Music of 1983: Bowie releases Let's Dance

David Bowie was one of British music's biggest stars still in 1983. Having come to prominence over a decade earlier, he had enjoyed a sustained period of success and also of credibility; he had survived glam, disco, punk and New Romantic and all the time had maintained critical acclaim, record and concert success and the respect of many of his peers. Known for his willingness to switch style and sound, he still pulled out something of a surprise with the 'Let's Dance' album. He appeared in promotion for the record dressed in a sharp blue suit and a neat haircut, looking every inch the 'yuppie'. The music was more accessible than anything he'd done in years too, with the title track and lead-off single tailor-made for radio.

The album produced three big hit singles; the title track was a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic and he scored big again in his home country with 'Modern Love' and 'China Girl', both charting as high as number two. The latter song was co-written with old friend Iggy Pop and was originally featured on his album 'The Idiot'. Bowie himself expressed surprise that this album was such a hit, claiming that the fusion of bluesy rock guitar (courtesy of Stevie Ray Vaughan) and dance beats was as innovative as anything he'd done before then, but it chimed perfectly with the times and brought Bowie a new, aspirational audience.

The record did however feature some real heavyweight talent; as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan both Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (of Chic) appeared, and ace session bassist Carmine Rojas (now a regular with Joe Bonamassa's band) played on much of the record. Nile Rodgers also co-produced the album with Bowie, and the whole thing was recorded and mixed in a little over two weeks.

For the tour, dubbed the 'Serious Moonlight' tour, Bowie brought in guitarist Earl Slick after Stevie Ray Vaughan's management demanded improved terms for their man just days before the tour was due to kick off. Bowie would continue in this vein for his next album, 'Tonight' and although he admitted the period was not his best creatively, it was certainly one of his most commercially successful.

With the man having recently emerged from years out of the spotlight, this is a good time to revisit one of his most successful records. Here is the video for the title track, filmed in Australia and directed by David Mallet:

*2023 Update - David Bowie passed away on 10 January 2016, with his final album 'Blackstar' released two days earlier, his 69th birthday.*