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"Boys Keep Swinging" is a song by English musician
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 ...
, released on 27 April 1979 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 A ...
in the United Kingdom as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from his 1979 album ''
Lodger''. It was written by Bowie and
Brian Eno and recorded in
Montreux
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...
and New York City in September 1978 and March 1979. The recording utilised techniques from Eno's
Oblique Strategies
Oblique Strategies (subtitled ''Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas'') is a card-based method for promoting creativity jointly created by musician/artist Brian Eno and multimedia artist Peter Schmidt, first published in 1975. Physically, it takes ...
cards, which resulted in the musicians swapping instruments.
Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...
contributed a guitar solo, which he played receiving little guidance and was composited from multiple takes. The song was also built on the same chord sequence as album track "
Fantastic Voyage
''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to micros ...
". Musically, "Boys Keep Swinging" contains elements of
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
,
garage rock,
funk and
new wave, while lyrically, the song deals with the concept of gender identity, featuring various gender-bending lyrics. Bowie himself stated that the song was full of irony.
Bowie filmed a promotional video for "Boys Keep Swinging" alongside an appearance on ''
The Kenny Everett Video Show
''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981.
Overview
Philip Jones, Tham ...
''. Both were directed by
David Mallet, marking the first in a series of collaborations with Bowie. The video features Bowie as himself and three backing dancers dressed in drag. The video helped the single reach number seven on 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 ...
, his highest chart placement in two years. Bowie gave an acclaimed performance of the song on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' in December 1979 and later revived it for his 1995
Outside Tour
The Outside Tour was a tour by English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the '' 1. Outside'' album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North Americ ...
. Although it received mixed reviews on release, with some finding a lack of payoff, commentators have reacted more positively to "Boys Keep Swinging" in later decades, with some naming it one of Bowie's best songs. It has appeared on several
compilation albums and was covered by
the Associates in late-1979, whose version earned them their first
recording contract.
Recording
"Boys Keep Swinging" was written by
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 ...
and
Brian Eno during the sessions for ''
Lodger'' (1979). Co-produced by Bowie and
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 ...
, the backing tracks were recorded at
Mountain Studios
Mountain Studios was a commercial recording studio founded by American singer and composer Anita Kerr and husband Alex Grob in 1975 within the Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. The studio was under the ownership of Queen and then long ...
in
Montreux
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...
, Switzerland in September 1978, while vocals and overdubs were completed at the
Record Plant in New York City in March 1979. The sessions saw Bowie and Eno utilise techniques from Eno's
Oblique Strategies
Oblique Strategies (subtitled ''Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas'') is a card-based method for promoting creativity jointly created by musician/artist Brian Eno and multimedia artist Peter Schmidt, first published in 1975. Physically, it takes ...
cards.
According to biographer Chris O'Leary, these cards were "part-
fortune cookie
A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie wafer usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a "fortune", usually an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chine ...
, part-''
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
'' 'Chance' cards", intended to spark creative ideas. Eno and Bowie used them previously to create some of the instrumentals for ''
"Heroes"'' (1977).
After a few takes, Bowie was dissatisfied with the band's progress, finding it "sounds like professionals!" In order to sound like "young kids in the basement
ho were
Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to:
People Language and ethnicity
* Ho people, an ethnic group of India
** Ho language, a tribal language in India
* Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam
* Hiri Mo ...
just discovering their instruments", Bowie had the musicians swap instruments, a trick previously utilised during the recording of
Iggy Pop's ''
Lust for Life'' in 1977. So, guitarist
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 ...
switched to drums, drummer
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 lat ...
moved to bass guitar and bassist
George Murray moved to keyboards. However, Murray's contribution was omitted from the final mix, as only Bowie and Eno are credited, while Davis's part was deemed unsuitable and re-recorded by Visconti, who played an "over-the-top" part in a style similar to ''
The Man Who Sold the World'' (1970). Several commentators found the part reminiscent of
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
' "
You're So Good to Me
"You're So Good to Me" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on July 5, 1965, on their ninth studio album ''Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)''. It was later included as the B-side of ...
" (1965).
Future
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
guitarist
Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...
contributed a solo towards the end of the song, which was composited from multiple takes. Before he played, Bowie told Belew that Alomar was playing drums but gave little guidance regarding the music. He later stated: "It was like a freight train coming through my mind. I just had to cling on." Speaking with biographer David Buckley, Belew stated that Bowie wrote the lyrics and recorded his vocals for the song in just seven days. He also recalled that after Bowie completed the vocals, "He played it to me and said, 'This is written after you, in the spirit of you.' I think he saw me as a naive person who just enjoyed life. I was thrilled with that."
Music and lyrics
"Boys Keep Swinging" uses the same chord sequence as fellow ''Lodger'' track "
Fantastic Voyage
''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to micros ...
", although biographers note that "Boys" is more "tense" and "upbeat"; 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 ...
contends that its structure acts "like a bumper car". Musically, ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
'' found "Boys" to contain elements of
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
and
garage rock;
O'Leary similarly states that the song represents "an end to Bowie's glam years". Some commentators found elements of
funk in the track, with ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' calling it "neurotic funk ála
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talki ...](_blank)
",
and ''
Ultimate Classic Rock
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
'' finding it "updates Bowie's funk era via a
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
attitude".
On the other hand,
Dave Thompson found that the song was indebted to the then-rising
new wave scene.
Simon House
Simon House (born 29 August 1948 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind.
Career
Before his time with Ha ...
plays
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
on the track, whose contribution O'Leary calls a "sawing background drone" and compares it to
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...
's "
Waiting for the Man
"I'm Waiting for the Man" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Written by Lou Reed, it was first released on their 1967 debut album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. The lyrics describe a man's efforts to obtain heroin in H ...
" (1967). Mike Powell of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' compared the song to the
Village People
Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the releas ...
, but noted that "Boys" is "less secure about its sexuality".
Lyrically, "Boys Keep Swinging" deals with the concept of gender identity, featuring numerous gender-bending lyrics such as "when you're a boy, other boys check you out". Doggett states that the song reinforces the "male gang mentality", a concept Bowie was familiar with during the 1960s. Various commentators have provided interpretations for "Boys". O'Leary interprets the song as "a boy's idea of manhood as being like hinging a Scout troop", evidenced by the lyrics "Uncage the colours! Unfurl the flag!" On release,
Jon Savage
Jon Savage (born Jonathan Malcolm Sage; 2 September 1953 in Paddington, London) is an English writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, ''England's Dreaming'', published in 199 ...
of ''
Melody Maker'' analysed the track as "a vaguely homoerotic, Ladybird look at male adolescence",
while in 2008, ''Uncut''s Chris Roberts described it as "a tongue-in-cheek, camp dig at American values". Author James Perone argues that within the context on ''Lodger'', "Boys" presents various stereotypes that are expected of males, such as the idea that all they need to do is keep trying to "work it out" and that feeling militaristic is manly. However, the song itself does not answer questions raised that counteract these stereotypes; he notes that the album's next track, "Repetition", does give an example on how to deal with frustration. Bowie himself later stated that the song was full of irony.
Release
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 A ...
issued "Boys Keep Swinging" in the United Kingdom on 27 April 1979, with the catalogue number RCA BOW 2 and album track "Fantastic Voyage" as the
B-side. To promote the song, Bowie appeared on ''
The Kenny Everett Video Show
''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981.
Overview
Philip Jones, Tham ...
'' four days earlier. According to biographer
Nicholas Pegg, he dressed in a "1950s Mod-style suit" that made him look like a "fresh-faced schoolboy". The director of the programme was
David Mallet, whom Bowie chose to direct a promotional video for "Boys", becoming the first in a series of
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
collaborations between the two men.
The promo and Everett performance were filmed back-to-back, although the former featured extra backup dancers who turned out to be Bowie in drag. For the first girl, Bowie want "a 50s-type girl from the Midlands, a gum-chewing, working-class 'tart'"; the second was dressed like actress
Lauren Bacall; the third was a combination of actresses
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
and
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...
. At the end of the promo, two of the dancers turn to the camera, remove their wigs and smear their makeup in a style Bowie borrowed from Dutch dancer
Romy Haag
Romy is a given name, often a diminutive form of names such as Rosemary (given name), Rosemary or Roman (given name), Roman or Romeo (given name), Romeo. https://nameberry.com/babyname/romy/boy
People with the name include:
Men
*Romy Cachola, n ...
after observing her at a Berlin nightclub. The final dancer simply blows a kiss into the camera. Regarding the smearing bit, Bowie stated: "That was a well-known drag act finale gesture which I appropriated. I really liked the idea of screwing up
hemake-up after all the meticulous work that had gone into it. It was a nice destructive thing to do – quite anarchistic." The smearing gesture would later be used in the videos for "
China Girl China Girl may refer to:
Music
*China Girl (song), "China Girl" (song), a 1977 song by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, rerecorded and released as a single by Bowie in 1983
*"China Girl", a song by John Cougar, released in 1982 on the album ''American Foo ...
" (1983) and "
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 opt ...
" (1993). According to Buckley, when the video was broadcast on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
'', the BBC received numerous complaints from shocked viewers.
The video and Everett performance, along with an appearance as the guest DJ on
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to:
*BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC
** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music
*CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
's ''Star Special'', helped "Boys Keep Swinging" reach number seven on 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 ...
after a downturn, becoming Bowie's highest-charting
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
since "
Sound and Vision
"Sound and Vision" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was released in January 1977 by RCA Records on side one of his 11th studio album '' Low''. RCA later chose it as the first single from the album. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony ...
" two years earlier. The song also peaked at number 19 on the
Irish Singles Chart.
However, due to the song's gender-bending video and lyrics, RCA refused to release the single in the United States, as they had done with "
John, I'm Only Dancing" in 1972, choosing "
Look Back in Anger
''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...
" instead.
''Saturday Night Live'' performance
Bowie recorded performances of "Boys Keep Swinging", along with "
The Man Who Sold the World" (1970) and "
TVC 15
"TVC 15" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1976 album ''Station to Station''. RCA Records later released it as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976. The song was recorded in late 1975 at Cherokee Studios i ...
" (1976), for ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' on 15 December 1979, although it was not broadcast until 5 January 1980. Bowie was joined by Alomar, Murray, Davis,
Isolar I tour guitarist Stacey Heydon,
Blondie keyboardist
Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri (born James Mollica, April 13, 1954, Brooklyn, New York City, United States) is an American musician.
Background
Destri is of Italian descent. His father was a novelist who also wrote screenplays and eventually advertising copy to ...
, and backing singers
Klaus Nomi
Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.
In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Village ...
and
Joey Arias
Joey Arias is an American artist based in New York City, best known for work as a performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist, but also as a published author, comedian, stage persona and film actor. He also goes by the names Joseph Ar ...
. For the performance of "Boys", Bowie's head was superimposed over a puppet body being operated by himself. He based the set on a German act he witnessed, which "gave the effect of a human-headed marionette". The show's producers censored the line "other boys will check you out".
Pegg calls the performance "one of Bowie's finest television appearances", while
Marc Spitz
Marc Spitz (October 2, 1969 – February 4, 2017) was an American music journalist, author and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock and roll and popular culture appeared in ''Spin'' (where he was a Senior Writer) as well as ''The New York Times' ...
considered it "one of the best and strangest moments" in ''SNL'' history. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' later ranked Bowie's appearance the seventh best musical performance in ''SNL'' history in 2017. Two years later, Bowie's official website called the performance "a piece of TV history" that "remains among the most surreal television performances broadcast anywhere, ever".
Bowie later revived "Boys Keep Swinging" for the 1995
Outside Tour
The Outside Tour was a tour by English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the '' 1. Outside'' album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North Americ ...
.
Critical reception
"Boys Keep Swinging" received mixed reviews from music critics, as did its parent album. The song earned a positive review in ''
Smash Hits'', who called the single Bowie's "best in ages". Savage, on the other hand, found it better suited on the album than as a single.
In a more negative review, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics.
Biography
Marcus wa ...
found "Boys" "so
ull of ironythat it ceases to have any meaning at all. The song even fails to achieve the meaning of pure pop meaninglessness, because it so obviously wants to mean ''something''." Paul Yamada of ''
New York Rocker
''New York Rocker'' was a punk rock new wave magazine founded by Alan Betrock in 1976. In 1979, it had a circulation of 20,000. Betrock left the magazine in 1978, and Andy Schwartz took over as editor until 1982. The same year the magazine was cl ...
'' felt the song was the most "adventurous" on the LP, but it lacked overall satisfaction: "Why couldn't this have been worked into something truly worthwhile?" The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
''s Lynn Van Matre expressed disappointment with ''Lodger'' but noted that tracks such as "Boys" would be entertaining for longtime Bowie fans.
In later decades, "Boys Keep Swinging" has received more positive reviews. Writing for ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' in 2004,
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.
He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Ble ...
commented on the "razor-sharp musical corners" and "new layers of wit and generosity in the songwriting" on ''Lodger'', highlighting "Boys Keep Swinging", "D.J." and "Fantastic Voyage". In
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
,
Dave Thompson called "Boys" "one of Bowie's most simplistically effective constructions", further writing that the song "erupts with an almost amateurish enthusiasm, clattering and clonking to delirious effect".
The same publication's
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in his review for ''Lodger'', cited "Boys", "
D.J." and "Look Back in Anger" as songs that "have strong melodic hooks that are subverted and strengthened by the layered, dissonant productions". In ''Ultimate Classic Rock'', Bryan Wawzenek considered "Boys" and "Fantastic Voyage" the two best songs on the album.
In lists of Bowie's best songs by ''Uncut'' and ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'', the song was voted numbers 29 and 25, respectively.
In 2016, ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' placed the single at number 42 in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best. Four years later,
Alexis Petridis of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' called "Boys Keep Swinging" Bowie's 12th greatest song, which he argued, "condensed the kind of sonic overload found on '
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
' into a sparky three-minute pop song, complete with lyrics that archly, camply celebrated machismo."
Legacy
"Boys Keep Swinging" has appeared on several
compilation albums, including ''
The Best of Bowie
''The Best of Bowie'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 1980 by K-tel. The cover was based on the 12-inch single sleeve design of Bowie's "Fashion".Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). ''Bowie: An ...
'' (1980), ''
The Singles Collection'' (1993), ''
The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979'' (1998), ''
Best of Bowie'' (2002), ''
The Platinum Collection'' (2006), ''
Nothing Has Changed
''Nothing Has Changed'' (stylised as ''Nothing has changed.'') is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 18 November 2014 through Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings in ...
'' (2014), and ''
Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie)'' (2016). The song, along with the rest of its parent album, was remastered in 2017 for
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
's ''
A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
''A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 29 September 2017. A follow-up to the compilations '' Five Years (1969–1973)'' and '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', the set ...
''
box set.
Numerous artists have also covered "Boys Keep Swinging". In October 1979, Scottish new wave band
the Associates released a cover of the song as a way to
infringe copyright and get themselves noticed. Their version, which reached number 15 in ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...
''s Scottish chart and gained them airplay on
John Peel's
Radio One show, earned the band their first record contract.
Band member
Billy Mackenzie later said that the band recorded the song "to prove the point. It was a strange way of proving it, but it worked. People said, 'That is ''awful''. How dare they!'" English
Britpop
Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...
band
Blur used the same chord sequence as "Boys Keep Swinging" for their 1997 single "
M.O.R.
"M.O.R." is a song by English rock music, rock band Blur (band), Blur from Blur (Blur album), their eponymous album. Released on 15 September 1997, "M.O.R." reached number 15 in the UK Singles Chart on its release as a single in September 1997 ...
". The song's chorus also borrows the melody and
call-and-response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
vocals from "Boys". Bowie and Eno both received writing credit for "M.O.R." after legal intervention. Further covers have been released by
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season.
Description
These tub ...
,
Sarah Harding
Sarah Nicole Harding (; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV reality series '' Popstars: The Rivals'', during which ...
,
Susanna Hoffs and
Duran Duran. Meanwhile, Bowie's original recording appeared in the soundtrack for ''
32A
''32A'' is a 2007 drama film directed and written by Marian Quinn. It was shot principally in Dublin, with additional footage in Roscommon and Sligo.
The script won the inaugural Tiernan McBride Award for screenwriting, as well as Best First Featu ...
'' (2007) while Harding's version appeared in the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
for ''
St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold'' (2009).
Personnel
According to Chris O'Leary:
Musicians
*
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 ...
– lead and backing vocals, guitar, piano
*
Adrian Belew
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...
– lead guitar
*
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 ...
– bass guitar, backing vocals
*
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 ...
– drums
*
Brian Eno – piano, synthesiser
*
Simon House
Simon House (born 29 August 1948 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind.
Career
Before his time with Ha ...
– violin
Production
* David Bowie – producer
* Tony Visconti – producer, engineer
Charts
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
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*
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External links
*
{{authority control
1979 singles
British new wave songs
LGBT-related songs
David Bowie songs
Songs written by David Bowie
Songs written by Brian Eno
Song recordings produced by David Bowie
Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti
The Associates (band) songs
1979 songs
RCA Records singles
MCA Records singles