"Soul Love" is a song by the English singer-songwriter

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

from his 1972 album ''

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was ...

''. Co-produced by Bowie and

Ken Scott Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is an English record producer and engineer known for being one of the five main engineers for the Beatles, as well as engineering Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Davi ...

, it features Bowie's backing band known as the Spiders from Mars –

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

Trevor Bolder Trevor Bolder (9 June 1950 – 21 May 2013) was an English rock musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with the Spiders from Mars, the backing band for David Bowie, ...

and

Mick Woodmansey Michael "Woody" Woodmansey (born 4 February 1950) is an English rock music, rock drummer best known for his work in the early 1970s as a member of David Bowie's core backing ensemble that became known as the Spiders from Mars in conjuncti ...

. It was recorded on 12 November 1971 at

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...

in London and features a saxophone solo from Bowie and a guitar solo from Ronson. Lyrically, the song is about numerous characters dealing with love before the impending disaster that will destroy Earth as described in the album's opening track " Five Years". Like most tracks on the album, the song was rewritten to fit the ''Ziggy Stardust'' narrative. The song has received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising Ronson's guitar work and Bowie's saxophone solo. Bowie rarely performed the song live, only on occasion during the

Ziggy Stardust Ziggy Stardust was a glam alter ego of musician David Bowie in the early 1970s. It may refer specifically to: * Ziggy Stardust (character) * ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'', a ...

and the Serious Moonlight tours, but was a regular on the Isolar II Tour. The song, along with its parent album, was remastered in 2012 for its 40th anniversary and was re-released on the ''

Five Years (1969–1973) ''Five Years (1969–1973)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in September 2015. The period of Bowie's career from 1969 to 1973 is summarised over twelve discs and thirteen LPs. Exclusive to the box sets is '' ...

'' box set in 2015.

Composition and lyrics

recorded "Soul Love" on 12 November 1971 at

in London. Co-produced by Bowie and

, the lineup consisted of Bowie's backing band known as the Spiders from Mars – comprising guitarist

, bassist

and drummer

. Biographer

Nicholas Pegg Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer. Education 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 ...

notes that the song acknowledges Bowie's formative years, calling the riff reminiscent of " Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. Like most songs on the album, the song was not initially written with the ''Ziggy'' concept. After being rewritten to fit the narrative, "Soul Love" pertains to numerous characters dealing with love before the impending disaster that will destroy Earth as described in the album opener " Five Years". Author

Marc Spitz Marc Spitz (October 2, 1969 – February 4, 2017) was an American music journalist, writer and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock and roll and popular culture appeared in ''Spin (magazine), Spin'' (where he was a Senior Writer) as well as ''Th ...

notes that the track has a sense of "pre-apocalypse frustration" to it. Whereas "Soul Love" features a hand-clap rhythm, both it and "Five Years" share similar drum rhythms and vocal progressions, leading biographer Chris O'Leary to believe that the two tracks were written around the same time. He also states that both tracks act as a "prelude" to the true introduction of the Ziggy Stardust character on "

Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...

". Author

Peter Doggett Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine '' Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...

writes that Bowie's voice sounds reminiscent of his 1977 album ''

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

'': dull, jaded, depressed and "sapped" of vitality. Other than the rare exception of "

Lady Grinning Soul "Lady Grinning Soul" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on the album ''Aladdin Sane'' in 1973. It was a last-minute addition, replacing the "sax version" of "John, I'm Only Dancing" as the closing track. The composer's first m ...

" from ''

Aladdin Sane ''Aladdin Sane'' is the sixth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released in the United Kingdom on 19April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough '' The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from M ...

'' (1973), Bowie rarely used the word "soul" in his vocabulary, mainly due to his belief that the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

is vulnerable to "unwelcome claimants", as well as soulfulness being a common theme in

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

. Doggett notes that following the "panoramic vision" of "Five Years", "Soul Love" offers a more "optimistic" landscape, with

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

and acoustic guitar indicating "mellow fruitfulness." The characters include a mother grieving at her son's grave, the son's love of the ideal for which he died (which parallels

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

grieving at Jesus's tomb), a pair of young lovers believing in "new words", and the love of "God on high". However, according to Pegg, the lyrics have a "nihilistic undercurrent" and a "cynical re-reading" of love that contrasts sharply with Bowie's previous songs: "he rails against 'idiot love' which 'descends on those defenseless' and bleakly concludes that 'love is not loving'." Also present are themes that reflect Bowie's disdain for institutions and causes, such as the dead son that "gave his life to save the slogan", which reprises the theme of futility previously found in his 1969 song "

Cygnet Committee "Cygnet Committee" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie and recorded in 1969 for his second eponymous album (released in the U.S. as ''Man of Words, Man of Music'' and re-released in 1972 as ''Space Oddity''). At over 9 ...

", and prefigures "Tony went to fight in Belfast" later found in the song "Star". The lyrics also feature a priest that previously appeared in "Five Years", here "tastes the word" amid "the blindness that surrounds him", recollecting the "bullshit faith" of Bowie's 1971 song "

Quicksand Quicksand (also known as sinking sand) is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it crea ...

", which clears the way for a secularised "church of man, love" (or "church of man-love") found in "Moonage Daydream". Musically, "Soul Love" is primarily in the key of

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

. While primarily in 4/4

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

, one 2/4 bar appears between the verses. It opens with Woodmansey on drums playing rapid eighth notes on a closed

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

with a "kick-rimshot-kick" pattern, "garnished" by handclaps and

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s. On a 12-string acoustic guitar, Bowie "mut sa strum on the third of every four strokes", while Bolder plays a bassline influenced by

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

. Bowie showcases a rising vocal progression throughout. He starts the first verse on D ("stone") before going up to G ("brave") and ends on a higher-octave D. When mentioning the priest, he goes to

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

. In the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

s, Bowie starts on

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

before swapping to

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...

("sweeping over"), moving up to a dominant

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

chord ("defenseless", "inspirations") before going down a minor again to

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: Cha ...

("all I have"), ending the choruses on E. Bowie also has a

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

solo after the second verse, which Doggett calls "relaxing". During the solo, Bowie "reverses" the upper melody and plays around it from there. For Ronson's ending guitar solo, he plays Bowie's verse-melody almost note-for-note before Bowie sings out to close the track.

Release and reception

"Soul Love" was released on 16 June 1972 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

on Bowie's fifth studio album ''

'', sequenced as the second track between "Five Years" and "Moonage Daydream". Since release, the song has received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising Ronson's guitar work and Bowie's saxophone solo. In his book ''The Complete David Bowie'', Pegg calls the track "sublimely melodic", giving praise to the "tight" guitar work and "charming" saxophone solo, writing " t providesa perfect bridge between the apocalyptic foreboding of 'Five Years' and the glam meltdown of 'Moonage Daydream'." Doggett calls the track musically stunning, praising Ronson's guitar work. He further praises the backing vocals, writing "[they wailed like harpies", and compliments Bowie's vocal performance, noting the presence of Ziggy himself in the chorus. When reviewing the 30th anniversary edition of ''Ziggy Stardust'' in 2002, Daryl Easlea of ''Record Collector'' called "Soul Love" one of Bowie's "greatest moments". Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave the song a positive review, complimenting Bowie's vocal performance, calling it "defiantly arch", his saxophone solo, and praises Ronson's guitar work, writing, "his concluding solo is as perfect an example of glam-god glory as anything." He identifies the "suddenly storming" choruses as the standout and notes the track as reminiscent of Bowie's previous album ''

Hunky Dory ''Hunky Dory'' is the fourth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released in the United Kingdom on 17December 1971 through RCA Records. Following a break from touring and recording, Bowie settled down to write new songs, composi ...

''. He ultimately called the song an "enjoyable listen", even if it's not quite connected to the overall theme of the album. Ian Fortnam of ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'', when ranking every track on the album from worst to best, ranked the song at number ten (out of eleven), writing, "

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

is significantly perkier than its portentous "Five Years" predecessor, but still sparkles with gorgeously under-stated Mick Ronson guitar details, Bowie's light and reedy sax break and an inspirational lyric highlighting love's all-pervasive carelessness."

Legacy

"Soul Love" only made a few appearances on the

Ziggy Stardust Tour The Ziggy Stardust Tour was a 1972–73 concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, to promote the studio albums '' Hunky Dory'', '' The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' and '' Aladdin Sane''. Bowie was ...

, being played during the US portion of the tour. He revived the song for the 1978 Isolar II Tour; performances from this tour have appeared on the live albums ''

Stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

'' (1978) and '' Welcome to the Blackout'' (2018). The ''Stage'' version, which Pegg calls "excellent", was released as a single in Japan. Bowie also performed it on the first two shows of the

Serious Moonlight Tour The Serious Moonlight Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the English musician David Bowie, launched in May 1983 in support of his album '' Let's Dance'' (1983). The tour opened at the Vorst Forest Nationaal, Brussels, on 18 May 1983 and ended ...

. The song, along with the rest of its parent album, was remastered in 2012 for its 40th anniversary and was re-released on the ''

'' box set in 2015.

Personnel

Personnel per biographers Kevin Cann and Chris O'Leary. *

– lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar,

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

– lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals *

– bass guitar *

– drums,

s Production *David Bowie – producer *

– producer

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soul Love 1970s ballads 1972 songs David Bowie songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Ken Scott Songs written by David Bowie