"Joe the Lion" is a song written by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

in 1977 for the album '' "Heroes"''. It was produced by Bowie and

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

and features

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...

. Like the album as a whole, the song demonstrates the influence of German Krautrock. The track is in part a tribute to

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

Chris Burden, who was famous for having himself crucified to a Volkswagen in 1974 ("Nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are") and for having an assistant shoot him in the arm at an art gallery in 1971 ("Guess you'll buy a gun / You'll buy it secondhand"). "Joe the Lion" has also been seen as reflecting Bowie's struggle to overcome the emotional numbness that appeared to permeate his previous album '' Low'' ("You get up and sleep"). Bowie rehearsed the song for the Isolar II tour of 1978, but it ultimately was not performed live until the 1983 Serious Moonlight and 1995 Outside tours, and it was considered (but ultimately not performed) for his 1987

Glass Spider Tour The Glass Spider Tour was a 1987 worldwide concert tour by English musician David Bowie, launched in support of his album '' Never Let Me Down'' and named for that album's track "Glass Spider". It began in May 1987 and was preceded by a two-wee ...

. "Joe the Lion" has been described by critic Chris O'Leary as "phenomenal" and "one of the high peaks of Bowie's late Seventies".Chris O'Leary (2019). ''Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie, 1976-2016'': p.85 '' Mojo'' magazine listed it as Bowie's 94th best track in 2015.

Personnel

: lead vocals, piano *

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garson. He has als ...

: guitar * Brian Eno: EMS VCS 3 synthesizer, guitar treatments * George Murray: bass guitar * Dennis Davis: drums *

: backing vocals

Other releases

* The song was released as the B-side of the US release of " John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)" in December 1979. * It appeared on the following compilations: ** '' Golden Years'' (1983) ** '' Sound + Vision'' box set (1989) * A remixed version, which replaced the distorted guitars and drums of the original with those reflecting late-1980s production values, was included in the

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...

reissue of ''"Heroes"'' in 1991. *A previously unreleased live soundcheck rehearsal of the song from the Isolar II Tour was released in February 2020, backing a picture disc, featuring a live recording of “ Alabama Song“. *

Momus Momus (; Ancient Greek: Μῶμος ''Momos'') in Greek mythology was the personification of satire and mockery, two stories about whom figure among Aesop's Fables. During the Renaissance, several literary works used him as a mouthpiece for their ...

performed a cover version of "Joe the Lion" for his 2015 album '' Turpsycore''.

Live versions

* A live version recorded in 1995 during Bowie's

Outside Tour The Outside Tour was a tour by English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the '' 1. Outside'' album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North Americ ...

was released as part of the live album '' Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95)'' (2020).

Notes

{{authority control David Bowie songs 1977 songs Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti