Never Let Me Down (song)

"Never Let Me Down"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Never Let Me Down
B-side '87 and Cry
Released August 1987
Format 7"/12" single
Recorded Mountain Studios, Montreux, autumn 1986
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:58
Label EMI
EA239
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Time Will Crawl"
(1987)		 "Never Let Me Down"
(1987)		 Tin Machine: "Under the God"
(1988)
David Bowie:
"Fame '90"
(1990)
Music video
"Never Let Me Down" on YouTube
7" Picture Disc Cover
EAP 239

"Never Let Me Down" is the title track on David Bowie's album Never Let Me Down. It was issued as the third single from the album in August 1987, and would be Bowie's last solo single until 1992's "Real Cool World", barring a remix of "Fame" (1990). The least successful single from the album, it failed to enter the top 10 singles chart in any country in the world (its highest placement was number 15 on the US Mainstream Rock chart). It was Bowie's last single to chart in the top 40 of the US Billboard Top 100 charts until his 2015 single "Lazarus".[1]

AllMusic described the song as a "John Lennon homage" and one of Bowie's "most underrated songs".[2] Bowie performed it on the BBC's Top of the Pops on 16 September 1987 and it was aired on the first broadcast of the American version of the show.[3]

Song development

Bowie described the song as a "pivotal" track for himself, calling it the most personal song he had written for an album to that point in his career.[4] The song is about Bowie's long-time personal assistant, Coco Schwab. Bowie described their relationship, saying:

It's platonic. But there is a romance in it, I guess, inasmuch as it's hard for two people to feel totally at ease in each other's company for that period of time and not expect too much from each other. Always being prepared to be there if the other one needs someone, you know? There's not many people you find in life that you can do that with, or feel that way with.[5]

Bowie had started with his own chord structure for the song but wasn't happy with it, calling it "ponderous and funereal." Long-time collaborator and co-songwriter Carlos Alomar reworked the chords for the song into the final version,[4] which was recorded in one day during the last week of mixing the album at New York's Power Station studios in early 1987.[6]

Music video

Bowie put the video in the hands of French director Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Of the video, Bowie said it's "an experiment; I'm really putting myself in his [Jean-Baptiste's] hands. ... I think if I did it [the video myself], it would be very abrasive, and I’m not quite sure if that's how I want the song to come off visually. In concert it will be abrasive; it won’t have the sane quality as the video. But I really think Mondino is a fantastic video maker. He just knows that this is his genre. He’s like a craftsman and that’s what he’s trying to perfect, this craft of making his five minutes work."[6]

The video, described as a dream-like portrayal of a 1950s-style dance marathon, was reviewed positively by one critic, who called it "creative and engaging."[7] A review in the Los Angeles Times scores the video "excellent (85/100)"[8] and the newspaper later rated the video as one of the Top 10 of 1987.[9]

Actor Joe Dallesandro appears in the video as the dance marathon announcer.[10] The song's 7" picture disc cover shot is a still from the music video.

Track listing

7": EMI America / EA 239 / EAP 239 (UK)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Single Version)" – 3:58
  2. "'87 and Cry (Single Version)" – 3:53

MC: EMI America / TCEA 239 (UK)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Single Version)" – 3:58
  2. "Day-In Day-Out (Groucho Mix)" - 6:28
  3. "Time Will Crawl (Extended Dance Mix)" - 6:00
  4. "'87 and Cry (Edit)" – 3:53

12": EMI America / 12EA 239 (UK)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Extended Dance Mix)" – 7:00
  2. "'87 and Cry (Edit)" - 4:18
  3. "Never Let Me Down (Dub)" – 3:55
  4. "Never Let Me Down (A Cappella)" – 2:03

12": EMI / V-19255 (US)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Extended Dance Remix)" – 7:00
  2. "Never Let Me Down (7" Remix Edit)" - 3:58
  3. "Never Let Me Down (Dub)" - 3:55
  4. "Never Let Me Down (A Capella)" - 2:03
  5. "Never Let Me Down (Instrumental)" - 4:00
  6. "'87 and Cry (Edit)" - 3:53

CD: Toshiba-EMI / CP20-5520 (Japan)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Extended Dance mix)" - 7:01
  2. "Never Let Me Down (7" remix)" - 3:58
  3. "Never Let Me Down (Dub)" - 3:55
  4. "Never Let Me Down (A Cappella)" - 2:03
  5. "Never Let Me Down (Instrumental)" - 4:00
  6. "'87 and Cry (Edit)" - 3:53

CD: EMI America / DPRO-31352 (US)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Edit)"
  2. "Never Let Me Down (Extended Dance Mix)" - 7:01
  3. "Never Let Me Down (Dub)" - 3:55
  4. "Never Let Me Down (A Cappella)" - 2:03
  5. "Never Let Me Down (Instrumental)" - 4:03
  6. "Never Let Me Down (LP version)"

Download: EMI / iEA239 (UK)

  1. "Never Let Me Down (Single Version)" – 3:58
  2. "'87 and Cry (Edit)" – 3:53
  3. "Never Let Me Down (Extended Dance mix)" - 6:11
  4. "Never Let Me Down (Dub / A Cappella)" - 5:57
  5. "Shining Star (12" Mix)" - 6:27

Production credits

Other releases and appearances

Cover versions

Chart positions

Chart Peak position
Canada Singles Chart 37[11]
Holland Singles Chart 70[12]
US Mainstream Rock Tracks 15[13]
US Hot Dance Music/Club Play 17[13]
US Billboard Hot 100 27[13]
UK Singles Chart 34[14]

References

  1. ↑ Gary Trust (January 19, 2016). "David Bowie Scores First Top 40 Hot 100 Single Since 1987 With 'Lazarus'". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "David Bowie - Never Let Me Down". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Bowie Wonderworld, retrieved 10 January 2013
  4. 1 2 Isler, Scott (August 1987), "David Bowie Opens Up - A Little", Musician (106): 60–73
  5. ↑ Loder, Kurt (23 April 1987), "Stardust Memories", Rolling Stone Magazine (498): 74–77, 80, 82, 168, 171
  6. 1 2 "Dave In, Dave Out", Music & Sound Output magazine, June 1987
  7. ↑ "David Bowie Best of Bowie 2002 Video Review" by Colin Jacobson, http://www.dvdmg.com/bestofbowie.shtml
  8. ↑ Atkinson, Terry (16 August 1987), "Where The Surf Meets The Rap", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 29 October 2013
  9. ↑ Willman, Chris; Atkinson, Terry (27 December 1987), "The Year of Tawny's Legs", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 29 October 2013
  10. ↑ Ferguson, Michael (17 February 2015). Joe Dallesandro: Warhol Superstar, Underground Film Icon, Actor. Open Road Media.
  11. ↑ Library and Archives Canada: Top Singles - Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 1, October 10, 1987, 10 October 1987, retrieved 23 August 2013
  12. ↑ Ultra Top Charts: David Bowie Never Let Me Down, retrieved 23 August 2013
  13. 1 2 3 Artist awards: David Bowie, retrieved 21 August 2013
  14. ↑ David Bowie music charts at Official Charts Company, retrieved 10 January 2013

Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5

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