Jump They Say

"Jump They Say" is a song by English singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie, from his 18th album, ''Black Tie White Noise'' (1993). It was produced by Nile Rodgers and released as the first single from the album in March 1993. While Bowie opted not to tour for the ''Black Tie White Noise'' album, the song was performed on his 1995–96 Outside Tour and released as part of the live concert ''No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)'' (2020). The accompanying music video for "Jump They Say" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

Background and style

The song dealt with Bowie's feelings for his schizophrenic half-brother Terry Burns, who had died by suicide on 16 January 1985 when he walked in front of a train at Coulsdon South railway station, having previously been held in Cane Hill Hospital. Lyrically, the song is loosely based on Burns and Bowie's relationship with and memories of him. Musically, the influence of Nile Rodgers led to a funk-based sound, though the track was also influenced by contemporary jazz, with a solo from avant-jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie.

Promotion

Released on 15 March 1993 as the lead-off single, "Jump They Say" received a considerable promotional push from Bowie's new label, Savage Records (though Arista Records distributed the package in Europe). A striking video was shot by Mark Romanek, depicting Bowie as a businessman paranoid of his colleagues, who seemingly conduct experiments on him and find him a disturbing influence, forcing him to jump from the roof of the corporate building to his death. The video is heavily influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 film '' Alphaville'', Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), as well as Chris Marker's film ''La Jetée'' and Orson Welles' ''The Trial'' – both from 1962. The uniformed women shown monitoring Bowie through high powered telescopes are an homage to the stewardesses in the Pan-Am space plane in Kubrick's '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968). The video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe, and was praised by ''Entertainment Weekly'' after Bowie died in 2016, saying "Bowie is an excellent actor, and this video may be his best character performance in a music video."

Critical reception

Quentin Harrison from Albumism noted that "that romantic energy" from Bowie's marriage to Iman "put a skip in the sonic step of some of the set's darker material", like "Jump They Say". He saw the song lyrically "engage with the personal conflicts that matter to Bowie." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted "the paranoid jumble" of the song, adding it as one of the "moments" from the album, that "are the first in a long time to feel classically Bowie". Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' wrote, "Peek into Bowie's first solo album in eons is a kinetic pop/ funk throwdown. That incomparable voice wafts over a barrage of jangly guitars, wriggling rhythms, and jolting horns. New collaboration with " Let's Dance" co-producer Nile Rodgers has the potential to meet with similar top 40 approval, although innovative batch of remixes is already shaping up to be a club favorite here and abroad. A most welcome return." Alan Jones from ''Music Week'' described it as "a typical theatrically crooned throwback to his glory days." He added, "Club-goers will glory in the Brothers In Rhythm/Leftfield mixes which drag it on to the dancefloor." James Hamilton from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update noted "his droning adenoidal vocal". British newspaper ''Reading Evening Post'' said the song is "surprisingly good".''Reading Evening Post''. 18 March 1993. p. 23.

Chart performance

The song, while not Bowie's first release since Tin Machine, was pushed as a comeback single, and reached No. 9 in the UK charts – Bowie's only top 10 single between 1986's " Absolute Beginners" and 2013's "Where Are We Now?".

Track listing

* 7" version
# "Jump They Say" (Radio edit) – 3:53
# "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying Mix) – 5:36

* 12", Arista / 74321 139421 (EU)
# "Jump They Say" (Hardhands Mix) – 5:40
# "Jump They Say" (Full album version) – 4:22
# "Jump They Say" (Leftfield 12" vocal) – 7:42
# "Jump They Say" (Dub Oddity Mix) – 4:44

* 12", Arista / 74 321 13 69 61 (EU)
# "Jump They Say" (Club Hart remix) – 5:05
# "Jump They Say" (JAE-E Mix) – 5:32
# "Jump They Say" (JAE-E Dub) – 4:48
# "Jump They Say" (Leftfield remix) – 7:41
# "Jump They Say" (Dub Oddity, another Leftfield remix) – 5:36
# "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying Mix) – 5:36

* CD, Arista / 74321 13696 2 (EU)
# "Jump They Say" (Radio edit) – 3:53
# "Jump They Say" (JAE-E edit) – 3:58
# "Jump They Say" (Club Hart remix) – 5:05
# "Jump They Say" (Leftfield 12" vocal) – 7:42
# "Pallas Athena" (Album version) – 4:40
# "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying Mix) – 5:36

* CD, Arista/ 74321 139422 (UK)
# "Jump They Say" (7" version) – 3:53
# "Jump They Say" (Hard Hands Mix) – 5:40
# "Jump They Say" (JAE-E Mix) – 5:32
# "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying Mix) – 5:36

(includes "exclusive" 8-page discography, released in 2CD case to house CD2 as well)

* CD, Arista / 74321 139432 (UK)
# "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm Mix) – 8:28
# "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm Instrumental) – 6:25
# "Jump They Say" (Leftfield 12" vocal) – 7:42
# "Jump They Say" (Full album version) – 4:22

* CD, Savage Records / 74785-50034-2 (USA)
# "Jump They Say" (Album Version) – 4:23
# "Jump They Say" (Radio Edit 1) – 4.02
# "Jump They Say" (Club Hart remix) – 5:05
# "Jump They Say" (Leftfield Remix) – 7:41
# "Pallas Athena" (Album version) – 4:40
# "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying Mix) – 5:36

(Jump They Say (Radio Edit 1) is remixed by JAE-E and is the same as Jump They Say (JAE-E edit))

* 12", Arista / BIR 1 (US) (Promotional)
# "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm Mix) – 8:28
# "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm Instrumental) – 6:25

* 12", Savage Records/BMG / 74785-50042-1 (US)
A1. "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm mix) – 8:24

A2. "Jump They Say" (Leftfield remix) – 7:41

A3. "Jump They Say" (JAE-E remix) – 5:32

B1. "Jump They Say" (Brothers in Rhythm edit) – 3:54

B2. "Jump They Say" (Dub Oddity remix) – 6:13

B3. "Pallas Athena" (Don't Stop Praying remix) – 5:36

Live performances

Bowie performed the song live on the Arsenio Hall Show in May 1993, and it was performed occasionally on his Outside Tour of 1995–96. A live version of the song was released on the concert album '' No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)'' (2020).

Other releases

The radio edit version has appeared on some editions of the compilations '' Bowie: The Singles 1969–1993'' (1993), ''Best of Bowie'' (2002), ''Nothing Has Changed'' (2014), and ''Bowie Legacy'' (2016). The Leftfield 12" vocal mix was released on a UK limited release of the single " Little Wonder" in January 1997. The "JAE-E edit" (called "alternate mix") was released as a bonus track on the CD-version of ''Black Tie White Noise''. On the bonus disc following the 10th anniversary edition of ''Black Tie White Noise'', three remixes of "Jump They Say" appeared: "Rock Mix", "Brothers in Rhythm 12" Remix" and "Dub Oddity".

Credits and personnel

* Producers:
** Nile Rodgers
* Musicians:
**David Bowie – lead vocals, saxophone
**Nile Rodgers – guitar, drum loops
**Barry Campbell – bass guitar

Richard Hilton
– keyboards
**Lester Bowie – trumpet

Charts

References

Bibliography

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1993 singles
David Bowie songs
Music videos directed by Mark Romanek
Songs about suicide
Songs written by David Bowie
Song recordings produced by Nile Rodgers
1992 songs
Arista Records singles
Songs based on real people