🎵 ​David Bowie - Rebel Rebel REACTION

[@norton750commando]

14 year old me loved this song when it came out, and 64 year old me loves this song 50 years later. Never gets old, unlike me.

[@davidcopson5800]

I feel you brother (so to speak).

[@jasonfrodoman1316]

Hey. Are you living my life? Ditto.

[@richardcroker3382]

❤✌💙

[@shezarae8827]

Oh me too! I love his older stuff the best, and I am 64 also. We grew up in the greatest era of music of all time.

[@funkadelicatessen]

Check out "Suffragette City", "Hang On to Yourself" and "Sorrow".

[@Whats-It-To-Ya]

"Don't lean on me man 'cause you can't afford the ticket"... My favorite Bowie song. Never heard of Hang On To Yourself or Sorrow

[@funkadelicatessen]

@@Whats-It-To-Ya Check out the songs I mentioned. I used to sing "Sorrow" on karaoke.

[@ronwalker403]

@@Whats-It-To-Ya : Hang On To Yourself is from the same album as Suffragette City. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

[@Maarc-uy3nz]

The whole Diamond Dogs album is absolutely incredible…..

[@craigplatel813]

Concur. When I want to F*** with someone I'll slowly increase the volume on chant of the ever circling skeletal family so that at the end it really kicks them the a**

[@henrikibsen6258]

Dude, Diamond Dogs is my favourite!

[@Ca11mero]

I agree! It's a bit underrated in my opinion. Really like the 1984 inspired tracks (maybe the whole album is?).

[@hoggeboris]

Agree

[@tyronesharp401]

My favorite

[@andrewtongue7084]

Bowie was the progenitor to Punk (& the Punk era thought they were the first anti-establishment music sound). This is about the established order (in society) being challenged, because frankly, "they" didn't understand unconventional behaviours - let alone would be seen to tolerate such. Lexy is correct - to appreciate Bowie, you have to get into the Bowie mindset....great reaction !!

[@craigplatel813]

I would say that stretching to say he was The progenitor to punk. Lots and lots of other groups out there

[@hijikaelemenope3127]

@@craigplatel813 Not quite the "progenitor" of punk per se than one of its precursors and (more or less) hidden references, along with Iggy Pop & the Stooges, The MC5 and the Velvet Underground (and probably others I don't know). One clue on this : first punk groups like the Sex Pistols were famous for regularly clashing popular rock stars (they called the Rolling Stones "boring old farts", if I recall well). And they never touched Bowie, Pop and Reed...

[@andrewtongue7084]

Hello, Craig, had you any other bands (of that era) that you would name, alongside Bowie - I'd be interested to know, Best, Andrew.

[@SteveInTheOC]

He was very funny on tv talk shows and his bit with Ricky Gervais was hilarious. He could deliver the funniest lines with a total straight face. RIP Ziggy Stardust

[@rhwinner]

I think Bowie's inspiration for the song are the early 60s girl groups. But it's also proto punk, like you said.

[@thewiseoldherper7047]

I like how you guys picked up on the punk aspect of this song! I believe at the time Bowie was considered a Glam rocker so that would be the genre but it’s definitely more like “Glammy” Punk. Btw Glammy Punk is preferred 10 to 1 over Clammy Junk.

[@lunatic3783]

David Bowie--Heroes. Johnny Dell covers this song in most of his concerts with His band the Hollywood Vampires

[@rocketward]

That’s the beauty of Bowie..leaves you reading between the lines….not like modern artist that are in your face…love Bowie ❤

[@andyj639]

Like a brilliantly talented footballer will play and position himself between the other team's lines. Bowie could cross multi genres of music so easily.

[@kevinlundgren1169]

To me , this is back when Bowie used to jam a little harder , mid to late 80s , it seems like he got a little more radio pop , but he still had some good songs . Definite pioneer in rock !!!

[@hijikaelemenope3127]

Actually, I think his "radio pop" years didn't go past 89. After that, he went back to experimentation and a less "consensual" type of music ("Outside", "Earthling", "Heathen" and "Blackstar", of course).

[@csedrivers2850]

Groove on, baby. 🙃

[@gregpusczek4473]

Real Bowie Rock - Brilliant

[@mcbeezee2120]

Saw Bowie on his Diamond Dogs tour. Wish you could've been there.

[@marckusel5602]

With the crane that lowered him out above the audience.

[@salmuscles]

me too.. 1984 at Madison square garden... wild show ....

[@Transmodulator]

My first concert was in 1976, with the Station to Station album, i was 9 years old with my parents and my brother, who introduced me to Bowie.

[@geoffn54]

Just realised, after all these years, how this sounds like The Rolling Stones. Never noticed before...

[@JCK-gi2gm]

For some extra added energy try his "PANIC IN DETROIT" from Aladin Sane (A lad in)sane. The guitar and drums and Linda Wilson's backup vocals just keep driving you to crank the volume past 11. Don't worry about trying to understand the lyrics. Just go with the Energy and have fun

[@Lagib28]

This song was actually released as a single with edits to shorten it, and a distinctly Spanish feel to it. Very Bowie.

[@jeffloyer9634]

His real name is David Jones but he had to change it cause his fellow brit David Jones was in the Monkees and thought it to be confusing. Fun fact

[@JoshuaJSain]

You guys should do Station To Station

[@LeroyTDF]

Bangerr

[@feednanigan]

Next Bowie please: Ashes to Ashes or I'm Afraid of Americans

[@cheryloakley8334]

Bowie was always different that's what made him great.

[@darkmagus64]

100%

[@donnazasgoat2274]

Yeah, every album was so different from his others. But if you liked Bowie you just followed along. I started on Diamond Dogs but ended up loving Aladdin Sane the most.

[@scatton61]

I agree. My favourite LP is Low...

[@revwillyg6450]

💯%

[@A2Z83]

it was a good thing for his career to discover underground drag shows and copy what they did

[@jeffreyaverett1800]

I liked all of Bowies transitions, but Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars is still at the top for me. One of my all time favorite albums. ✌️

[@crazydale1000]

Ziggy is still my favorite too

[@SAS-jj8yh]

Thin White Duke phase for me, or just the album Diamond Dogs

[@bladestormviking]

the shift i liked best was when he went full blown jazz-industrial and put out Outside.

[@Indo1030]

Same here…Ziggy was just mesmerizing for me

[@vampmode9132]

Scary monsters is underrated

[@joesmith8725]

Good ears, Lex and Brad! This is proto-punk vibe. Like the Stooges (Iggy Pop), Velvet Underground (Lou Reed), MC5, etc. Has an early Rolling Stones vibe, too. If anything Bowie was very genre fluid, he switched to all kinds of styles during his entire career which spanned decades ('60s - '00s) , album to album, etc. He was a musical genius like Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cher, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner ,Whitney Houston, Queen (Freddie) and many others were.

[@br.martindallyosb1147]

"Genre fluid"... what a wonderful way to describe David Bowie! I shall keep that in mind when next I have to explain DB. Thanks! :-)

[@Streetwisepunx1313]

🤌🏻 this comment

[@markmiller3101]

This man could literally change himself and his music like we change clothes. He always delivered more. Listen to the song “Diamond Dogs” if you haven’t already. Totally different!

[@bladestormviking]

this ain't rock n roll... this is GENOCIDE!!

[@brucedillinger9448]

Diamond Dogs is fire. 🔥 ✌

[@FunkyMonk4Life]

Fun fact: this is Bowie on guitar, not Ronson.

[@jackolson8775]

Nice !

[@stevemd6488]

It's true but don't be surprised if some keyboard warrior shits on you.

[@davidmastro5406]

Ronson was not involved with 'Diamond Dogs' at all.

[@chrisa4695]

I did not know that although I am aware that he was a multi-instrumentalist.

[@cletusbeauregard1972]

Bowie does almost all the instrumental work on this album. Tony Visconti did the bass and the string arrangements, but the rest is pretty much all Dave.

[@Dinosaurs_with_laser_guns]

Life On Mars, Space Oddity, Changes are classics too

[@badkitty4922]

Fame!!!

[@tonydelapa1911]

Diamond Dogs and Suffragette City!

[@eileendobbs8009]

I love the piano in Life on Mars. It really drives that song.

[@joshfuller2026]

Bowie can be considered glam rock…..also i belive its a song about crossdressers and bisexuals…..try out young americans by bowie.. young luther vandross is in backup chorus

[@chrisa4695]

I always thought this song was about a cross dresser along the same vein as Lola.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

To be clear, this period of Bowie was Glam. Young Americans is one of my favorites especially you know which part. Rebel Rebel was on Diamond Dogs, and I think I prefer that (the number 2 track of the same name).

[@pulsarlights2825]

@@chrisa4695 First and greatest song about trannies is "Madame George" from Astral Weeks

[@michaelminch5490]

@@MarcosElMalo2 Track 4 - closed out side 1 on vinyl.

[@josephgallagher945]

Bowie is def a deeeeep dive whose carreer & musical styles changed alot over the years till his death. He only had the best musicians & helped launch SRV. Rip my brother.🙏

[@bchops4537]

True , but did u know Bowie supposedly begged Stevie to be the lead guitarist in his band permanently but Stevie politely declined and went on to do his own historic thing.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

He’s got sooo much good stuff in his catalog worth exploring, and a few that are a bit meh to me.

[@iped1811]

Lol he didnt launch SRV.

[@arthurjackson6395]

@@MarcosElMalo2 Agree

[@jonathanseed6978]

@@bchops4537 Nah. SRV was supposed to play on the Serious Moonlight tour but asking for more money at the last minute and refusing to be drug-free on the tour got him fired.

[@BalbazaktheGreat]

"They" being her parents, and by extension "established society" for lack of a better term. She's a rebel - she's got a boy's haircut (or at least very short hair) and doesn't exhibit the "lady-like" behavior that's expected of her - eg., she's not properly taking care of her appearance: her dress is torn, her face is a mess, etc. probably from partying too hard. From "their" perspective she's socially unacceptable, but HE accepts and loves her for who she is.

[@Orange-Jumpsuit-Time]

Back in the day, the song was considered to be talking about, maybe a transvestite? Hell, back then people weren't even sure about Bowie, many people thought it was autobiographical?. LMAO.

[@BalbazaktheGreat]

@@Orange-Jumpsuit-Time I mean, sure I guess, that interpretation works, too.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@BalbazaktheGreat Dee Johns is correct that she is a transvestite (born male), but in all other respects you got it, although I think I’d expand the people who think she’s tacky to people in their own social crowd who don’t get her. People are bitches.

[@A2Z83]

yea people always assume its about an androgynous guy because bowie wore a dress once and because of Lou Reed/Warhol. It sounds to me to be about an androgynous tomboyish woman. back then a woman having short hair was unusual. Bowie only dressed like that for his shockrock performances. he was more into wearing suits.

[@rbb9753]

There is a lot of gay slang (from the time) and even some older Polari in the lyrics. “Mother” being slang for an older man dating a younger man, for example. So I’m sure it’s not about a straight couple.

[@andyscott5277]

I always thought this was Bowie’s take on The Rolling Stones. Even his vocals here are slightly "Mick Jaggerish." Bowie was a chameleon, a gifted actor, taking on different roles and personas. Was lucky to have seen him live once. A master showman. Check out my favorite song by him "Ashes to Ashes."

[@biggsly5000]

When I was a kid I thought It was the stones when it came on the radio.

[@andyscott5277]

@@biggsly5000 think I did too. The beat and guitar riff are very much in the same vein as "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction." When I was little also thought John Lennon sang the chorus to "Changes." 😅

[@thecrye6798]

I think "Running Gun Blues" is his impression of The Who!

[@lingolarker9318]

Sad confession. When I first heard this track (at Uni almost 30 years ago…when my musical education only really got going going) I assumed this was a Rolling Stones number. Someone used to play it constantly in a next door dorm. Before internet etc you could labour under such illusions for years and so I did😬😆.

[@saltyscoundrel4368]

I love quicksand, it's a masterpiece.

[@sexpistol7712]

You can call it punk ,you can call it glam ,but what it is ,is David Bowie.

[@amyz2837]

A entire category himself. There's punk, there's glam, there's rock and then there's Bowie.

[@A2Z83]

punk is glam

[@sexpistol7712]

@@A2Z83 and what planet do you live on ?

[@Zubareffstream111]

Glam was definitely a major influence on the 1st generation UK punk bands, as it was on a young me too.

[@davidosborne6328]

Yep.

[@marckusel5602]

Years before there was punk there was Bowie

[@rbb9753]

I read an interview where Bowie said, when he came up with this riff, he couldn’t believe that Keith Richards hadn’t done it first.

[@TempeLane11552]

"Bowie is a vibe." Lex nailed it, again.

[@brianyates7255]

Hiya from New England...Mr. Bowie in one of his many guises..This riff always reminded me of a Stones song for some reason..Dave Bowie had 4-5 alter egos in his career...His early 80's stuff with Stevie Ray Vaugh is amazing...Check out China Girl to hear S.R.V.'s first appearance on a major album...Peace from the Northeast...

[@stevecallais1713]

great period of Bowie, you need to be seeing the visuals and how punk this was before punk. Huge influnece. Try jean Genie, Suffragette city which are similar proto punk or Life on Mars for something more slow from the period.

[@susanbotwinski5584]

Love some Bowie. Can't wait for the stream tonight. ♥️🎸😃

[@Joshuadgog]

This is my favorite bowie song. Space oddity is a better song writing but this is more fun. Changes for the next bowie song. Moonage daydream also.

[@13_13k]

Bowie is like no one else. His music was so far ahead of its time. He is an absolute musical genius. Besides the fact that he plays almost every instrument and sings, he writes music and lyrics that are incredible

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Uh, not exactly. He might have the ability to play every instrument, but he plays with some truly great musicians on the albums and his backing bands. My favorites are guitarists Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, but Carlos Alomar should be noted for his contributions.

[@13_13k]

@@MarcosElMalo2 ---- UH, I know that he didn't play every instrument on his albums. I've been listening to Bowie since 1972 when I was seven years old. I never said he played every instrument on his albums. You took that upon yourself, to imagine that I said what you wanted to hear so you could reply with a snotty troll comment. Why don't you actually read what I wrote before you try to look smart and write something that shows that you really aren't that smart. Now you've proven you're just an attention starved troll hoping for a comment that doesn't even need your reply but it's close enough for you to have some reason to throw your two cents in to try and look like you know more about Bowie than anyone else. Maybe you do know more, but let me ask have you ever met him, shaken his hand and met his wife Iman and spoke with them at there private table at an invite only performance of a band popular enough to have Bowie as a guest and also have me invited? Thanks for your revealing reply to my comment.

[@davidcopson5800]

@@MarcosElMalo2 Indeed. But he played most of the instruments on this particular album.

[@surlechapeau]

Brad & Lex, Bowie's "Changes", "Young Americans" and Suffragette City" are next for you!!

[@dunny026]

This song is from diamond dogs. It was a concept album based on the book 1984. Diamond dogs also happens to be my favourite Bowie album (hence my handle) but it's best if listened to as a whole

[@davidcopson5800]

We Are The Dead is a fantastic track (from a fantastic album). The production and sound quality is superb, the vibe is mesmerising.

[@pookiemartinez1745]

punkish yea. Got that Satisfaction beat and Riff of early Stones. Bowie on the repetitious guitar. very clean vibe.

[@CJ-Fischer]

Bowie was his own style…amazing creation of stage presence and with music and sexuality with an incredible imagination….a genius who drummed to his own best if you will …

[@AW11-e4h]

That’s a guitar riff🎸🤘

[@fmellish71]

This is around the end of his glam rock era, a rock genre started by Marc Bolan with T. Rex. And as Bowie said about a song he did a few years before this, Rebel Rebel has a bit of that "white light" from Lou Reed's the Velvet Underground, which was a band often cited to be a huge influence on Punk rock every bit as much as Art rock.

[@hilarymiseroy3251]

The person being sung about is never identified as a she. This is Bowie playing around with gender fluidity in 1974. There was a strong 'camp' influence to the Ziggy Stardust character which I have always thought was probably influenced by David's studying Mime with Lindsay Kemp.

[@squirrelorama]

Yes, I have always thought this song could be correctly interpreted in either direction! Either he's in love with a boy who is trans of some sort (at minimum transvestite) or a girl who is wild enough to be looked down on by polite society... and the genius is in his leaving it ambiguous!

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Well said is always. Man something you got to realize about this song it's not just a little punk it was heavily influencing Punk right before they're really was Punk. That was David Bowie he had that commanding Charisma and he felt like anything he did in front of an audience was fine. It's a rare quality and we love him for it. But I love the Karen the attention that he puts towards this sympathetic figure that she's is she a runaway? You know has she been beaten up by her boyfriend, is it someone he tried to date and he she just always consistently gets in trouble because she's nuts? And yet he still has this care and concern for her and he's wiping the tears off her face and saying oh my God man you've torn your clothing you're so messed up but it's coming from this position of caring. And yet it's kind of punk off the edge at the same time David Bowie was like no other performer just totally amazing. And always ahead of his time.

[@auldfouter8661]

Do young people really think that music has no worth , besides being used in some damn movie?

[@matrags]

Always loved that guitar hook.

[@moonlitegram]

6:05 I think its just a counter-culture rock song. This is a girl (or hell, could even be a boy) that likes loud rock music, does drugs (he mentions she has ludes later on), dresses in such a manner that her mother can't tell if she's a girl or a boy etc. The torn dress and face is a mess is probably just giving you a visual cue to the kind of lifestyle she leads: she's the kind of girl that does stuff where her face gets messy and her clothes get torn, like going to loud rock concerts, doing drugs, messing around with guys etc.

[@Gloomshadow100]

its a trans.. "you got a trans-mission and a live wire"

[@farmerbill6855]

Way off the entire album is about how you need to prostitute yourself to get elected and crooked politics after the world descends into anarchy.

[@stevemd6488]

One of the coolest licks in all rock and roll.

[@Stupha_Kinpendous]

Fucking Bowie. You can mine gold from his oeuvre for the next twenty years and still find fresh stuff. I love this.

[@scottbuono2507]

Great job/choice guy’s👏🏼yes def.a lot of punk elements in this song and the main riff is iconic..I could live to be 200 and it would still be in my head

[@steelehere1]

Suffragette City, Changes, Fame, Young Americans, Modern Love, I’m Afraid Of Americans are worth checking out.

[@rik6696]

Let's not forget that punk in England after Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols stole David Bowie music gear from a show.

[@philvallee645]

"They"in this context is society. As others have pointed out, Bowie was a chameleon in a time (mostly the early to mid 70's) when "gender bending" was part of a subculture that arose from the "anything goes, free love 60's" and became Glam which was itself countercultural to a lot of the mainstream fashion, music and culture out there. Music had so many genres back then too as I often see you guys struggling to try and figure out just where a song fits - Is it rock, punk, country etc..? and then there were all the sub genres and crossover stuff, in music and in clothes and styles! It was an interesting time to be alive for sure. For me Bowie was always Glam rock, like T.Rex, Mott the Hoople, New York Dolls, Marc Bolan, Roxy Music etc.. and then just when you thought you had him pegged he'd change! Always kept you guessing ;-)

[@farmerbill6855]

Like most Bowie, you need to listen to the entire album, at least the A side. Loosely, it's a story about future politics. Diamond Dogs is a fantastic album, it tells quite a story. Lex is on the right track. The title track, "Sweet Thing", "Candidate", "Sweet Thing Reprise", "Rebel Rebel", (the A side) is a hell of a ride.

[@xaspirate8060]

For the most part it reflects Orwell's 1984.

[@wpollock1]

Punk before punk….1974….the last part is almost a rap…..

[@devildriver9615]

Slash's mother dated Bowie for a while. Can u imagine those dinner conversations 😵👌

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

David Bowie was so, so good. He defined whatever genre he had created. A true master of all that he surveyed. He will always be missed...always. RIP sweet prince. ✌😎

[@CBGB_1977]

All the famous punk bands were huge Bowie fans. Most of them started making music after they saw him live at a show. Those bands in attendance were: The Sex Pistols Joy Division Siouxsie and the Banshees The Cure Depeche Mode The Damned The Clash The Jam Bauhaus Duran Duran And others.

[@jasonsmith666]

Can't you believe you left Bauhaus off your list.

[@CBGB_1977]

@@jasonsmith666 Dang! For real! I’ll need to fix that. Thanks! 🦇

[@zahira_rania]

Debby harry (blondie)

[@zahira_rania]

Madonna

[@dubiousdistinction6500]

he was definitely ahead of his time...and i mean way ahead

[@jodyvance1554]

The style is rock n' friggin' roll. There's the glam element, but that's still mostly the look. As Lennon called it- rock n' roll with lipstick. One helluva riff, groove, lyric and vocal.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

No doubt it's proto punk influenced. Bowie was hanging out with Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop back then 🎸. Yall re correct. Bowie could do it all. Many decades of musical style changes.

[@umunhum]

My band in middle school won the country fair talent contest playing this song as 7th graders....1980

[@russallert]

The lyric video actually has a goof in it. It should be "What can I do for you, looks like a female too", which ties in with the androgynous theme of the song, and the androgynous look of the glam era. The photos in the video also miss the context, because they're mostly from the 80s and 90s, while Rebel Rebel came out in 1974 - pix of Bowie from that era show a very androgynous image.

[@classiclife7204]

It's Elmer Fudd style. "Webbel, webbel"

[@ublej]

Around this time David Bowie and Iggy Pop (The Stooges) the 'godfather of punk' were hanging out quite a bit, they worked together, and were definitely trading sounds on some of their tracks. The movie 'Velvet Goldmine' is a heavily fictionalized telling of that relationship.

[@patrickdoake6022]

Back in early 70s when I was younger, Bowie, t rex , came along and burst on the scene great times happy memories, pop music called glam rock!

[@wbishop1330]

Could u also do this jam: R.J.'s Latest Revival "Shackles" Also: Cameo "Candy" One Way "Mr. Groove" Nu Shooz "I Can't Wait" or " Point Of No Return" 🤘💀✌

[@AW-yj6md]

Most likely it is about someone he knew, or crossed paths with,..lot of singers do that, sing about real people..David is you know from the 1960's, 70's,..lot of groundbreaking changes in society, long before David and Madonna, Marlene Dietrich,..did persona changes,..all be it in movies,..but still,..David was such a genius in that,..so love this song,..very very punk like,....also like Elvis Costello's Pump It Up,..so up beat,..do keep going,..can't go wrong, ever with Bowie, Godspeed, Peace ✌

[@terenzo50]

So glad the displayed text included the "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" part because we never would have gotten it otherwise.

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

about it being "punk-ish"... excellent observation... this is early 70's Glam Rock, along with the first two Roxy Music albums, T-Rex, and the New York Dolls... and punk morphed out of this Glam Rock... in fact, if you listen to the Bowie song "Hang On To Yourself", you will hear the bass line that the Ramones "borrowed" for some of the songs off their first album, like "Loudmouth" and "I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement"... also, you can find photos of Bowie hanging out with the Ramones at CBGB's, and Marc Bolan hanging out with them in London... so yes, excellent observation that it is "punk-ish"...

[@mikelogan5629]

This is off Diamond Dogs, like 1973/1974. It’s marked the end of his Ziggy/Aladdin Sane era. This album was very conceptual. 1984 was a great song from the album. Then he switched gears to Young Americans which embraced black gospel music. He was a chameleon.

[@DjAtomize]

Why is the video showing images of an older Bowie. He was Ziggy when this came out. Try to look at a great live video like this. The Jean Genie kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZLXeaKCrdSqb80 He was Ziggy with a stellar Mick Ronson! The guy that made Bowie's sound at the time. Saw him in 1978 in NZ. He was the Thin White Duke by then. Rebel Rebel wasn't about anyone in particular. It was more about the youth culture of the time.

[@HemlockRidge]

This cut is from the "Diamond Dogs" album 1974, so towards the end of the Glam Rock era. Punk didn't really start that early. So maybe - Proto Punk?

[@alanstrom2221]

How about you stop being pop psychologists, trying to analyse the lyrics and talk about the music FFS. The relentless Drumming, the Bass lines and runs and most importantly the crisp and clean Guitar riff. Even after 48 years I still get a huge thrill when the Guitar riff leaps out of the speakers. Have a listen to the timing of the backing vocals toward the end of the song, when they sing " Rebel Rebel " It's the opposite of traditional timing, it's different just like Bowie, very different. He didn't become the #1 male artist of all time by being normal. Rebel Rebel is very special to me, it's definitely in my TOP 10 songs of all time. I heard an interview with David where he said that he was trying to write a song like a Rolling Stones song, though it didn't quite work the way he'd planned it to be. Then he laughed. It is a gem of a song.

[@mdennis9496]

Not necessarily HER, the song addresses Androgyny which was big in Punk at this time. The point is you really cannot decide who is referring to (sexuality). Early gender bending at its BEST.

[@14gilbertst]

Bowie and Lou Reed and Iggy Pop were all working together in the early '70s. (Think Kinks 'Lola'.)

[@BonoPlant]

Bowie's early stuff and other acts like Iggy Pop are sometimes called "proto-punk"

[@1989NickyD]

A song that needs to be played at full volume for full appreciation.

[@CCDzine]

I love Bowie and this song but I have to give props to Jeff Lynne of ELO and Tom Petty for doing essentially the same thing later with Zombie Zoo. I prefer the latter even though it sounds like a hundred other things that Jeff produced in the late '80s to early '90s..

[@peacefulwarrior4078]

This was about Bowies experience of dabbling into his transgenderism/ crossdressing during that time ... Bowie and mick jagger both were involved in it as well !

[@OronOfMontreal]

No movie connection, but most of Bowie's early albums were themed, like a tale on vinyl. Bowie was an originator of Glam Rock and of cross-dressing and pansexuality in popular culture, back in London's Swingin' Sixties. "Rebel Rebel" describes a teenage queen "in the Lifestyle". Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" describes the same sort of Glam Rock band, and in real life, the best of the Glam bands were Roxy Music and Sweet, along with Bowie, Elton, and the New York Dolls. Except for Elton, all those acts were Proto-Punk.

[@kimreed4468]

A little Andy Warhol. A little Lou Reed. Iggy Pop. Salvador Dali? All of the above.

[@BridewellSeniorTube]

Actually, Bowie was one of the most influential forerunners of the Punk genre moving from the early 70s up until the mid to late 70s when punk was fully in fruition:)

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

You guys should react to the Glass Spider Tour video of "White Light/White Heat". Bowie, Peter Frampton, and a 19 year old Charlie Sexton showing that it's all about the guitars, and the best 80s hair ever captured on video.

[@quincee3376]

def a Top 3 song by Bowie. or very worst Top 5. He had soooo many great songs to choose from. May he RIP.

[@803F]

Bowie made pop songs influenced by many different styles, and influencing many other musicians after him. The styles are more consistent over albums or albums made in a certain period, with him sometimes taking on fictional personas to go with the theme of the albums. This song is from 1974. My favourite Bowie period was in the second half of the '70s, working together with Brian Eno from Roxy Music in Berlin. Great songs like Sound and Vision, Heroes, Golden Years (same feel, but just before moving to Berlin and not with Eno) and in my opinion the most beautiful of all is the instrumental Warszawa. There's a great live performance of that song in 1978, with a conductor on stage probably because of the weird timing of the chord changes in the composition. At the same time Bowie was working on Iggy Pop's first two fantastic solo albums. The guy left us with so much great music.

[@ddiamondr1]

Oh, Bowie, you are SOOOO missed! Heroes, Panic in Detroit, Scary Monsters etc. etc. He did a hilarious turn on Ricky Gervais' tv series 'Extras', as himself, meeting a fawning Ricky character at a party...Bowie started playing a song about Ricky's character, 'Sad little man...' So funny. The man was an artist. So missed.

[@tonkatoy3636]

Maestro Fresh Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide

[@patdavis6383]

i can hear some Punk element in this, but I am also hearing a bit of The Doors towards the end,

[@stuff3829]

Bowie was a huge influence on the punk movement. He was loved and respected by the punk community

[@bluesrock1]

I always looked at this song as an expression of his androgynous lifestyle. It's no secret that Bowie was bisexual and was even rumored to have had a roll in the hay with Mick Jagger.

[@bryanburton6087]

Early Bowie is it's own genre. This is from the album "Diamond Dogs" which was going to be a musical version of the book "1984." He couldn't get the rights to make the musical but he still released the album. To me, it's like reading the book again whenever I listen to this album. Sublime. Love it. So, Lex is kind of correct. It's kind of a movie song. Sort of? Almost? Early Bowie is also at his most poetic, so the lyrics can be almost anything you want them to be. Dig deep. It's worth the experience. Bowie is and was Bowie and there will never be another like him. Gotta' go listen to "Diamond Dogs." See you

[@antarcticorb9197]

STAY by Bowie. You guys will be the first!

[@robertschiavone5159]

Check out the Jean Genie another great David Bowie song

[@chrisalldis3375]

Doesn't the lead into this song sound like The Stones intro to I can't get no Satisfaction.

[@patrickquinlan67]

I can hear Mick Jagger in this song. It's a Stones riff.

[@raymondcpl]

..... when Bowie out-Stones The Rolling Stones