"Suffragette City" | |
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Song by David Bowie | |
from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | |
A-side | "Starman" |
Released |
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Recorded | 4 February 1972 |
Studio | Trident, London |
Genre | |
Length | 3:25 |
Label | RCA |
Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
Producer(s) |
|
Official audio | |
"Suffragette City" (2012 Remaster) on YouTube |
"Suffragette City" | ||||
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Single by David Bowie | ||||
from the album Changesonebowie | ||||
B-side | "Stay" | |||
Released | 9 July 1976 | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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"Suffragette City" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released in April 1972 as the B-side of the single "Starman" and subsequently appeared on his fifth studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). The song was later reissued as a single in 1976, with the US single edit of "Stay" as the B-side, to promote the compilation album Changesonebowie in the UK. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it was recorded by Bowie at Trident Studios in London with his backing band the Spiders from Mars, consisting of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey, at a late stage of the album's sessions. The song was originally offered to English band Mott the Hoople, who declined it and recorded Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" instead. It is a glam rock song that is influenced by the music of Little Richard and the Velvet Underground. The lyrics include a reference to Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange and the lyric "Oooohh wham bam, thank you, ma'am".
"Suffragette City" received acclaim from music critics, with many praising the guitar work, the band's performance, the false ending, the lyric and the song's power. It has subsequently been called one of Bowie's greatest songs by multiple publications, including NME . Bowie performed the song frequently during his concert tours and it has appeared on multiple compilation albums. It has been remastered several times, including 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the album; this version was included as part of the 2015 box set Five Years (1969–1973) .
"Suffragette City" was recorded on 4 February 1972 at Trident Studios, London, towards the end of the Ziggy Stardust sessions. [1] [2] Also recorded during this session were "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and "Starman". [1] It was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and recorded with Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars, consisting of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. [3] Before recording it himself, Bowie offered "Suffragette City" to Mott the Hoople, an English band he greatly admired, provided they forgo their plan to break up. The group refused but recorded Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" instead. [1] [2] [4]
The track is a glam rock, [5] [6] proto-punk, [7] and hard rock song. [8] The piano riff was heavily influenced by the music of Little Richard. The song features one of Bowie's earliest uses of the ARP synthesiser, which would later become the backbone of his Berlin Trilogy. [2] The instrument was used to mimic a saxophone, which underscores the guitar throughout the track. Bowie composed the riff, while Scott used the ARP located at Trident to find the right sound and Ronson played the notes. [2] [9] The backing vocals move from the left channel in the first verse to the right in the second. [9] According to biographer Peter Doggett, while other rock songs such as the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" and the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night" use a standard three-chord structure that is spaced "two and three semitones apart" (such as E-G-A or A-G-C), "Suffragette City" uses tighter, two-semitone gaps (F-G-A), which "leaves the ear to expect a softer A minor as the root of the song, only for a decisive A major chord to appear instead". Doggett believes that this decision gives the track its "unrelenting power". [9] The track's acoustic guitar instrumentation was played by Bowie, but is mostly buried in the mix under Ronson's electric guitar. After a false ending, Bowie cries "wham bam, thank you, ma'am!" before the band gets back into the groove, finishing with Bowie shrieking "Suffragette!" [10]
According to Doggett, before "Suffragette City", the only popular song to contain "suffragette" in its title was "Sister Suffragette", from the 1964 film Mary Poppins . He argues the film's song has more to do with women's liberation than "Suffragette City" does. [8] "Suffragette City" includes the lyric "Ah droogie, don't crash here", a direct reference to the Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange (1962); Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation was a major influence on Ziggy Stardust's cultural grab-bag, dictating both costumes and pre-show music on tour. [2] The song was written only a few months after the film's release in 1971. [11] The famous, "sexually charged" hook "wham bam, thank you, ma'am!" previously appeared as the title of a song on jazz bassist Charles Mingus's 1961 album Oh Yeah , as well as a 1967 song by the Small Faces. [8] Bowie also uses the "hey man!" backing vocals in the same style as "white light!" from the Velvet Underground's 1968 song "White Light/White Heat", a line from the 1970 song "I Found Out" by John Lennon, a Marc Bolan-esque boogie, "some Flamin' Groovies speed, some Jerry Lee Lewis swagger", and a "dose of hard rock theatrics" to finish it out. [8] [12]
Bowie's handwritten lyrics for the song were included in the David Bowie Is travelling exhibit from 2013 to 2018 and were put up for auction by the owner, who had been gifted the lyrics by Bowie, in late 2023. [13]
"Suffragette City" was originally released on 28 April 1972 by RCA Records as the B-side of Bowie's single "Starman" (as RCA 2199). [14] [15] It was subsequently released as the 10th and penultimate track on his fifth studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars , on 16 June of that year. [16] [17] RCA reissued the track as the A-side of a single (RCA 2726) on 9 July 1976, [2] to promote the compilation album Changesonebowie in the UK, with the US single edit of the Station to Station track "Stay" as the B-side. [18] The single failed to chart. [2]
Since its release, "Suffragette City" has received critical acclaim, with many writers praising the guitar work. In a review of Ziggy Stardust on its release, Richard Cromelin of Rolling Stone called "Suffragette City" Bowie's "supreme moment as a rock & roller". [19] Noting the Velvet Underground influence, he praised the guitar work in the second half and the false ending, writing that the lyric "Oooohh Wham Bam Thank you Ma'am!" brings you back into it and would make you want to do somersaults. Cromlin concluded by saying that there's only one thing left for the Star, quoting the lyric "There's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes". [19] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Ronson's guitar work, writing, "[Ronson] plays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like 'Suffragette City', 'Moonage Daydream' and 'Hang On to Yourself'". [20] Ned Raggett, also of AllMusic, noted the influence of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, which was previously seen on the Hunky Dory track "Queen Bitch", but found an overall better result in "Suffragette City". [12] Raggett similarly praised Ronson's guitar work, acknowledging it as both a glam trademark and rock trademark. He further complimented the keyboards and piano, saying they add to song's power and drive. Of the lyrics, Raggett said that some seem like "bad ideas" but that the false ending and famous hook make up for it. [12]
Ian Fortnam of Louder , in a review ranking every song on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars from worst to best, placed "Suffragette City" at number five, calling it "Ziggy's most reconstructed rocker". [21] Also praising the false ending and famous hook, he ends his review by describing the track as "glam rock in excelsis". [21] Jordan Blum, writing for PopMatters , described "Suffragette City" and "Ziggy Stardust" as the album's standout tracks that are "still endlessly addicting and pleasantly infectious" 40 years later. [3] He adds that both songs have "archetypal" guitar riffs that, together with the instrumentation and dynamics, make for phenomenal recordings. Blum concluded his review praising this track's hook, chorus and horns, while acknowledging it as "one of the best anthemic tracks ever made". [3] In 2018, the writers of NME listed "Suffragette City" as Bowie's 14th greatest song. [22] In 2015, Ultimate Classic Rock placed the track on their list of the top 200 songs of the 1970s, writing, "this song underscored Bowie's broad interests – he pulled in references from Charles Mingus and A Clockwork Orange – even as it showcased his willingness to experiment with things like the ARP synth". [23]
On 16 May 1972, Bowie recorded "Suffragette City" for the BBC radio programme Sounds of the 70s, presented by John Peel ; the session was broadcast one week later. [24] In 2000, this recording was released on the compilation album Bowie at the Beeb . [25] Pegg called the performance "excellent", praising Ronson's "sharp" guitar work and the boogie-woogie piano-playing from Nicky Graham. [2] The song was frequently performed by Bowie during concert tours throughout his career. Performances from the Ziggy Stardust Tour (1972–1973) have appeared on the live albums Live Santa Monica '72 (2008) and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983), [26] [27] the final concert of the tour at which Bowie unexpectedly announced it as "the last show we'll ever do". [28] Performances from the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour have appeared on David Live (1974), Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74) (2017), [29] [30] and I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) (2020). A performance from the 1976 Isolar Tour was released on Live Nassau Coliseum '76 (2017), [31] while performances from the 1978 Isolar II Tour were included on the 2017 edition of Bowie's live album Stage and Welcome to the Blackout (2018). [32] [33]
Since its release, "Suffragette City" has appeared on numerous compilation albums, including Changesonebowie (1976), [34] Changesbowie (1990), [35] The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 (1997), [36] and Best of Bowie (2002). [37] The song, along with the entire Ziggy Stardust album, has been remastered multiple times, including in 1990 by Rykodisc, [38] [39] and 2012 for its 40th anniversary. [40] The 2012 remaster and a 2003 remix, by producer Ken Scott, were included as part of the box set Five Years (1969–1973) in 2015. [41]
All tracks written by David Bowie. [15] [18]
1972 B-side single
1976 A-side single
Personnel per Cann and O'Leary: [42] [14]
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16 June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars — Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. It was recorded from November 1971 to February 1972 at Trident Studios in London.
Aladdin Sane is the sixth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released in the United Kingdom on 19 April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album he wrote and released from a position of stardom. It was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features contributions from Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars — Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey — with pianist Mike Garson, two saxophonists and three backing vocalists. Recorded in London and New York City between legs of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, the record was Bowie's final album with the full Spiders lineup.
"Life on Mars?" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, first released on his 1971 album Hunky Dory. Bowie wrote the song as a parody of Frank Sinatra's "My Way". "Life on Mars?" was recorded on 6 August 1971 at Trident Studios in London, and was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott. Bowie's backing band consisted of guitarist and string arranger Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder, drummer Mick Woodmansey and Strawbs member Rick Wakeman on piano. "Life on Mars?" is primarily a glam rock ballad, with elements of cabaret and art rock; it has a complex structure that includes chord changes throughout. The lyrics are about a girl who goes to a cinema to escape reality, and include surreal images that reflect optimism and the effects of Hollywood.
Diamond Dogs is the eighth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 24 May 1974 through RCA Records. Bowie produced the album and recorded it in early 1974 in London and the Netherlands, following the disbanding of his backing band the Spiders from Mars and the departure of producer Ken Scott. Bowie played lead guitar on the record in the absence of Mick Ronson. Diamond Dogs featured the return of Tony Visconti, who had not worked with Bowie for four years; the two would collaborate for the rest of the decade. Musically, it was Bowie's final album in the glam rock genre, though some songs were influenced by funk and soul music, which Bowie embraced on his next album, Young Americans (1975).
The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released through Mercury Records in the United States on 4 November 1970 and in the United Kingdom on 10 April 1971. Produced by Tony Visconti and recorded in London from April to May 1970, the album features the first appearances on a Bowie record of future Spiders from Mars members Mick Ronson and Mick Woodmansey.
"Starman" is a song by the English musician David Bowie. It was released on 28 April 1972 by RCA Records as the lead single of his fifth studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Ken Scott, Bowie recorded the song on 4 February 1972 at Trident Studios in London with his backing band known as the Spiders from Mars – comprising guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey. The song was a late addition to the album, written as a direct response to RCA's request for a single; it replaced the Chuck Berry cover "Round and Round" on the album. The lyrics describe Ziggy Stardust bringing a message of hope to Earth's youth through the radio, salvation by an alien 'Starman'. The chorus is inspired by "Over the Rainbow", sung by Judy Garland, while other influences include T. Rex and the Supremes.
"Changes" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 1971 album Hunky Dory. RCA Records then released it as a single from the album on 7 January 1972. Written following his promotional tour of America in early 1971, "Changes" was recorded at Trident Studios in London between June and July that year. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it featured Rick Wakeman on piano and the musicians who would later become known as the Spiders from Mars—Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey.
"John, I'm Only Dancing" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, originally released as a non-album single on 1 September 1972. A glam rock and R&B number, the lyrics describe a situation in which the narrator informs his lover not to worry about the girl he is with because he is "only dancing" with her. Although ambiguous, many interpreted it as concerning a gay relationship. Recorded in London in June 1972, it was boosted by a low-budget promotional video directed by Mick Rock. It reached number 12 in the UK; RCA refused to release it in America due to its suggestive lyrical content.
"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally released as the closing track on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on 16 June 1972. Co-produced by Ken Scott, Bowie recorded it with his backing band the Spiders from Mars – comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. It detailed Ziggy's final collapse like an old, washed-up rock star and, as such, was also the closing number of the Ziggy Stardust live show. In April 1974 RCA issued it as a single.
"Queen Bitch" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released on his 1971 album Hunky Dory before appearing as the B-side of the single "Rebel Rebel" in the United Kingdom in early 1974. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, the lineup consisted of the musicians who would later become known as the Spiders from Mars: Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey.
"Five Years" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it was recorded in November 1971 at Trident Studios in London with his backing band the Spiders from Mars − comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. As the opening track on the album, the song introduces the overarching theme of the album: an impending apocalyptic disaster will destroy Earth in five years and the being who will save it is a bisexual alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust. While the first two verses are told from a child narrator's perspective, the third is from Bowie's, who addresses the listener directly. As the track progresses, it builds intensity, before climaxing with strings and Bowie screaming the title.
"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 Records. Bowie subsequently re-recorded the song later that year with his backing band the Spiders from Mars—Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey—for release on his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The re-recording was co-produced by Ken Scott and recorded at Trident Studios in London in November 1971. The re-recording is a glam rock song that uses melodic and harmonic hooks, as well as percussion and guitar influenced by heavy metal. On the album, the song directly introduces the character Ziggy Stardust, who describes himself as a bisexual alien rock superstar who will save the Earth from the impending disaster described in the opening track "Five Years". It features saxophone played by Bowie and a guitar solo and string arrangement by Ronson.
"Lady Stardust" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie that appeared on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). Co-produced by Ken Scott, Bowie recorded it with his backing band the Spiders from Mars – comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. The song is generally interpreted as alluding to fellow glam rock icon Marc Bolan. The original demo version was entitled "He Was Alright ". A 4-track demo version of the song was sold as a picture disc single during the "David Bowie Is" exhibition in Japan in 2017.
"Hang On to Yourself" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie in 1971 and released as a single with his band Arnold Corns. A re-recorded version, recorded in November 1971 at Trident Studios in London, was released on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The main riff is representative of glam rock's influence as a bridge between 1950s rock and roll, specifically rockabilly, and the punk to come; it draws on rockabilly influences such as Eddie Cochran, in a way that would influence punk records such as "Teenage Lobotomy" by Ramones.
"Ziggy Stardust" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie for his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, he recorded it at Trident Studios in London in November 1971 with his backing band the Spiders from Mars—comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. Lyrically, the song is about Ziggy Stardust, a bisexual alien rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. The character was influenced by English singer Vince Taylor, as well as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Kansai Yamamoto. Although Ziggy is introduced earlier on the album, this song is its centrepiece, presenting the rise and fall of the star in a very human-like manner. Musically, it is a glam rock song, like its parent album, and is based around a Ronson guitar riff.
"Velvet Goldmine" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. A glam rock number with lyrical references to oral sex, it was originally recorded on 11 November 1971 at Trident Studios in London during the sessions for his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It was ultimately left off the album and subsequently released as a B-side of the UK re-release of "Space Oddity" in 1975. Praised by biographers as an undervalued classic, it later appeared on compilation albums, including on Re:Call 1, part of the Five Years (1969–1973) boxed set, in 2015. Its namesake was used for Todd Haynes's 1998 film of the same name.
"Watch That Man" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, the opening track on the album Aladdin Sane from 1973. Its style is often compared to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. The mix, in which Bowie's lead vocal is buried within the instrumental sections, has generated discussion among critics and fans.
"Cracked Actor" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his sixth studio album Aladdin Sane (1973). The track was also issued as a single in Eastern Europe by RCA Records in June that year. The song was written during Bowie's stay in Los Angeles during the American leg of the Ziggy Stardust Tour in October 1972. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it was recorded in January 1973 at Trident Studios in London with his backing band the Spiders from Mars – comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey. A hard rock song primarily led by guitar, the song describes an aging Hollywood star's encounter with a prostitute, featuring many allusions to sex and drugs.
"Soul Love" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it features Bowie's backing band known as the Spiders from Mars – Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. It was recorded on 12 November 1971 at Trident Studios 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.
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