"Underground" is a song written and recorded 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 ...
for 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 o ...
of the 1986 film ''
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...
''. It reached No. 21 in 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 ...
.
Details and background
Bowie wrote and recorded five songs for ''Labyrinth'', in which he also starred as
Jareth
Jareth is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1986 fantasy film ''Labyrinth (1986 film), Labyrinth.'' Portrayed by David Bowie, Jareth is the powerful and enigmatic king of the goblins to whom protagonist Sarah Williams (Labyrinth ...
, the king of the
goblins
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
. "Underground" is the film's
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
; a slower, re-scored version by composer
Trevor Jones plays over the
opening credits
In a motion picture, television program or video game, the opening credits or opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen ...
whilst Bowie's original version plays during the
end credits.
Explaining his choice of musical style for the song, Bowie said: "The film essentially deals with a girl's emotions and what she's going through, discovering about herself and her parents and her relationship to her family. So I wanted something very emotional, and for me the most emotional music I can think of is
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
."
Bowie and producer
Arif Mardin recorded "Underground" at
Atlantic Studios in New York. The track included a large chorus of backing vocalists including
Chaka Khan
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...
,
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...
and
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
,
along with the Radio Choir of the
New Hope Baptist Church.
Lead guitar was played by
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
guitarist
Albert Collins, whose contribution to the song was described by Bowie as "a very savage, rough, aggressive sound which goes against some of the maybe superficial slickness of the synthesizers."
Video
Steve Barron
Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker. He is best known for directing the music videos for the songs "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Summer of '69" and " Run to You" by Bryan Adams, " Money for Nothing" by Dire Stra ...
directed the promotional video clip for the song, which was filmed at
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...
over two days in 1986.
[
*] The video portrays Bowie as a
nightclub singer who walks into an ominous alleyway where he encounters various puppet creatures from ''Labyrinth'', including characters such as Hoggle and the Junk Lady.
Bowie turns into a cartoon figure, stepping into an
animated underground world. Before his descent there is a brief montage of numerous past images of Bowie, including musical personae from
Ziggy Stardust to ''
Jazzin' for Blue Jean
''Jazzin' for Blue Jean'' is a 21-minute short film featuring David Bowie and directed by Julien Temple. It was created to promote Bowie's single " Blue Jean" in 1984 and released as a video single.
The film won the 1985 Grammy Award for " Best V ...
'' and his film characters from ''
The Man Who Fell To Earth'' and ''
The Hunger''.
''Labyrinth'' director
Jim Henson was impressed enough with Barron's style to offer him a job directing the pilot episode of ''
The Storyteller''.
Though Bowie was not heavily involved in promoting the film, Henson was nonetheless grateful for the "Underground" video, saying, "I think it's the best thing he could have done for the film." Bowie was not happy with the video, saying in 1987, "I've found that the videos I put into other people’s hands have always been a mistake. Because of my lack of interest, I didn't get that involved with things like 'Underground' which I did for ''Labyrinth''. I just left it up, and the result is just not my kind of video. I was a bit lax there. I didn't feel involved."
Despite Bowie's dislike for the video, ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' and ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' considered it to be among his best after he
died in 2016.
According to ''
Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'', the video can be interpreted as "background and lore to Bowie's character" Jareth, showing an
origin story "of how he was an ordinary man that wandered into the Underground (the world of Labyrinth), and became the Goblin King."
Reception
Sean Stangland of the ''
Daily Herald
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' described "Underground" as a "
pop ballad that climaxes in a gospel celebration."
Similarly describing the song as "a joyous rave-up that starts out as synth-pop before transitioning to a gospel barnstormer", David Brusie of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' noted that it had a similar production style to Bowie's 1983
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
-influenced song "
Modern Love". Brusie also wrote that "Underground" is "distinctly American-sounding, making for a striking ending" to ''Labyrinth'', as the film's story is "steeped in European influences like ''
Alice In Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'' and ''
Grimm’s fairy tales''."
Smooth Radio Smooth Radio may refer to:
* Smooth Radio (2010), the original national network in the UK
* Smooth Radio (2014)
See also
* Smoothfm
smoothfm is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by NOVA Entertainment. From original ...
chose "Underground" as number 15 on its ranking of Bowie's 20 greatest songs. ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' considered it the strongest song on the ''Labyrinth'' soundtrack, a view shared by ''
Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'', which considered "Underground" as one of "the 10 best movie theme songs from the 80s".
Follow-up singles
"
As the World Falls Down
"As the World Falls Down" is a song written by David Bowie for the Labyrinth (1986 soundtrack), soundtrack of the 1986 fantasy film ''Labyrinth (1986 film), Labyrinth''.
Background and composition
"As the World Falls Down" is one of five songs ...
" was considered for a Christmas 1986 single release, but was canceled.
"
Magic Dance" was released as the second single from the soundtrack to limited countries in January 1987.
Track listing
All tracks by Bowie
7" Commercial Single/12" Promo Single: EMI / EA 216 (UK)
# "Underground (Edited version)" – 4:25
# "Underground (
Instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
)" – 5:40
#*This is the only Instrumental version featuring the backing singers.
All other Instrumental versions are slightly longer, backing-tracks only except on the back of the promo 12-inch single.
12" Club Single: EMI / 12EA 216 (UK)
# "Underground (Extended dance
mix
Mix, mixes or mixing may refer to:
Persons & places
* Mix (surname)
** Tom Mix (1880-1940), American film star
* nickname of Mix Diskerud (born Mikkel, 1990), Norwegian-American soccer player
* Mix camp, an informal settlement in Namibia
* Mix ...
)" – 7:51
# "Underground (Dub)" – 5:59
# "Underground (Instrumental)" – 5:54
* Additional production and Re-mix by
Steve Thompson and
Michael Barbiero
Michael Francis Barbiero (born June 25, 1949)[Infidel Biography](_blank)
. Infidel Records. Retri ...
.
7" Picture Disc: EMI / EAP 216 (UK)
# "Underground (Edited version)" – 4:25
# "Underground (Instrumental)" – 5:52
Download: EMI / iEA 216 (UK)
# "Underground (Edited version)" – 4:25
# "Underground (Extended dance mix)" – 7:51
# "Underground (Instrumental of album version)" – 5:54
# "Underground (Dub)" – 5:59
* released in 2007
Personnel
* David Bowie – vocals, backing vocals, producer
*
Arif Mardin – producer
*
Albert Collins – guitar
*
Richard Tee - piano
*
Steve Ferrone
Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Average Whi ...
– drums
*
Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, synthesizer
*
Bob Gay – saxophone
*
Chaka Khan
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...
– background vocals
*
Cissy Houston
Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...
– background vocals
*
Fonzi Thornton
Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is a U.S. songwriter/producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Aret ...
– background vocals
*
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...
– background vocals
*
Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...
- background vocals
*
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
- background vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Labyrinth (1986 film)
1986 singles
1986 songs
David Bowie songs
Songs written by David Bowie
Song recordings produced by David Bowie
Music videos directed by Steve Barron
Film theme songs
Songs written for films
Gospel songs