"Fame" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter

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 ...

. It was released on his 1975 album ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul ...

'' and was later issued as the album's second single by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

in July 1975. Written by Bowie,

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 ...

and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

, it was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in January 1975. It is a funk rock song that represents Bowie's dissatisfaction with the troubles of fame and stardom. The song was a major commercial success in North America, becoming Bowie's first number 1 single on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by ''Jam!''/Canoe. It ...

. The song was one of the most successful singles of the year, ranking at number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100. However, it was less successful in Europe, reaching number 17 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 1990, Bowie remixed the song under the title "Fame '90" to coincide with his Sound+Vision Tour. "Fame" has since appeared on many

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

s, and was remastered in 2016 as part of the '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'' box set. The song is one of four of Bowie's songs to be included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Background

With the release of his 1972 album '' The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', Bowie achieved stardom. On that album, Bowie presented his aspirations to become famous in "Star", which also encapsulated the fantasies of "every adolescent dreamer miming into a hairbrush in a suburban bedroom", on top of Bowie's own frustration with not having fulfilled his potential. By the beginning of 1975, "fame" meant a couple of different things to Bowie. It meant not only his stardom, but also impending lawsuits that were the result of the ending of Bowie's relationship with his manager Tony Defries. It also meant an expensive musical theatre project concocted by Defries, titled ''Fame'', that was financed through MainMan, a company that was built around Bowie's fame; the show was an examination of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

that closed after one night on Broadway and after already flopping off-Broadway. The failure of ''Fame'' almost ruined MainMan and was traumatic on Bowie and Defries' relationship. Bowie would later describe "Fame" as "nasty, angry", and fully admitted that it was written "with a degree of malice" aimed at MainMan. This is supported by biographer Peter Doggett, who writes: "every time in "Fame" that Bowie snapped back with a cynical retort about its pitfalls, he had efriesand efries'sepic folly in mind," and noted the lyric "bully for you, chilly for me" as the striking example. In 1990, Bowie recalled the song as his "least favourite track on the album" and reflected: "I'd had very upsetting management problems and a lot of that was built into the song. I've left all that behind me, now... I think fame itself is not a rewarding thing. The most you can say is that it gets you a seat in restaurants."

Composition and recording

John Lennon last television interview Tomorrow show 1975 (34 cropped)

With the ''

'' sessions mostly concluded by late 1974, the material was delayed while Bowie extricated himself from Defries. Sources differ on how "Fame" came to be in the studio, but both Doggett and

Nicholas Pegg Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, writer and director. Educated at Nottingham High School and graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Exeter, Pegg subsequently trained at the Guildford School of Acting. Ac ...

write that it was the product of "happy" accidents. By late 1974, Bowie was staying in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he met

during his "lost weekend" period of estrangement. Shortly after Lennon reunited with his wife

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, the pair jammed together, leading to a one-day session at Electric Lady Studios in January 1975. There,

had developed a guitar riff for Bowie's cover of "Footstompin'" by the Flairs, which Bowie thought was "a waste" to give to a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

. Lennon, who was in the studio with them, came up with the hook when he started to sing "aim" over the riff, which Bowie turned into "Fame" and thereafter, according to Marc Spitz, wrote the rest of the lyrics to the song with Lennon. However, according to Doggett, Lennon made the "briefest lyrical contributions" that was "enough" to give him co-writing credit. Bowie later said that Lennon was the "energy" and the "inspiration" for "Fame", and that's why he received a co-writing credit. Lennon stated in a 1980 interview: "We took some

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

middle eight and did it backwards, you know, and we made a record out of it!" After the group solidified the riff, they emerged with something that was in the hand of "black American music" at the start of 1975: a "cousin" of "

Hollywood Swinging "Hollywood Swinging" is a 1974 song by R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang from their album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It was written by Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, George M. Brown, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Claydes Charles Smith, Dennis R. Thomas an ...

" by Kool & the Gang, "

The Payback ''The Payback'' is the 37th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in December 1973, by Polydor Records. It was originally scheduled to become the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film ''Hell Up in Harlem'', but w ...

" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

, and " Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" by

B. T. Express B.T. Express (originally named Brooklyn Transit Express) was an American funk/disco group that had a number of successful songs during the 1970s. Background According to a ''Record World'' article in March, 1975, the King Davis House Rockers b ...

. (Later in 1975, Brown released the song "

Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved) "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in December 1975, it reached #31 on the R&B chart. It uses the main riff from the David Bowie song " Fame", released earlier the same year. Guit ...

," whose main riff was borrowed directly from "Fame.") Doggett writes that other potential influences were the 1972 song "Jungle Walk" by the Rascals and the 1974 songs " Pick Up the Pieces" by the Average White Band and "Brighter Day" by Keith Christmas, a friend of Bowie's. Overall, Doggett believes "Fame" resembled " Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" by Sly and the Family Stone which, like "Fame", is in the funk style with "viciously pointed" lyrics. "Fame" is a funk rock song that represents Bowie's (and Lennon's) dissatisfaction with the troubles of fame and stardom, including "money-grabbing managers, mindless adulation, unwanted entourages and the hollow vacuity of the limousine lifestyle". Lennon's voice is heard interjecting the falsetto "Fame" throughout the song. Doggett found it "striking" that the falsetto expanded three octaves, from "

soprano" to "

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

basso profundo". Along with "Fame", Bowie worked with Lennon again when he decided to record a cover of Lennon's

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

song "

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

"; Lennon played rhythm guitar on the cover. According to Spitz, "Fame" and "Across the Universe" were both last-minute additions to ''Young Americans''. Although ''Young Americans'' was mostly co-produced by

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 ...

, he was not present at the sessions for "Fame"; instead, both songs were co-produced by engineer

Harry Maslin Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer. In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow (" Mandy"), and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners (" Then Came You"). As a producer, his c ...

. In the song, Bowie sings "What you need, you have to borrow" with, according to Spitz, the same "venom" that

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

sang, "Businessmen they drink my wine," on his cover of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's " All Along the Watchtower".

Release and reception

"Fame" was released on 7 March 1975 as the final track on Bowie's ninth studio album ''

''. It was subsequently released by RCA Records (as PB 10320) as the second single from the album on 25 July 1975 with fellow album track "

Right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

" as the B-side. "Fame" became Bowie's first song to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, displacing " Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell during the week of 20 September 1975. For the week of 27 September 1975, "Fame" dropped to number two behind John Denver's "I'm Sorry" for a week, before returning to the top spot for one final week, ultimately being replaced at number one by Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood". Bowie would later claim that he had "absolutely no idea" that the song would do so well as a single, saying "I wouldn't know how to pick a single if it hit me in the face." Despite "Fame" being Bowie's then-biggest success on the American charts, the song only reached number 17 in the

. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said that "with a scintillating rhythm track and chicken-guitar courtesy of Mr. Lennon, David's versatile voice blends with John's to produce an ethereal dancer with some r&b psychedelia thrown in." Dave Thompson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

calls the track "a hard-funking dance storm whose lyrics – a hostile riposte on the personal cost of success – utterly belie the upbeat tempo and feel of the song." Following Bowie's death in 2016, ''Rolling Stone'' listed it as one of Bowie's 30 essential songs. In 2018, the writers of '' NME'', in their list of Bowie's 41 greatest songs, ranked "Fame" at number 21. In 2016, ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' placed the single at number 25 in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best. "Fame" was used as the soundtrack of an animated music video of the same title, directed by

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

and Mark Kirkland while students at California Institute of the Arts. The film, released in 1975, went on to win the Student Academy Award for animation and aired on NBC's '' The Midnight Special''. The song is one of four Bowie songs to be included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A 40th anniversary version of "Fame" was released in 2015 and peaked at #141 in France.

Live versions

A live performance recorded on 23 March 1976 was included on ''

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 ''Live Nassau Coliseum '76'' is a live album by David Bowie recorded on 23 March 1976 during Bowie's Isolar Tour in support of the album ''Station to Station''. The recording was first released in September 2010, as part of special and deluxe ed ...

'', which was released as part of the 2010 reissues of the '' Station to Station'' album, on the 2016 collection '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', and as a stand-alone album in 2017. Performances from the 1978 Isolar II tour have been released on '' Stage'' (1978) and '' Welcome to the Blackout'' (2018). A live performance from the Serious Moonlight Tour, filmed on 12 September 1983, was included on the concert DVD ''Serious Moonlight'' (1984) and on the live album ''Serious Moonlight (Live '83)'', which was part of the 2018 box set '' Loving the Alien (1983–1988)'' and was released separately the following year. Live versions recorded during Bowie's 1987 Glass Spider Tour (in Sydney, Australia and Montreal, Canada) were released as part of the '' Glass Spider'' concert DVD/CD package. A July 1997 performance at the

Phoenix Festival The Phoenix Festival was set up by John Vincent Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals. It was held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon and was one of t ...

was released in 2021 on '' Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)''. Bowie's 25 June 2000 performance of the song at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

was released in 2018 on '' Glastonbury 2000''. An updated version recorded live by Bowie on 27 June 2000 was released on ''BBC Radio Theatre, London, 27 June 2000'', a bonus disc accompanying the first release of '' Bowie at the Beeb'' in 2000. A November 2003 live performance from the A Reality Tour is featured on the '' A Reality Tour'' DVD, released in 2004, as well as the '' A Reality Tour'' album, released in 2010.

Other releases

"Fame" was released as the B-side of the US release of " Beauty and the Beast" in January 1978. It appears on several compilations, including: '' Changesonebowie'' (1976); '' Bowie: The Singles 1969–1993'' (1993); '' The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979'' (1998); ''

Best of Bowie ''Best of Bowie'' is a 2002 greatest hits album by English recording artist David Bowie. Released in October after the critical and commercial success of the ''Heathen'' album released four months earlier, the songs range from his second al ...

'' (2002); '' The Platinum Collection'' (2006); '' Nothing Has Changed'' (2014); and '' Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie)'' (2016). The 7" single version appeared on '' The Best of Bowie'' (1980) as well as on '' Have a Nice Decade: The 70s Pop Culture Box'' (1998). ''Re:Call 2'', part of the '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'' compilation released in 2016, included an attempted reconstruction of the single edit, which has been criticised as inaccurate.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Personnel

According to biographer Chris O'Leary: *

lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, percussion *

backing vocals, acoustic guitar *

lead and rhythm guitars * Earl Slick rhythm guitar *Emir Ksasan bass *

Dennis Davis Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and la ...

drums, vibraslap

"Fame '90"

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

ed version of "Fame" was released by EMI in 1990 to coincide with the Sound+Vision Tour, the release of the '' Changesbowie'' compilation, and the ''Pretty Woman'' soundtrack. Bowie wanted to remix a successful American single for the tour and album release; of the two options ("Let's Dance" and "Fame"), "Let's Dance" was simply too recent. Bowie liked the choice: "It covers a lot of ground, Fame; it stands up really well in time. It still sounds potent. It's quite a nasty, angry little song. I quite like that." The "Gass Mix" was subsequently included on the ''Pretty Woman'' soundtrack. Regarding the remix, Spitz states: "The best thing you can say about "Fame '90" is that it's much better than

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

's "

Don't Stand So Close to Me '86 "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a hit song by the rock band The Police, released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album '' Zenyatta Mondatta''. It concerns a teacher who has a sexual relationship with a student, which in t ...

" but far inferior to

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...

's "

Freedom! '90 "Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by George Michael, and released on Columbia Records in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with a hit by Michael's for ...

". ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' called it a "now happily forgotten" remix and placed it at number 104 in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best.

Track listing

Song written by

, and

. ;US CD single (Rykodisc RCD5 1018) # "Fame '90" (with

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

) – 4:10 # "Fame '90" (

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

Mix) – 5:58 # "Fame '90" (Gass Mix) – 3:38 # "Fame '90" ( Hip Hop Mix) – 5:58 # "Fame '90" (Absolutely Nothing Premeditated/Epic Mix) – 14:25 ;West Germany maxi CD single (EMI CDP 560-20-3805-2) # "Fame '90" (House Mix) – 5:58 # "Fame '90" (Hip Hop Mix) – 5:58 # "Fame '90" (Gass Mix) – 3:38 # "Fame '90" (Queen Latifah's Rap Version) – 3:10 ;"Exclusive Changes pack" 7" vinyl single (FAMES 90) # "Fame '90" (Gass Mix) – 3:38 # "Fame '90" (Queen Latifah's Rap Version) – 3:10 ;Limited edition 7" vinyl picture disc (FAME PD 90) # "Fame '90" (Gass Mix) – 3:38 # "Fame '90" (Bonus Beat Mix) – 4:45 * The single was released in a variety of formats: as a 7" single, a cassette single, a 12" single, CD singles and two limited edition releases: a picture disc (featuring the unique "Bonus Beat mix") and a 7" envelope pack that included 3 prints reflecting different phases in Bowie's career and a unique mix of Queen Latifah's mix"News," Melody Maker magazine, 24 March 1990, page 3

Video

Film director

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultu ...

directed the promotional video for this version, 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 Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in ...

troupe La La La Human Steps (whom Bowie would collaborate with on the ''Sound + Vision'' tour). The US version of the video replaces some of Bowie's music videos for scenes from the movie ''

Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance) ...

''.

Chart performance

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* (1975 original) {{Authority control Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles David Bowie songs EMI Records singles Funk rock songs John Lennon songs RCA Records singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Rykodisc singles Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Harry Maslin Songs about fame Songs written by Carlos Alomar Songs written by David Bowie Songs written by John Lennon 1975 singles 1975 songs 1990 singles