Your probably right, I actually forgot about 'Heroes' tbh, always seems this is his legacy song!

2. 'Heroes' (1977) 53 points

 

 

OK, hands up who thought this would be on top? Me, too. In 1977, Bowie was full-on Brian Eno/Berlin/emotional-but-cold synth experimentation, and he appeared on old mate Marc Bolan's new kids-aimed TV show. Marc was reinventing himself as the Godfather of punk, featuring young new bands on his show for the most part - plus Bowie doing this (see the above link). Bolan and Bowie were Heroes to me, and within a couple of weeks, Bolan was dead, killed in a car crash in Putney - yes I've been past the tree that girlfriend Gloria Jones had driven into for still-unknown reasons. Elvis had died a month earlier, Bolan hit me much much harder, and just as I was about to go to Lincoln Uni for the first time, and I still recall Bowie at the funeral on the news.

 

 

I don't know what impact all this had on me with regard to this major classic, but the original recording - see above - only reached 19 in my charts while the angry new Stranglers record No More Heroes went top 10, which caught the mood of 1977 and the punk sensibilities more than Bowie's influential but small hit did (it didn't even go top 20 for the first time until after Bowie's death in 2016) and which didn't even make the US Hot 100. In retrospect it's the sound of the future, and inspired future sounds and musicians galore. When Bowie died, it's the song that topped my chart - and about time too. At least I got there in the end, the UK only got it on top in an X-Factor finalists version in 2010. Hey ho, no apostrophe's I expect. 'Heroes'. So what's it about? Two lovers from either side of the Berlin Wall in the former East and West Germany meet at the wall. The triumph of love over adversity. You can clearly hear the sound of Velvet Underground in the grunge-y synths and guitars, courtesy Brian Eno and Robert Fripp - that'll be, for those who weren't around then, Roxy Music and King Crimson ex-members. I went to see Fripp's missus last year, Bowie-fan Toyah (they live locally, more or less). This is the fave Bowie track of Chez, Bigwiglaf, and Rob S, and also rated by Rollo, Steve, Jade, dandy, Jester, 8 voters - less than Let's Dance but those that loved it REALLY loved it, so it gets more points.

 

OK, you know what's top but I'll keep you in "suspense" as I'm off to London in an hour, stuff to do. It was, however, a very clear winner, wasn't even close....

I love the personal background info on this - makes sense that 1977 was more punk than future synths so it took a while to grow. I love songs like that though.

I love the personal background info on this - makes sense that 1977 was more punk than future synths so it took a while to grow. I love songs like that though.

 

 

Thanks Steve :) I also love growers - and there's loads of classics that took a while to register with me in a big way - Anarchy In The UK, Heroes, Smells Like Teen Spirit amongst them.

1. Life On Mars? (1971) 85 points

 

 

For me, like for most people in the 70's, this song became known in the summer of '73, after Ziggy and Aladdin had been laid to rest, and before the cover-versions Pin-Ups trod-water ahead of the next Bowie metamorphosis. Back in 1971 Bowie was still known as that bloke with the fab novelty space-moonlanding song, and he couldn't get arrested with his new material - that would be Hunky Dory - not even with the brilliant Changes a flop single, the fab hit song Oh! You Pretty Things (for Herman's Hermits' Peter Noone, who I saw give a lunchtime outdoor hits concert at Disney Epcot in the late 90's), and the showstopping album track Life On Mars? (with Rick Wakeman on piano again). By mid-'73 everything had changed, Bowie had more weeks on the UK singles and albums charts than any other act in 1973, and it made sense to piush Hunky Dory into the big sales league at last. Cue Life On Mars? as a single during the summer school holidays, with an Aladdin Sane-era promo video - which never got shown anywhere that I recall! Pretty sure I would have remembered it (cos it's fab) on Top Of The Pops or Old Grey Whistle Test if it had cropped up, and there were no other outlets then for music videos on TV. Of course, I could have been sulking if we'd been at my grandparents houses in Liverpool or Mansfield (we lived at RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire) and not been allowed to watch TOTP, but I just have vague memories of fade-out plays or BBC-made promos usually featuring lovers walking along a beach or some other nonsense.

 

When I was 14 and 15, before I'd saved up enough pocket-money to buy my own black-and-white portable TV (from babysitting for RAF kids so the young parents could have a night out) the only way I could impress on my dad (mum was usually happy to go along with me) just how important it was to me to watch Top Of The Pops was to fall into a huge sulk. I made an artform out of sulking. If I was going to have my life ruined by missing the only chance in history (quite LITERALLY true) to watch my fave popstars do my fave songs on TOTP, I made sure everyone else knew how aggrieved I was!

 

LIfe On Mars? was the highest-charting Bowie song to date on my personal charts (at 2), it was pretty damn epic, and also charted at 3 on the UK charts, and was a damn sight more street cred than the next old Bowie single to chart (The Laughing Gnome, Bowie was overjoyed to find out, had been re-released by Deram and he got an unwanted reminder of his Anthony Newley impressionist novelty-song days). Like 'Heroes' it also has become more popular with time - not that it wasn't always well-remembered, cos it was always regarded as a bit of a showstopper - not least helped by the 2006 BBC TV series Life On Mars, at which point it became a minor UK hit again, and finally topped my charts - at that time Bowie's 9th chart-topper. In latter years it has consistently been voted Bowie's best-ever record, so I guess it's not really a surprise to see it on top and 32 points clear of 'Heroes' - yes it was that emphatic a win thanks to top marks from Rollo, Leww, Steve, Jade, dandy, ...ready for it, a second place from moi, Chez, Jester, a 3rd place from AH Gold, or 10 voters and no dribs and drabs minor points at all.

 

Thanks all for the votes, sorry it's a bit spread-out results-wise, my life is nothing if not short on time to faff about doing stuff like this I enjoy!

Yes the 'Life On Mars' series which I recently watched again this year and is fab btw is when I must have came to know this amazing track. I love the piano and how it builds And the lyrics 'Lenin's on sale again' genius.

 

You aren't the only one to sulk over parents interrupting totp I remember a huge fight with my mum when she interrupted Emma Buntons no1 performance of 'It Took You So Long' 20 years ago 😅

Not me not voting for either 1st or 2nd :lol:

The right song won! I love lots of Bowie tracks but Life On Mars? is THE classic song for me. It just sounds like a classic, it's got such a timeless feel to it and the lyrics are really unique and quite powerful too which helps no end. I absolutely love the "It's on America's tortured brow that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow" lyric and of course the "Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy" lyric still very much resonates today. I'd heard it a few times before I knew who Bowie was and I'd always assumed it was a classic Beatles track as it has that sort of feel and status to it.

I’m quite impressed my top 5 were your top 5!

It had to be Life On Mars.

 

Four of the five songs I picked ended up as the top 4 so I'm happy with these results.

Correct top 2 for sure, both classics :wub:

Yes the 'Life On Mars' series which I recently watched again this year and is fab btw is when I must have came to know this amazing track. I love the piano and how it builds And the lyrics 'Lenin's on sale again' genius.

 

You aren't the only one to sulk over parents interrupting totp I remember a huge fight with my mum when she interrupted Emma Buntons no1 performance of 'It Took You So Long' 20 years ago 😅

 

These things are important to kids! :lol: That we remember them decades later shows how important! I got assigned the family record player to my own room after a blazing row between me and dad as I turned 15, mum had to lay down the law. I was playing T.Rex Solid Gold Easy Action loud in the front room and it was more than he could stand. ironically his dad had the same reaction to his buying The Goons Ying Tong Song in the 50's, which grandad smashed into pieces - and which was about to chart all over again in 1973, just to rub it in.

The right song won! I love lots of Bowie tracks but Life On Mars? is THE classic song for me. It just sounds like a classic, it's got such a timeless feel to it and the lyrics are really unique and quite powerful too which helps no end. I absolutely love the "It's on America's tortured brow that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow" lyric and of course the "Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy" lyric still very much resonates today. I'd heard it a few times before I knew who Bowie was and I'd always assumed it was a classic Beatles track as it has that sort of feel and status to it.

 

Spot on, dandy, and you know what? - I'd never spotted that very Beatles/Lennon feel to it. it's blatantly obvious now you say it! :lol:

In Let's Dance, the guitar solos were done by late blues guitarist/singer Stevie Ray Vaughan....dunno if anyone else knew or mentioned it previously...

These things are important to kids! :lol: That we remember them decades later shows how important! I got assigned the family record player to my own room after a blazing row between me and dad as I turned 15, mum had to lay down the law. I was playing T.Rex Solid Gold Easy Action loud in the front room and it was more than he could stand. ironically his dad had the same reaction to his buying The Goons Ying Tong Song in the 50's, which grandad smashed into pieces - and which was about to chart all over again in 1973, just to rub it in.

 

I had a time when my dads old record player stereo system from the 70s was put in my room and I loved it (it was one of them ones from the 70s with microphones and all)!

 

Anyway thanks for doing this 'quick' rate Pop, excellent look back on his discography!

Is there any more of these style rates coming soon? I think Elton John, Queen, and The Beatles would be excellent options. Also throwing in Fleetwood Mac and Hall & Oates

Is there any more of these style rates coming soon? I think Elton John, Queen, and The Beatles would be excellent options. Also throwing in Fleetwood Mac and Hall & Oates

 

I think the next one planned was for Madonna, but I'm happy to go with the flow - I think Elton would be a good one, loads of hits and I dont think he's ever popped up before on anything ratewise. Queen & The Beatles have featured in other rates fairly recently so might be worth doing further down the line. Mac, likewise, never been done, and Hall & Oates would probably be a fairly short one, easy to do, prob about 10 or 20 tracks and not much else except among those few of us that are fans - of which I am one :D

 

Pet Shop Boys are also long overdue a Quickie rate - unless dandy wants to finish off that other format rate from a couple of years ago? :)

 

Happy to take suggestions though, volunteers welcome, or as I like most big names I'm sure I can knock off an appreciation of the results order if any preferences for acts emerge...

 

:)

In Let's Dance, the guitar solos were done by late blues guitarist/singer Stevie Ray Vaughan....dunno if anyone else knew or mentioned it previously...

 

I think I knew it at the time, and then forgot it! There's some fab guitar work (and rhythms too) on the tracks...

Elton John and Fleetwood Mac would be good ones to do. Madonna has her own forum so I don't think there's any need for a Madonna quickie rate here.

 

I would be happy to host an ELO quickie rate if there is a demand for one.

I’m a big fan of Elton, Fleetwood Mac, and H&O so any of those would be perfect! I know only a small handful of ELO songs although I’m sure if I listened to more I would recognise a fair few

 

I think Elton John is one of those artists where EVERYONE has a favourite song of his and 9 times out of 10 it’s different to the person next to you, could make for very interesting results and with him being generally a popular artist I imagine it’d invite possibly more people than Bowie did to the forum