"Valentine's Day" is a song by English rock 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 ...

, the fourth single from his 25th studio album ''

The Next Day ''The Next Day'' is the 25th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released in March 2013. It was his first studio release in ten years, having retreated from public view after his 2004 heart attack. Co-produced by Bowie and longtime c ...

''. The single was released on 19 August 2013. This was to be Bowie's final 7-inch single issued from a new album released in his lifetime. The lyrics are based on the psychology of a school shooter.

Recording

"Valentine's Day" was one of the final songs recorded for ''The Next Day''. The backing track was recorded on 24 July 2012 at the Magic Shop in New York City, while Bowie's vocals were recorded on 18 September 2012 at Human Worldwide Studios in New York City.

Release details

The single was released on 19 August 2013 in the UK and on the 20th in the US and other countries. In early August 2013, the single was added to the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

2's A-list. The single entered UK's Airplay Chart Top 40 on 9 August 2013, making it the second most successful single from ''The Next Day'' (after "

Where Are We Now? "Where Are We Now?" is a song by English musician David Bowie. Recorded in secret between September and October 2011 at the Magic Shop in New York City, it was released by ISO and Columbia Records as the lead single of his 25th studio album '' ...

") in terms of airplay. It reached the 179th spot on the UK chart. In February 2018, it also reached #3 on the US Billboard Lyric Find chart.

Video

The video for "Valentine's Day" was directed by Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri and Markus Klinko, who previously collaborated with Bowie on his 2002 album '' Heathen''. It features Bowie in the abandoned Red Hook Grain Terminal in the Red Hook neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. In the video, Bowie plays a G2T Hohner guitar while performing the song. Many commentators contrasted the video with the controversial preceding video for "

" and described it as more "subdued" in comparison. However, visual hints towards gun violence and the NRA were also noted, suggesting the video was conveying a subtle anti-gun message.

Charts

Personnel

According to biographer Chris O'Leary: *David Bowie – lead and backing vocals *

Earl Slick Earl Slick (born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn, New York, October 1, 1952) is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Robert Smith. He has also worked with other artists including John Waite, Tim ...

– lead and acoustic guitar *

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 ...

– bass guitar * Sterling Campbell – drums Production *David Bowie – producer *Tony Visconti – producer

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs David Bowie songs Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti Songs written by David Bowie Columbia Records singles Folk rock songs Works about school violence