"Liza Jane" was the first recording released as a single 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 credited to Davie Jones with the King-Bees. It was released in 1964 when Bowie was 17 years old. The B-side of the single was the
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...
song "
Louie, Louie Go Home". Both songs on the single were recorded in a seven-hour session at
Decca Studios
Decca Studios was a recording facility at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England, controlled by Decca Records from 1937 to 1980. The building was once West Hampstead Town Hall, and had been converted to a recording studio b ...
in Broadhurst Gardens,
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to ...
.
[Pegg, Nicholas (2006). ''The Complete David Bowie''. London: Reynolds & Hearn. p.130. .]
Bowie came in touch with
Leslie Conn, who ran
Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...
's music publishing company and was a talent scout for the
Dick James
Dick James (born Leon Isaac Vapnick; 12 December 1920 – 1 February 1986) was a British music publisher and singer. He and Brian Epstein established the Beatles' publisher Northern Songs. Later, with his son Stephen, James founded the DJM rec ...
Organisation.
[Willey, Brian (16 March 2009).]
Les Conn: Pop manager and promoter who handled the early careers of David Bowie and Marc Bolan
. ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''. Retrieved 24 August 2010. Conn booked The King Bees for a wedding anniversary party, but with loud RnB on the setlist, Conn stopped the gig after only 10 minutes. Conn still became The King Bees' manager and promoter for some months in 1964, and they recorded and released "Liza Jane" as a single for the
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
label
Vocalion Pop.
Despite promoting the single on the television shows ''
Juke Box Jury
''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American serie ...
'', ''
Ready Steady Go!
''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light enter ...
'' and ''
The Beat Room
''The Beat Room'' is a British television series presenting beat, rhythm and blues and other pop music, shown on BBC2 in 1964–65.
Production
The series was produced by Barry Langford and directed by James Moir. Acts, introduced by an off ...
'',
[Thompson, Dave (2006). ''Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie''. ]ECW Press
ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...
. p.304. [Buckley, David (2007). ''Strange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive Story''. Virgin Books. p.23. ] and receiving good radio coverage,
the single sold poorly and the band was subsequently dropped from the label.
The song was an arrangement of the old standard "
Li'l Liza Jane
"Li'l Liza Jane", also known as "Little Liza Jane", "Liza Jane", and "Goodbye Liza Jane", is a song dating back at least to the 1910s. It has become a perennial standard both as a song and an instrumental in traditional jazz, folk music, and blu ...
", but Conn was credited as the songwriter, and the usual story is that this was done to get more royalties from the single. Conn recalled in 1997 how the King Bees had come up with a six-bar blues, which everyone used. Conn came up with some ideas of his own for the song, they improvised and the song came together.
After Conn and Bowie parted in 1964, Conn moved to
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
for a few years, and was one day on the phone with his mother, who wanted to get rid of a few hundred copies of "Liza Jane" that were stored in her garage. They agreed to throw them away.
Bowie recorded the song again, in 2000, for the album ''
Toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
'', which leaked on the Internet in 2011 before being officially released in 2021 as part of the ''
Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)
''Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 26 November 2021. A follow-up to the compilations ''Five Years (1969–1973)'', ''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', ''A New Career in a ...
'' box set, however the 2000 recording of "Liza Jane" was not included in the version of Toy present on Brilliant Adventure. The 2000 recording was eventually included in the Toy:Box standalone release in January 2022.
Track listing
# "Liza Jane" (Conn) – 2:32
# "
Louie, Louie Go Home" (
Paul Revere
Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to ale ...
,
Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders.
Early life
Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon, and was the second of eight children of George and Esther Ellis Lindsay. The ...
) – 2:14
Personnel
Source
* Leslie Conn – production
* David Jones – vocals,
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
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 pr ...
*
George Underwood – rhythm guitar,
Harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
, vocals
* Roger Bluck – lead guitar
* Francis Howard – bass
* Bob Allen – drums
Live versions
* On 5 June 2004, during a concert of his
A Reality Tour
A Reality Tour was a worldwide concert tour by David Bowie in support of the ''Reality'' album. The tour began on 7 October 2003 at the Forum Copenhagen, Denmark, continuing through Europe, North America, Asia, including a return to New Zealan ...
at the
PNC Bank Arts Center
The PNC Bank Arts Center (originally the Garden State Arts Center) is an amphitheatre in Holmdel, New Jersey. About 17,500 people can occupy the venue; there are 7,000 seats and the grass area can hold about 10,500 people. Concerts are from May t ...
in
Holmdel
Holmdel Township (usually shortened to Holmdel) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, being within the regional and cultural influence of the Raritan Baysh ...
, United States, Bowie played the first verse and chorus of "Liza Jane" coinciding with the 40th anniversary of its release.
Other releases
* The single was re-released by
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...
in the UK in November 1978.
* On acetate a version with a slightly longer fade-out has been released.
* The song was released on Bowie's 2014 compilation album ''
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 t ...
''.
* A 2000 rerecording was included on the "Alternatives & Extras" disc of the official release of ''
Toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
'' in 2022.
References
{{authority control
1964 debut singles
David Bowie songs
1964 songs
Vocalion Records singles