David Bowie, remembered in 9 songs that sampled him

Rest in peace, David Bowie
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The incredible legacy that David Bowie left behind after he died late Sunday night is so large, it's hard to document in a single way. His gender-fluid performances, a space-cover of "Space Oddity," his role in the fall of the Berlin wall, we've written a lot about Bowie at Vox:www.vox.com/201...
If you're newer to his music, here are 13 songs that defined him: www.vox.com/201...
But one thing that will always travel forward now that David Bowie is gone, is his music. Countless celebrities poured on about his influence yesterday, but we also can track those who directly documented his influence in quotations or sampled his music.
Of course, the video above is nowhere near a complete documentation. For even more, you can check out the incredible resource Who Sampled, which inspired a few of the choices in the video, and lists hundreds more. www.whosampled....
Voiceover is by Joe Posner.
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app.
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[@MunchMyDong]

_-Do you consider yourself an original thinker?_ *"No by any means. More like a tasteful thief. The only art I'll ever study is stuff that I can steal from."* David Bowie 1976

[@gomennasai989]

Seems interesting... Tell me more, please!

[@Riko442]

+MunchMyDong He said it as Thin White Duke. He even made a joke about Mick Jagger.

[@claudianorman258]

what did he say about him?

[@bucko8136]

Nothing is new, only the same in different ways.

[@SerenityAutumn]

Any songwriter/artist knows exactly what he's saying haha. We are all influenced by our favorite artists and musicians and songs. Additionally, there is only so much you can create from in terms of music. Being original means building on and reinventing your favorite ideas and ideas that work. It helps to not have to COMPLETELY reinvent the wheel. (:

[@Iisawesomegaming]

Rock & Roll Suicide always gives me chills.

[@burpie3258]

Me too. And his cover of Wild is the Wind.

[@heymistercanwehaveourballb9692]

Green Leaf You'r not alone

[@ianw8479]

Glad I'm not the only osn

[@mazoku6793]

I love that song!! If you have'nt already, you must check out the 2005 live version.

[@MmeDesgranges]

Well then, don't let that milk float ride your mind

[@mmabbr]

I feel like Bowie's band members are due more credit here. If you look at the video of Nile Rodgers talking about how Let's Dance came about, Rodgers contribution was incredible. It was just strummed open guitar chords when Bowie presented the song to Nile.

[@JuanPabloSelvaje]

Bowie was a melody guy and a good bandleader. He was smart enough to surround himself with good musicians. It's kind of like how Kurt Cobain's songs wouldn't have worked without contributions from Dave Grohl.

[@rangepuppies]

Vanilla Ice actually is David Bowie. Another of his wonderful personas. The Thin Vanilla Duke.

[@natasja5809]

under appreciated comment

[@yvesaltana5732]

pile of clowns!!

[@user-xm2jp4iy8y]

Don't insult David Bowie like that

[@luan4753]

Copycat

[@taurusicon]

GMB 11 ?

[@emsavings]

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery"

[@MaximumJonathanosity]

David Bowie wrote Darude - Sandstorm?

[@mysteriousmango6467]

+Peri “Lets go home and play” Dot yeah, no. just no. dont try to ship that

[@starvingboyinafrica9463]

He stole it from me

[@kingkeefage]

Mysterious Mango What are you quoting?

[@lloydasplund4187]

Who else?

[@coffeequoh5487]

for sure

[@Imetral0]

Culture Shock by Death Grips has a pretty neato Bowie sample.

[@ogonzalez128]

yeet

[@marcostorres5257]

what song do they sample? I can't recognize it

[@Zibozim122]

Supermen from The Man Who Sold The World 1970

[@marcopivetta7796]

blowing anthrax off my palms say what, you're wrong awesome track

[@cheffffffffffffffffffff]

Vox is too normie to acknowledge death grips i think

[@johnmchugh2833]

warm place wasn't a sample, trent accidently copied crystal japan and realized he had copied the melody shortly after releasing downward spiral. trent admits it in an interview with david bowie sitting right next to him

[@nemraps]

Sampling does not mean interpretation.

[@iggy082]

sampling means lining your pockets with another man's work. 

[@djbleszed]

+iggy082 tell that to Kanye West, Dr.dre, Timberland, J Dilla (R.I.P) and they're considered the greatest. Sampling involves alot more creativity and talent than "making melodies" on your own. With making your own melodies its C D# F and than D# again, 3 keys and which is almost all of the New music coming out and you call that talented? Come back when you make a dope ass song from sampling and tell me its easy and involves no talent at all.

[@djbleszed]

we're not talking about David Bowie We're talking about sampling you dumb fuck. If your gonna comment on something know what your commenting on first.

[@nemraps]

iggy082 are you really a racist, or just having fun?

[@djbleszed]

+iggy082 hooks have nothing to do with the instrumental your just making some bullshit up because that's all you can do

[@hahaha3268]

"the nine inch nails" "the arcade fire"

[@ELSITAFERNANDEZ]

He was 1 of the best

[@michaelz9892]

Bowie will be one of the very few artists in music people will talk about in 100 years.

[@goodmorning2386]

Right? He was a space alien icon

[@tutek8100]

i need to say that David Bowie is my the biggest inspiration and authiority. i'm suffering from depression and when i feel very down i like to chill with david's music- it gives me kind of good vibes and makes me calm. he also learned me that you shoudn't be affraid of who you are, what you wear, how you look like- and the most important- who you want to be. because it's your life, and nobody should control you like a puppet. i just wanted to tell you that guys, have a nice day :) btw. sorry fof my english

[@_ataraxia_arts_]

RIP David Bowie, we miss you so much

[@nikiTricoteuse]

Thank you for this. Still hard to think of him dead. Almost 4 years and still every time l see a photo of him l just want to lay my head down and weep. When he died, for weeks, everywhere you went was playing his music. I'd never cried in so many public places before. RIP David you are missed.

[@naminedebbieconrayyager7855]

RIP David Bowie

[@green6390]

John Decon wrote the bassline to "under pressure". not Bowie

[@bgunderthewillowtree]

Exactly

[@gabriels5589]

Nobody is sure about that, in an interview Brian May said that Deacon was playing a bass line in the studio and later that evening Bowie told him to play it again, but Deacon had forgotten it, so he tried to play something that sounded similar but Bowie said "No, it goes like this" and played Under Pressure. According to Brian that bass line that Bowie played was not actually the one Deacon was playing, but he was convinced it was.

[@bgunderthewillowtree]

@@gabriels5589 John Deacon came up with the bassline idea, he played it to show the others and then forgot about it but according to Roger Taylor he himself was the one remembering it again.

[@nigga6083]

Queen wrote the music while the song was bowies (i think freddy co wrote it)

[@AaronLaZox]

@rogahtaylah I personally don't believe we know for sure who wrote the bassline

[@17935alan]

This channel is like a hidden jem of KZbin, honessly you can learn so mutch. Keep it up :)

[@paulinotou]

+Alan hasičić much? lol

[@17935alan]

naah better this way

[@dmerch4550]

+Alan hasičić as shown above you can't learn to spell FACEPALM

[@17935alan]

on your profile pit is that you or your dog

[@dmerch4550]

My pet giraffe that has mutated to look like a dog...But whats a profile pit?

[@markussangalang5634]

Correction: the Unkle song is not "When things explode" it's actually "Hold my Hand" by U.N.K.L.E. if anyone was looking for the song

[@mikasanchez1310]

You featured a bunch of my favourite songs from Bowie! Ugh I love his music

[@Sirsonia]

my heart, it aches

[@bassinblue]

Your smile, it fakes, the joy you take.

[@mainsmain]

Nile Rodgers bassline on Let's Dance is amazing

[@apenguinnamedabraham]

Idk if you could count the first one since John Deacon wrote that baseline. Great song and great video all the same!

[@Chocobear555]

Hey, Vanilla Ice! People are not stupid! And Bowie, the man who wrote and performed the song that you "sampled," from, was not stupid. You used the base line from *his* song *without* his permission. So, you can forget about attempting to fool anyone into believing that the base line for your song is different.

[@iggy082]

Bullshit! Bowie stole it from Vanilla!

[@turdrhinofiend]

+Chocobear555 Bowie did not write the bassline. John Deacon did.

[@bloodytalonz1138]

+iggy082 "Under Pressure" was released before "Ice Ice Baby" dumb ass....

[@turdrhinofiend]

Bloody Talonz he's joking dumb ass...

[@bloodytalonz1138]

+turdrhinofiend How am I suppose to know that when this is text & not verbal conversation ?

[@Accesserised]

Absolute legend. Nobody in this generation could hold a candle to his legacy p, big respect to Bowie ^^

[@pencileraser101]

Accesserised That's not entirely true

[@ThenameisAntti]

This generation? Which one? Obviously there's people of many different generations alive at once.

[@Accesserised]

To expand on my comment from 6 years ago, this man was incredibly unique and nobody can replicate his career. But the same goes for all big name singers, young and old. Bowie revolutionised the music industry and I think my original comment was intended to preserving his memory, but he won’t be forgotten no matter how many more modern artists sample his music. everyone is unique in their own way and there is no competition, just different styles ^^

[@aufhebung_enjoyer]

this was posted on /r/hiphopheads yesterday

[@bubkabu]

Yeah saw it too. That's modern journalism I guess.

[@RoflZack]

Oh god. I might have to unsub for that. They should at least pay or ask op or something.

[@SakethBalaji]

they say their source is whosampled.com. op may have used the same source.

[@Devin-pw7qw]

+Frans Aris nice to see a fellow redditer here *tips fedora*

[@ricardosiahaan5287]

But that Vanila Ice Bass Line was created by John Deacon (Queen)

[@lednerg]

Nine Inch Nails didn't sample him. They just made a song that sounds a lot like Crystal Japan.

[@jaycap]

That's what vanilla ice said about "under pressure."

[@TheHarkonnen1]

+lednerg I wouldn't be surprised if Trent got Bowie's permission. They worked together on a few things and even performed together. Trent has admitted that he was influenced by Bowie.

[@AzhiDahaki]

+lednerg Nine Inch Nails is my all time favorite but it wouldn't be the first time Trent has made a song that "sounded just like another" song. Dig It by Skinny Puppy for example. Sampling sounds fare more respectful.

[@lednerg]

jaycap120 Trent Reznor didn't "sample" Bowie's song. He played the notes himself, copying the melody. He claimed it was an accident, that he'd listened to a lot of Bowie at the time and didn't realize it had happened. "Sampling" is different. That's when you take someone else's audio recording and splice it into your song, which is what Vanilla Ice did. Ice Ice Baby contained actual audio that was played by Bowie/Queen. He added an extra beat in there and claimed that made it original - the copyright holders disagreed.

[@lednerg]

Azhi Dahaki Yeah, I knew a guy who sent Reznor a demo way back in the day and he swears that parts of it found their way into The Downward Spiral. I heard the songs myself and can't say he was wrong in thinking that. Oh, and Dig It, definitely.

[@Vempsterful]

I don't David Bowie and his legacy much, but what I can be thankful for, is that he influenced the generation I am in through art and music and for that I thanks him.

[@messi91]

Nine Inch Nails actually didn't sample Crystal Japan. Trent Reznor produced it from a melody he had in his head, but later discovered that he had gotten it from Bowie's song. I remember this from seeing an interview, which also featured Bowie, where he told the story about how A Warm Place came to be.

[@austinung4710]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWXcf4SdocSjrcU

[@davidcopson5800]

George Harrison said the same thing about My Sweet Lord when confronted with He's So Fine. Not as blatant as The Flaming Lips ripping off Cat Stevens for Fight Test though.

[@NageekNoohac]

You guys seem to have confused "sampling" with "stealing ideas" or even "taking influence from". Still, not a bad video, and he will be missed.

[@MisterF_1984]

"Sampling" refers only to when a portion of the original recording has been used directly in a new piece of work. It *does not* include instances where musicians have re-recorded an element themselves. Quite a few of the example here are not cases of sampling.

[@MisterF_1984]

-

[@TheMrAlexK00]

It most certainly includes instances when they are rerecorded.

[@ramonce_yt]

Huh. Some songs in To Pimp A Butterfly had the samples re-recorded that it felt more natural.

[@mathildetrappo]

he is so perfect

[@PepsiGuidesRS]

culture shock by death grips and rapp snitch knishes by mf doom too

[@ianw8479]

Augustus Octavius which song do they sample

[@LuisOliva95]

An Account that gives Nice Work Fellas "the supermen" by Bowie was sample on "culture shock", and "snitch knishes" I think it just has a very bowie-ish vibe from the late 70's - early 80's.

[@romulus_]

rap snitch knishes isn't a bowie sample.

[@craigcampbell1347]

James Brown was the first to sample Fame with the song: Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved).

[@Azekk_8]

The UNKLE song that you showed wasn't "when things explode" it was actually "hold my hand"

[@Washington_State_railfan1]

Yes, but ironically the mistaken song shown does too contain a sample from David Bowie’s 5:15 the angels have gone

[@tonybates7870]

You missed the brilliant use of the Fame intro by Public Enemy on their track Night Of The Living Baseheads.

[@trelello]

Bowie's 'core message' is about as far from 'be yourself' as you could possibly get.

[@frankiehiroshima]

What that guy above me said.

[@angiebird1912]

In video it does not sound "when things explode". it's "Hold my hand" (unkle)

[@MegaOsvair]

I just spend two hours looking for the rigth track, it was cool tho. Thanks!

[@mourningpizza_7155]

I was looking for so long thank you!

[@exiles_dot_tv]

"Under Pressure" is really just a Queen song featuring Bowie on guest vocals, they had already laid down the instrumental (which Vanilla Ice sampled) before Bowie was invited into the studio. Also NIN "Warm Place" isn't a sample, but a replayed melody, which Trent Reznor says came by accident (he didn't realize he had subconsciously copied the melody from Bowie's song.)

[@marcosruiz1709]

You are very confused about under pressure, the style of the song is more than obvious that it is by Bowie, and the lyrics were written by Bowie, the name of the song too

[@KeithCasper]

"Win" was one of favorite Bowie songs ever.. And "Quicksand" on Hunky Dory.

[@nicolaball3134]

RIP my hero David Bowie forever ....

[@eightyx]

"The Nine Inch Nails" lol come on man

[@aliecat1999]

+badcartridge "The Arcade Fire"

[@cnsummers4086]

+TheOfficialAkatsuki lol

[@pencileraser101]

badcartridge wait, are you trying to make fun of their name or...

[@TheGuy735]

Shiloh Q he messed up the title of the band

[@ChristianBjork]

I was looking for this comment haha, thanks

[@byronbenguche]

David Bowie's Fame has been also sampled by other artists from Public Enemy to Limp Bizkit

[@ryaaaaaaaan7115]

He's so pretty.

[@ninokingma8006]

That song by Unkle isn't "When Things Explode" It's "Hold My Hand". Also, sampling is when a part of the sampled song is copied and pasted into the sample song, not when it just sounds a little bit like the original.

[@OmarHesham]

They didn't sample him, they sampled the amazing musicians that made his songs great.

[@OmarHesham]

@David Clinging His vocals aren't sampled. It's the instruments played by others on his songs.

[@MM-vs2et]

There's 1 original creator for every hundred sampling ''artists''

[@rat7710]

David Bowie has been all over in my favorite rock station, any one else?

[@jamesrojas2067]

My favorite sample is Death Grips

[@KeithCasper]

You guys may have missed the biggest "sample" of all. Though not technically a sample because it was not rendered electronically, the intent was the same--it was by James Brown in about 1975. Brown's band "sampled" Bowie by taking the essence of the song that landed Bowie's Luther Vandross-produced band on Soul Train. Bowie's long-time guitarist, Carlos Alomar and John Lennon worked out the rif--it turns out that Alomar did a short stint with Brown. Both Vandross and Alomar were former Apollo theater house band members and that's precisely where Bowie acquired them both. Although It was looked at as ripoff,--it was also an incredible, if not backhanded, compliment. Bowie was prepared to sue, but sales wise, the song basically went nowhere. This was the ultimate tribute, that Brown as the most widely sampled artist in hip-hop and indeed the major inspiration of the art form, lifted a BOWIE riff (via C. Alomar and John Lennon) and had his band play it, basically, note for note. I suppose this is a story in itself. Song Reference: KZbin: James Brown - I WANNA BE LOVED LOVED LOVED. You might catch the similarity :D

[@nikkikast9641]

Lady Gaga actually sampled from him in her 2014 ARTPOP album in the song”Fashion”

[@thomHD]

That Star Guitar one blew my mind, never noticed that before (despite listening to both songs repeatedly)

[@fartingfish23]

The Bullitts (ft. Jay Electronica) --- Run and Hide should be on here. Probably my favorite use of a Bowie sample in any song.

[@bradnaylor35]

No Culture Shock?

[@shiv_ring]

Brad Naylor Sadly, haha.

[@grantmalone]

I'm surprised you didn't call him The David Bowie.

[@riddlezastra1496]

Guys please please make one more video about David Bowie's albums or sth.. pleaaaase

[@martind586]

Few advantages of getting older. But 1 GREAT one is WE KNOW WHERE ALL THE GREAT MUSIC IS!

[@aidanfuge2108]

so is 1:10 basically just macintosh plus style vaporwave?

[@worrywirt]

*b e c k s t h e t i c*

[@mbr2000_]

I miss you every day

[@johnsummers9660]

I still get broken up about Bowie's death. Even after two years.

[@JohnDoe-rt1lc]

Man was a true showman and great songwriter.

[@polyflavour]

the voiceover for this video gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[@macsauce7178]

What crazy is that you can have so many sub channels that will do so well

[@highspacefox]

didn't know about the star guitar reference, or any others just really like chemical brothers, thanks Vox!

[@maxwell_young]

i love this video but u really should credit the producers for doing the sampling

[@WhiteMario13]

That Star Guitar sample blew my mind a little bit, I can barely tell.

[@calebwoods6655]

Actually Under Pressure is a Queen song with David Bowie as the featured artist but since this is a tribute to Bowie, I'll accept it as Bowie wrote it the song.

No problem...Bowie sampled Milton Nascimento's "Cais" on his song "Sue"...

[@Tfish64]

David Bowie is one of the greats!

[@ImAFutureGuitarHero]

Though not a sample, Metallica also used a riff from, or at least similar to Bowie's song "Andy Warhol" in their song Master of Puppets. Andy Warhol: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYTSpmmhbKpsa68 Master of Puppets: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGjMmayaeqxnoc0m19s

[@dom69foco]

Debra is so damn awesome. And I love Bowie

[@chiplooper2628]

miss you david you rocked the world

[@luispontes6342]

A good example of a song that sample Bowie is "Minha mulher acha que eu sou o Brad Pitt" by the brazilian rapper niLL.

[@andytron]

+Vox Bowie - "Hang On To Yourself" > Ramones - "Teenage Lobotomy"

[@jumaineadams9152]

I sampled fame feat. David Bowie and Tupac. And I sampled diamonds from diamond dogs

[@huelu982]

He has passed away, he updated albums from time to time until then, not sure if he’s still alive now what would his album be about

[@charliern]

Made of Stone by the Stone Roses samples China Girl heavily

[@austinfink1939]

The Killers also sampled the bass line from "Slow Burn" for their song " All these things I've done"

[@dinothegonzo]

That is UNKLE's "Hold My Hand", nevertheless I didn't know they sampled from Bowie. Good find.

[@benjaminwilson9007]

I think there is a forgetting that in our music there are 12 main notes and most songs primarily feature 4-5 chords. Usually Fmaj,Gmaj, Cmaj, and Am.

[@Jobe-13]

David Bowie seems like he was a pretty cool dude.

[@UriRocks]

Great video, great message. One issue: Jay Z didn't sample Bowie in "Takeover", it's a Doors song called "Five to One"

[@charltonlavey3082]

I LOVE Bowie and i love NIN a warm place is my favourite song by nin and i haver never thought about it, being similar to Crystal japan =)

[@mongreleater]

Star Guitar sample=Mind blown

[@kalerug]

Would've been cooler if you talked about Nine Inch Nails sampling "It's No Game" in "Pinion" rather than the accident that happened in "A Warm Place."

[@IvanPavlov999]

U2 - North And South Of The River / Can You Hear Me /

[@_Yuurt]

Wow I didn't know he was behind all those great songs (the ones he sang I mean), and then the samples!

[@yds2m]

I was hoping this would mention Debra I love that song

[@wolfram333]

This channel is like if buzzfeed made halfway decent content.

[@dajazman2k]

The most talented artist of all time.

[@thomasjoyce1741]

What about The Man Who Sold the World and All the Young Dudes? Or Major Tom Calling Coming Home?

[@luckygitane]

The Man Who Sold the world was *covered* by Nirvana, All the Young Dudes was *written for* Mott the Hoople, and that lame-o Peter Schilling song was *inspired* by Space Oddity. None of them are samples.

[@thomasjoyce1741]

Yeah. Thanks. I guess I just LIKE those songs.

[@davidcopson5800]

@Cat's Cradle: well said.

[@amnasalah9]

Just to clarify as much as i love David Bowie, he did not make the bassline from Under Pressure that you mentioned in the beginning of the video! David did indeed add the claps and the clicks but Queens band member John Deacon was the one who created the bassline. If you did your research properly you would have known... Btw I'm not saying David Bowie did not make the song in fact, both him and Queen did it. All I'm saying is you're wrong.

[@irenes8689]

They did this because David Bowie is the BOMB!!!!!

[@josueab8880]

I love you Bowie

[@epacruickshank]

I love Vox, I love content like this, but for the love of Christ, a sample is playing back actual audio from a previous song, which several of these did, and a cover is recreating a song and rerecording it, which is what most of these are. Check your nomenclature, son.

[@jackpitman15]

genuinely didnt know that a warm place used a piece of crystal japan, no wonder they grew so close.

[@krwrie]

Blur also sampled "Boys Keep Swinging" on their song M.O.R.

[@oneunicorn904]

Your not alone

[@1324Potato]

I love Bowie. like the song rocket man and the song pressure. I really like dance too.