"Kooks" is a song written 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 ...

, which appears on his 1971 album ''

Hunky Dory ''Hunky Dory'' is the fourth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 17December 1971 through RCA Records. Following the release of his 1970 album, '' The Man Who Sold the World'', Bowie took time off from recording and tourin ...

''. Bowie wrote this song to his newborn son Duncan Jones. The song was a pastiche of early 1970s Neil Young because Bowie was listening to a

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

record at home on 30 May 1971 when he got the news of the arrival of his son.Kevin Cann (2010). ''Any Day Now - David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974'': p.218

Live versions

* Before the studio recording of the song was made, it was recorded for the BBC ''In Concert'' radio show with

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, on 3 June 1971 (broadcast on 20 June 1971). In 2000 this recording was released on the '' Bowie at the Beeb'' album. * The song was recorded again for the BBC "

Sounds of the 70s ''Sounds of the 70s'' is the name of BBC radio programme, currently broadcast on Sundays by BBC Radio 2, with the ''Sounds of the Seventies'' name also having been used by BBC Television for a number of themed music compilations, now repeated ...

" radio show with Bob Harris on 21 September 1971 (broadcast on 4 October 1971).

Personnel

: lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar * Mick Ronson: string arrangement *

Trevor Bolder Trevor Bolder (9 June 1950 – 21 May 2013) was an English rock musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with the Spiders from Mars, the backing band for David Bowie, alt ...

: bass,

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Mick Woodmansey: drums *

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

: piano

In popular culture

* The first three lines of the song ("Will you stay in our lovers' story / If you stay, you won't be sorry / 'Cause we believe in you") are used as a repeated motif in Miranda July's 2015 novel ''The First Bad Man'' * The British indie band

The Kooks The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums). Their music is primarily influenced by the ...

named themselves after the song.

References

Notes

Other sources

* Pegg, Nicholas (0200), ''The Complete David Bowie'', Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, {{DEFAULTSORT:Kooks (Song) 1971 songs David Bowie songs Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Ken Scott Song recordings produced by David Bowie