"Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" is a song by English singer-songwriter

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 as the title track of his 1980 album '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)''. It was also issued as the third single from that album in January 1981. Coming as it did in the wake of two earlier singles from ''Scary Monsters'', " Ashes to Ashes" in August 1980 and "

Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

" in October the same year, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' critics

Roy Carr Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the ''New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'' magazines. Biography Born in Blackpoo ...

and

Charles Shaar Murray Charles Shaar Murray (born Charles Maximillian Murray; 27 June 1951) is an English music journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on the '' New Musical Express'' and many other magazines and newspapers, and has been interviewed for a number of ...

labelled its release another instance "in the fine old tradition of milking albums for as much as they could possibly be worth". The song was subsequently performed on a number of Bowie tours. Musically the track was notable for its lead guitar work by

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...

and distinctive synthesized percussion. The lyrics, sung by Bowie in his

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...

accent, charted a woman's withdrawal from the world and descent into madness ("When I looked in her eyes they were blue but nobody home ... Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialise"). Thematically the song has been compared to

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

's "

She's Lost Control "She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. Released on their 1979 debut album, ''Unknown Pleasures'', "She's Lost Control" was first performed live by the band in June 1978 and draws primary lyrical inspiration fro ...

" (1979), and to the "claustrophobic romance" of

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

's 1977 collaborations with Bowie, ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'' and '' Lust for Life''. The edited single reached No. 20 in the UK charts. As well as 7" vinyl, it was issued in

Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

format.

Track listing

All tracks written by

. # "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" – 3:27 # " Because You're Young" – 4:51 The French release of the single had "

Up the Hill Backwards "Up the Hill Backwards" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1980 album '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)''. It was later issued by RCA Records as the fourth and final single from the album in March 1981. Originally wri ...

" as the B-side.

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: *

– lead and backing vocals *

– lead guitar *

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Ricans, 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 Garso ...

– rhythm guitar * George Murray – bass guitar *

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 late ...

– drums *

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 ...

–

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, keyboard, backing vocal Production * Tony Visconti * David Bowie

Charts

Live versions

A concert performance recorded on 12 September 1983 was included on the live album ''Serious Moonlight (Live '83)'', which was part of the 2018 box set ''

Loving the Alien (1983-1988) "Loving the Alien" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie. It was the opening track to his sixteenth studio album ''Tonight (David Bowie album), Tonight''. One of two tracks on the album written solely by Bowie, an edited version of the ...

'' and was released separately the following year. The filmed performance appears on the concert video '' Serious Moonlight'' (1984). The song was performed during the 1987

Glass Spider Tour The Glass Spider Tour was a 1987 worldwide concert tour by English musician David Bowie, launched in support of his album '' Never Let Me Down'' and named for that album's track "Glass Spider". It began in May 1987 and was preceded by a two-wee ...

, although a 1987 live performance of the song was not included until the 2007 special edition release of ''

Glass Spider ''Glass Spider'' is a concert film by English singer David Bowie. The release was sourced from eight shows during the first two weeks of November 1987 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia during the last month of the Glass Spider Tour ...

'' featured a performance recorded in Montreal, Canada. Bowie performed the song with

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numerous times during the

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 America ...

and one live version was released on the concert album '' No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)'' (2020). Bowie performed 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. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on 8 February 1997, later released on the album ''Saturday Night Live - 25 Years Volume 1''. A July 1997 performance at the

Phoenix Festival The Phoenix Festival was set up by John Vincent Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals. It was held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon and was one of the ...

was released in 2021 on '' Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)''. Bowie and

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...

performed an all-acoustic

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

version of the song for the radio station WRXT in Chicago Il on 16 October 1997.

Other releases

* The song appeared on the following compilations: ** '' Golden Years'' (1983) – album version ** '' The Singles Collection'' (1993) – album version ** ''

Best of Bowie ''Best of Bowie'' is a 2002 greatest hits album by English recording artist David Bowie. Released in October after the critical and commercial success of the '' Heathen'' album released four months earlier, the songs range from his second alb ...

'' (2002) – single edit ** '' The Platinum Collection'' – single edit ** ''

The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 ''The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The CD was originally released by EMI as part of '' The Platinum Collection'' in 2005/2006. The 2007 release is part of EMI's two-disc ''Sigh ...

'' (2007) – single edit ** ''

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 ...

'' (2014) (3-CD version) – single edit * The single edit of the song was also included on ''Re:Call 3'', part of the ''

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 c ...

'' compilation (2017). * It also appeared on the soundtrack of the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

game '' Gran Turismo'' (1998).

References in pop culture

* "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" is heard in the back drop of the bar scene in the 1988 American science fiction action film

Alien Nation (film) ''Alien Nation'' is a 1988 American science fiction action film written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and directed by Graham Baker (director), Graham Baker. The ensemble cast features James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, and Terence Stamp. Its initial popularit ...

starring

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

and

Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...

. * "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" was referenced in the popular multimedia franchise ''

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...

''. It is the name of a Stand called "Scary Monsters" (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: スケアリー・モンスターズ Hepburn: ''Sukearī Monsutāzu''), which was introduced in Part 7: ''

Steel Ball Run is the seventh story arc of the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Set in the United States in 1890, it stars Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic former jockey who desires to regain the us ...

''.

References

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Songs about mental health Songs about monsters 1981 singles David Bowie songs 1980 songs Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti Songs written by David Bowie RCA Records singles