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Fame (david Bowie Song)





Single Information

  Name Fame
  Cover Bowie_Famejpg
  Artist David Bowie
  From Album Young Americans
  Released 18 August 1975
  Format 7" single
  Recorded The Power Plant, New York January 1975
  Genre Funk-rock
  Length 04:12 (Album Version) / 03:30 (Single Version)
  Label RCA Records <br> Rykodisc / EMI ("Fame '90")
  Writer David Bowie <br> John Lennon <br> Carlos Alomar
  Producer Harry Maslin
  Chart Position #17 <small>(UK)</small>
  Last Single " Young Americans "<br>(1975)
  This Single "'''Fame'''"<br>(1975)
  Next Single " Golden Years "<br>(1975)
  Last Single " Never Let Me Down "<br>(1987)
  This Single "'''Fame '90'''"<br>(1990)
  Next Single " Real Cool World "<br>(1992)


  Artist Tin Machine
  Type Single
  Last Single " Prisoner Of Love "<br>(1989)
  This Single "'''Fame '90'''"<br>(1990)
  Next Single " You Belong In Rock 'n' Roll "<br>(1991)


  Misc {{Extra album cover 2
  Upper Caption Alternate cover
  Type Single
  Cover Bowie_Fame90jpg
  Lower Caption "Fame '90" cover




"Fame" is a song recorded by David Bowie .

With the '' Young Americans '' sessions mostly concluded in late 1974, the material was delayed while Bowie extricated himself from his contract with manager Tony DeFries . During this time he was staying in New York , and met John Lennon . The pair socialised and jammed together, which led to a one-day session at The Power Plant studio in January 1975. There, Bowie contacted several members of his tour band. Firstly a cover of The Beatles ’ " Across The Universe " was recorded. Then a new song called "Fame," inspired by a guitar riff written by Carlos Alomar and with the title from Lennon, was then hurriedly developed by Bowie, and recorded. Both tracks were then added to the ''Young Americans'' album. Despite having only a minor contribution, Lennon was given a co-writing credit due to the lyrics (bemoaning the nature of celebrity) being inspired by conversations he had with Bowie on the subject, and because Bowie acknowledged that Lennon singing "Fame!" over Alomar’s guitar riff was the catalyst for the song.

An edited version of "Fame" was issued as the second single from the album, and shot to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (ironically, a few months before a reissue of " Space Oddity " would give Bowie his first UK number-one single). In the UK, "Fame" would only reach number seventeen.

Interestingly, James Brown appropriated the essential musical content and production style in his 1976 single "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" (R&B #31). Given the long tradition of white musicians' borrowing of the creations of Black artists, and the fact that the song's style seems to emulate Brown's own work from that period, many assumed it to have originally been Brown's creation.


1975 track listing

# "Fame" (Bowie, Lennon, Alomar) – 3:30
# " Right " (Bowie) – 4:13


1975 musicians

  • David Bowie: Vocals , Guitar

  • John Lennon: Vocals , Guitar on "Fame"

  • Carlos Alomar: Guitar on "Fame"

  • on "Fame"

  • s on "Fame"

  • on "Fame"

  • on "Right"

  • on "Right"

  • s on "Right"

  • on "Right"

  • on "Right"

  • on "Right"

  • on "Right"



"FAME '90"

A Remix ed version of "Fame" was released by EMI in 1990 to coincide with the ''Sound + Vision'' tour and the release of the '' ChangesBowie '' compilation. It was also included on the "Pretty Woman" soundtrack.
# "Fame '90" (with Queen Latifah )
# "Fame '90" ( House mix)
# "Fame '90" (Gass mix)
# "Fame '90" ( Hip Hop mix)
# "Fame '90" (Absolutely Nothing Premeditated/Epic Mix)

A variety of remixes were issued, including one featuring a Rap by Queen Latifah, though the Gass Mix was the main airplay variant.

Film director Gus Van Sant would direct a promotional video for the song, which featured clips from many of Bowie’s previous videos. In the Music Video , Bowie also performs a dance with Louise LeCavalier , one of the main dancers of the Québécois Contemporary Dance troupe La La La Human Steps (who Bowie would collaborate with on the ''Sound + Vision'' tour).

In both the UK and the U.S. this appeared in a variety of formats, including a 7" picture disc, an " Arthur Baker Remixes" 12 Inch Single and a "Changes pack" with three prints of Bowie at different eras. None of the British releases (on EMI USA) feature the "Absolutely Nothing Premeditated mix". It stayed in the UK chart for four weeks, peaking at number twenty-eight.


LIVE VERSIONS

  • A live version recorded on the Heroes tour at the Philadelphia Spectrum, April 28-29th, 1978, was released on '' Stage ''.



OTHER RELEASES



COVER VERSIONS



  Before " Rhinestone Cowboy " by Glen Campbell
  Title Billboard Hot 100 Number One Single
  Years September 20 1975
  After " Calypso " / " I'm Sorry " by John Denver



REFERENCES

Pegg, Nicholas, ''The Complete David Bowie'', Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5