He'll never wave bye-bye

Am I wrong to want to claim David Bowie entirely as an 80s guy? (Yeah, I know. It's a stretch.) But Bowie really hit super stardom then -- more than two dozen songs hit the chats. And he made some pretty excellent videos in the process.

Bowie turns 61 years old, but thanks to modern technology, he doesn't look a day over 29. Well, maybe 39. Who's really counting? Let's hope his birthday wish is to do a retro-80s tour, featuring all our favorite tunes from the decade, including these gems.

TOP 5 FAVORITE DAVID BOWIE TUNES FROM THE 80s:

5. ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS: "As long as you're still smiling, there's nothing more I need/"

4. CHINA GIRL: "Oh baby, just you shut your mouth."

3. LET'S DANCE: "Let's dance for fear tonight is all."

2. MODERN LOVE: "I never wave bye-bye."

1. UNDER PRESSURE (with Freddie Mercury): "These are the days it never rains but it pours."

Postscript: Let me add that I think "Blue Jean" is an absolute classic and deserving to be on the top 5 list. However, I think I'm jaded because I thought the longer video that went with it was truly phenomenal. Without it, I'm not sure I'd be so attached to the song. Click here to view it.

Comments

[Marissa]

Douglas? ARe your fingers a wee bit tired from all that typing?

[Douglas Arthur]

Another thing I forgot to mention...I thought it was appropriate you mentioned buying Freedom Of Choice by Devo recently, Steve. Did you know that Bowie was so enamored with Devo when he heard them play, he offered to produce their first album? This was during his "Berlin" period, so the spudboys from Akron flew over to the Studio in Germany. But after they got there, Bowie was so busy and so exhausted from detoxing from his cocaine addiction, that he deferred to Brian Eno instead, whom he was working with on those classic albums. This is also how Devo wound up signing with Warner Brothers. They were unsigned at the time of the recording and were under the impression that Eno was paying for the recording out of his own pocket, but he was using WB's money and as a result, they claimed the rights to the master tapes, thus forcing them to sign with a label they didn't want to. They had previously turned down an offer to sign with them.
Duty Now Steve-o!

[Douglas Arthur]

Finally I have time to make a decent comment on this post. Bowie is definitely in my top 5 artists of all time and I listen to his work all the time.

The 80's for Bowie were I think bookended by his best work. he admitted as much himself, saying that for much of the mid-80s he began to believe his own hype after the huge commercial success of the Let's Dance album and the Serious Moonlight tour. I guess I should rephrase that a bit. I think his best work is definitely his "Berlin" period as stated previously (1977-1979) with Low, Heroes, and Lodger. His best work of the 80's were on either end of the decade. Scary Monsters in 1980 and Tin Machine in 1989. I know a lot of Bowie purists and critics deride Tin Machine, but I really think it is under-rated in many ways and it was clear that he was enjoying his work for the first time since Scary Monsters anyway. I think too that Tin Machine deserves some credit for pre-saging the "grunge sound" of the early 90's. The only thing they got wrong was the fashion. At a time in the industry when everything was becoming overly slick and prepackaged with dance beats, Tin Machine was a breathe of fresh air with is loud jangly distorted guitars, pounding rhythms and lyrics about urban decay (Under The God, I Can't Read, Crack City). For me Tin Machine was love at first listen. Interestingly, the sound of it was a through back too, as every single song was recorded live in studio with no overdubs. The band had practised several weeks before commiting them to tape. I believe the whole thing was finished in less than a week. A very DIY asthetic. Something that would permeate the "grunge" sound.
Scary Monsters just kicked major patootie, especially with Robert Fripp's fierce and howling guitarwork on songs like Fashion, the title track, Up The Hill Backwards, and It's No Game. It is kinda strange to put the rest of his 80's output next to these two masterworks. Let's Dance was great, don't get me wrong, but it was very poppy in spots and seemed generated to make money and not an artistic statement. The follow up, Tonight, was a limp, tepid, going through the motions affair. Blue Jean notwithstanding. Seriously, can you hum any other tune off that album? 1987's Never Let Me Down, unfortunately did just that, though I did enjoy the ensuing Glass Spider Tour at the Meadowlands with my friend Tom. Very little to enjoy about that release at all.
he did do some interesting one-off singles like Under Pressure in 1981, or This Is Not America with Pat Methany for the Falcon and the Snowman soundtack, but then he also did some truly un-fabulous crap for LABYRINTH. I remember going to see that movie and being really excited, until it actually unspooled before my eyes in a train wreck of broken promises and unattained expectations. Jim Henson AND David Bowie? together? How can it go wrong? Like most things in the 80's this was just chrome-plated shinola.
I think Tin Machine was him getting back to what was interesting to him and not to marketing whizzes flashing around big dollar signs. the 90's were much better for him, in my opinion, but that is for a different blog I think, since this is of course, Stuck In The 80's.

[MarieElaine]

How about a Labyrinth podcast? Please, Stuck in the 80s!

[theroux]

"Blue Jean", IIRC, was the first video that went the "Thriller" route, ie: mini-movie with dialogue (many followed of course, Benatar's "Battlefield")
I always watched Bowie's videos, but the music left me cold. It's that voice, too monotone. I like Jonathan Ryhs Myer's version of Bowie much better.

[Brad]

Hmm, does the Freedom Of Choice purchase indicate a Devo podcast in the future?

The General and I are most interested.

We Must Repeat...

[jane]

Totally random comment -- but when did Bowie turn into Tom Skerritt's brother?

[Ron]

My favorite Bowie was from the 1970's (Yes, I am old enough). Musically, I never thought he acheived the same success as he did in the 1970's.

Also, he has to lose some 1980's points for Tin Machine!!!

[Dennis]

I think Bowie was always ahead of time, so the real classics of the late 70es (Low/Heroes/Lodger) melted into the 80es and he got the 'superstardom' that he deserved - funnily in retrospect much of his 80es stuff I consider as a bit weak (esp. late 80e - anyone up for Tin Machine?). For me the late 70es Berlin-period will always be my fave Bowie time (although I was barely born back then...)

[Bassnote]

"Freedom Of Choice", an excellent choice of tunage. I'll have to check out the new TMBG.

[Spears]

I've spent about $50 on iTunes in the last few days, including the new They Might Be Giants album and "Freedom of Choice" by Devo.

[Bassnote]

You and Sean are going to put me in the poor house. I just spent $10.00 on i tunes to get the Absolute Beginners EP, and a few other Bowie tunes I didn't have.

[Bassnote]

I saw Bowie on the Sound & Vision tour in 1990. Adrian Belew played lead guitar for him. He played everything I wanted to hear in a nearly 3 hour show.

[specialk]

Happy Birthday David! You are truly one of my favorites from the 80s and I love his early stuff too. I saw him on his Glass Spiders tour (another all time favorite Duran Duran opened for that show) and it was an amazing concert!
I am watching the Freddie Mercury tribute concert right now and he sounded amazing with Annie Lennox!

[Bassnote]

Bowie is one of the few artists who has spanned many decades, but his peak period was definitely in the 80's. Some of my favorite 80's tunes are:

5. Ashes To Ashes (1980)
4. Blue Jean (1984)
3. Day-In Day-Out (1987)
2. Let's Dance (full album version) (1983)
1. Modern Love (1983)

Honorable mention goes to 'Underground' from the Labyrinth soundtrack. Also give honorable mention to 'Cat People (Putting Out Fire)'.

[warhawk85]

Steve,
You are right to say that Bowie hit superstardom in the 80's, but i have to say his older output scary monsters back to space oddity is truly his best work. the 80's albums "lets dance", "tonght", and "glass spider" fit into the 80's nicely and are a snapshot of the era, but are weak in comparison to ziggy stardust. Bowie was always ahead of the musical curve, but it seems that his output in the 80's was the status quo. I have heard very little of his newer output, post tin machine, but have enjoyed what i have heard. long live the chamelon of rock and looking forward to the next incarnation.

[Marissa]

Steve, you are not wrong by saying Bowie is an 80s icon. He's timeless, and yes, been around for a long time. In the 70s I was too young to appreciate his Ziggy Stardust "fame". I was still digging on Donny Osmond, Barry Manilow and anythng purely white bread.
Once I was in high school in 1979, all bets were off and I was enveloped in a whole new genre of music.
"Blue Jean" holds its own without the video. In fact, I had to pull it up on iTunes just to have a listen. For me, it's just as good as "Let's Dance."

[Spears]

Yeah, I'm thinking I made a mistake. Blame on the seawater -- and the Romanian massage therapist's magnificent "butt rub."

[jane]

Happy Birthday Ziggy Stardust!

With or without the video (which is indeed phenomenal), "Blue Jean" needs to be on that list. Near the top, actually. J'adore.