I’ve been intending to do this ‘remembering’ post for several years now, but each time I’ve let it pass by unmentioned. Finally, on the tenth anniversary of his death, here is my Remembering David Bowie post…

I think I put it off so many times because I was, and still am, over-awed by David Bowie’s back catalogue. I am no Bowie buff, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself writing the same old blah blah blahs about ‘Heroes’ or ‘Starman’.

So I’ve decided not to think too much about it. I’ve gone with my gut, and chosen five of his hits that I enjoy. Two I’ve loved for a long time, two I don’t know so well, and one that I just discovered while going through his discography in preparation for this post, released across a twenty-year period. They all made the UK Top 10, which is the one requirement I used to keep the task from getting too impossible.

Of course, Bowie had his fair share of number ones, all of which I’ve covered in more depth here: ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Ashes to Ashes’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘Dancing in the Street’. I’ve also done a post on one of his ‘B’-sides.

Anyway, here’s five singles to take us on a journey through a musical career like few others…

‘Drive-In Saturday’, #3 in 1973

Not one of his better remembered glam numbers, but the follow-up to ‘The Jean Genie’ is a woozy wonder. A doo-wop pastiche set in the post-apocalyptic year 2033 (I bet that sounded very far off when he wrote it…)

‘Knock on Wood’ (Live), #10 in 1974

This is the one I just discovered in going through his discography, and it sticks out. Making #10 towards the end of his imperious Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane phases, this is a rocking cover of the sixties soul classic, recorded live in Pennsylvania. Not well received at the time, I think it’s an interesting counterpoint to his artier recordings, and he sounds great on it.

‘Boys Keep Swinging’, #7 in 1979

This late-seventies stomper sees Bowie doing Bryan Ferry, with a touch of the Velvet Underground and lots of his old glam sound. And lots of drag, some of it quite terrifying. For an artist remembered for his gender-bending, this is Bowie at his bendiest. Pure camp.

‘Absolute Beginners’, #2 in 1986

Possibly my favourite Bowie track (said as someone who has probably listened to about 20% of his entire output). His last big, big hit, reaching #2 in the spring of 1986, this is a brilliant, upbeat ballad with about five different hooks. It marks an artist as special when they can churn something like this out to order for a movie soundtrack, more than twenty years into their career. And is there a sweeter lyric than: I absolutely love you, But we’re absolute beginners…?

‘Jump They Say’, #9 in 1993

Although I struggle to appreciate all of his work, it’s admirable how Bowie never settled, never rested on his considerable laurels. His final album, ‘Blackstar’, is one of his most challenging, and was released exactly two days before he died. While his penultimate UK Top 10 single was this jarring neo-funk single, inspired by the suicide of his schizophrenic half-brother. And yet, there’s still a great pop sensibility to it, and he managed to make it a commercial success, taking it to #9 in 1993.

Apologies for not writing as much as I usually do in a ‘remembering’ post. A mix of time constraints, and an inability to do Bowie justice. Anyway, in this case it’s probably better to let the music do the talking. I hope you enjoy these picks!

David Bowie, 8th January 1947 – 10th January 2016