1/3/2006 - Fame
Song: Fame
Artist: David Bowie
Why this song is the current jam: OK so David Bowie is a real bad ass artist, like a real artist, who has talent and everything. And he is the kind of guy who you try to pick a representative song for, and you look like an idiot because he does so much different stuff. So I just picked a song that I like, and one with an interesting little story. This song was written by Bowie, John Lennon, and this dude Carlos Alomar who played for Bowie all the time. It is maybe Bowie's funkiest tune ever, with an amazing riff played by Alomar and backed by some badass session musicians. The weird vocals go beautifully with the track too. Here is the interesting thing though. James Brown, the most sampled musician ever, totally jacked this beat for his song, Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved). Check out a short version of the story here. Perhaps even more interesting though is this review that I found here of the Young Americans album that this song was off of. Check this quote:
It sounds like this dude assumes that the funky track could not have come from Bowie, but had to have originated with the black artist, in this case JB. I emailed him today to see if he still thinks the same thing or maybe he knows something the rest of us don't, we'll see if he responds. In any case, my guess is that talent is talent and Bowie has a ton of that, not to mention that he has good taste in his fellow musicians, which is where this song comes from. That's why he has worked with so many bad mothergrabbers, of all different kinds, including some of the funkiest dudes around (like for example Nile Rogers who you can thank if you have ever gotten down to Rapper's Delight aka Good Times). I dig both of these songs, but as usual, I feel a stronger connection to the original which I think is the Bowie.
Artist: David Bowie
Why this song is the current jam: OK so David Bowie is a real bad ass artist, like a real artist, who has talent and everything. And he is the kind of guy who you try to pick a representative song for, and you look like an idiot because he does so much different stuff. So I just picked a song that I like, and one with an interesting little story. This song was written by Bowie, John Lennon, and this dude Carlos Alomar who played for Bowie all the time. It is maybe Bowie's funkiest tune ever, with an amazing riff played by Alomar and backed by some badass session musicians. The weird vocals go beautifully with the track too. Here is the interesting thing though. James Brown, the most sampled musician ever, totally jacked this beat for his song, Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved). Check out a short version of the story here. Perhaps even more interesting though is this review that I found here of the Young Americans album that this song was off of. Check this quote:
"Fame," written by John Lennon and Carlos Alomar and recorded with Lennon, was a
- Paul Gambaccini, The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time, Harmony Books, 1987.
It sounds like this dude assumes that the funky track could not have come from Bowie, but had to have originated with the black artist, in this case JB. I emailed him today to see if he still thinks the same thing or maybe he knows something the rest of us don't, we'll see if he responds. In any case, my guess is that talent is talent and Bowie has a ton of that, not to mention that he has good taste in his fellow musicians, which is where this song comes from. That's why he has worked with so many bad mothergrabbers, of all different kinds, including some of the funkiest dudes around (like for example Nile Rogers who you can thank if you have ever gotten down to Rapper's Delight aka Good Times). I dig both of these songs, but as usual, I feel a stronger connection to the original which I think is the Bowie.
posted by Peetski at 5:21 PM
4 Comments:
How weird that you would pick that song today.At work I listen to a lot of internet radio, and today my co-worker was commenting on the randomness of it (Launchcast today). My station there is really random and I was telling her "yeah, it could be Ella and then David Bowie...you never can tell". And then not long after, David Bowie came on.... With "Fame". I hadn't really listened to it before, and I took note of its funkiness, so there ya go. Um....good choice :)
Ash
Good call. Just about anything Bowie works for me, (Disclaimer: until Tin Machine) but my personal fave will always be Queen Bitch. It just constantly pops back into my head over the years, and I was blown away when it was used over the credits for The Life Aquatic... (possibly the best soundtrack ever!!)
Oh my goodness!!!! You rock!!! I love David Bowie!!! He is the man.... and would be my husband if Iman didn't marry him first. He is just cool, talented, and a colorful person..He is always re-inventing himself. His Ziggy Stardust music is awesome too.
"Ashes to Ashes,,, funk to funkae...we know major tom's a junkae..." that's my cut.
"Space Oddity", "Under Pressure" with Freddie M., "Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes", "Fashion", "I'm Afraid of Americans" with Trent... I could go on forever.
Yay Bowie! My other husband!
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