(1997)
Cover versions
- Toni Basil – Live at the Roxy
- Emergency Broadcast Network – Sampled for "Homicidal Schizophrenic (A Lad Insane)" on Telecommunication Breakdown (1996)
Notes
- ^ There is some debate about the release date. Previously reported as 13 April 1973,[1][2] in 2018, Bowie's official website stated that new evidence had come to light proving that the official release date was 20 April 1973, but because this was Good Friday (a public holiday in the UK), the album was made available on 19 April.[3] According to Benoît Clerc's book David Bowie All the Songs (2022), the US release date was 13 April and the UK release date was 19 April.[4]
References
- ^ a b O'Leary 2015, chap. 6.
- ^ Cann 2010, p. 291.
- ^ "Aladdin Sane 45th anniversary silver vinyl due". David Bowie Official Website. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ Clerc 2022, p. 159.
- ^ a b c David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story: pp.186–187
- ^ a b c d Pegg 2016, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Seventies' Greatest Album Covers: Aladdin Sane. Retrieved on 2 July 2011.
- ^ "Changestwobowie at Teenage Wildlife". Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2007.
- ^ David Bowie – Bridge School Benefit 19 October 1996
- ^ a b Gerson, Ben (19 July 1973). "Aladdin Sane". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ a b Carr & Murray 1981, p. 54.
- ^ David Buckley (1999). Op Cit: p.171
- ^ 2008 Interview with Mike Garson
- ^ Bernard Zuel (9 August 2003). "David Bowie, Aladdin Sane". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b Pegg 2016, pp. 326–327.
- ^ Naked & Wired at Bassman's David Bowie Page
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (25 April 2020). "ChangesNowBowie – David Bowie". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
Sources
- Buckley, David (2005) [1999]. Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: ISBN 978-0-75351-002-5.
- Cann, Kevin (2010). Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974. Croydon, Surrey: Adelita. ISBN 978-0-95520-177-6.
- ISBN 978-0-38077-966-6.
- Clerc, Benoît (2022). David Bowie All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York City: ISBN 978-0-7624-7471-4.
- ISBN 978-0-06-202466-4.
- O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76. Winchester: ISBN 978-1-78099-244-0.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.