"Do Anything You Say" is a single 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 ...

, his first release solely credited to himself. Released by

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...

on 1 April 1966, it was produced by

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mus ...

and featured contributions from his new backing band, the Buzz. The song failed to chart and has been negatively received by his biographers.

Overview

Two weeks after the release of "

Can't Help Thinking About Me "Can't Help Thinking About Me" is a song written by English musician David Bowie and recorded with his band the Lower Third. Released as a single by Pye Records on 14 January 1966, it was the first one issued under the "David Bowie" name after ...

departed from the Lower Third, mostly due to the insistence of his then-manager Ralph Horton. He quickly assembled a new band from various advertisements in '' Melody Maker''. Nicknamed the Buzz, the band consisted of guitarist John Hutchinson, bassist Derek Fearnley, drummer John Eager and keyboardist Derek Boyes. On 22 February 1966, Bowie and the Buzz demoed a new track, "Do Anything You Say", at London's Regent Sound Studios before properly recording it on 7 March at

Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is toda ...

Studios, three days after performing "Can't Help Thinking About Me" on the ATV programme ''

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 ente ...

''. Also recorded was the chosen B-side, "Good Morning Girl", another Bowie-penned track.

played piano and produced the session, after doing the same for "Can't Help Thinking About Me". Bowie's biographers have responded negatively to the song. While O'Leary calls it "a product of an apparent songwriting lull on Bowie's part", Nicholas Pegg finds it "unimaginative" and "betrays little promise" when comparing it to Bowie's other songs from 1966. James Perone calls it the "least memorable" of Bowie's three singles for

. The song itself is influenced by the contemporary

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and R&B sound, featuring call-and-response harmonies similar to

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's recent hit "

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was the second single released by the English rock band the Who in 1965. It features call-and-response lyrics (especially common in Who lyrics at this time) and some of the first ever recorded guitar feedback. The song ...

". O'Leary notes that it lacks contrasting bridges or solos. Bowie later used two lines for his 1969 track "Conversation Piece". Lyrically, the song sees a character conforms to his significant other after she rejects him. "Good Morning Girl", on the other hand, is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

-inflicted track that was more positively received. "Do Anything You Say" was issued in the United Kingdom by Pye on 1 April 1966, with the catalogue number 7N 17079 and backed by "Good Morning Girl". It was the first single solely credited to "David Bowie". Like its predecessors, it failed to chart. A review published in ''Melody Maker'' by singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

read: "I haven't got a clue who this is either, but I can see the effort that has gone into this record. It's nice. The sound is a bit messy." The song would later be included in the 1991 compilation ''

Early On (1964–1966) ''Early On (1964–1966)'' is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1991. It is notable as the first and only attempt to compile a comprehensive collection of all of Bowie's pre-Deram Records, Deram material and encompasses multiple l ...

'' and the 1999 reissue ''I Dig Everything: The 1966 Pye Singles''. In a 2016 list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best, ''

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 ...

'' placed "Do Anything You Say" at number 111 (out of 119).

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: *

– lead vocal * John Hutchinson – lead guitar, backing vocal * Derek Fearnley – bass, backing vocal * John Eager – drums, backing vocal * Derek Boyes – keyboards, backing vocal *

– piano, producer

References

Sources

* * * * {{authority control 1966 singles David Bowie songs Songs written by David Bowie Pye Records singles Song recordings produced by Tony Hatch 1966 songs