‘YOUNG AMERICANS’ (David Bowie) Released on this day in 1975

LP 1975: ‘YOUNG AMERICANS’ (David Bowie)

Released on this day in 1975

On March 7, 1975, ‘Young Americans’ was released in the United Kingdom, David Bowie’s ninth album and the one that finally helped him conquer the American market, indifferent to the glam-rock practiced by David until then. The title track reached No. 28 on the Billboard charts as a single and the album’s second single, “Fame,” was Bowie’s first No. 1 hit in the U.S.

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While on tour in North America in 1974, Bowie was seduced by black music, and then called Tony Visconti (his producer) to urgently prepare the recording of a “dirty soul” album. Bowie originally wanted to work with MFSB, the Philadelphia Records label, but had to settle for a mix of their touring musicians, and session musicians such as legendary bassist Willie Weeks, David Sanborn on sax, Carlos Alomar on guitar. Then-unknown Luther Vandross on vocal arrangements.

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In the song that opens the album, “Young Americans” Bowie cynically reviews American politics (Nixon had just resigned days before the recording began), making references to racial repression, McCarthy and Nixon himself. He borrowed from his new-and-sudden-best-friend John Lennon the phrase “I heard the news today oh boy!”. John would collaborate with him on two other tracks, “Across the universe”, a composition by Lennon himself, in which he plays guitar, and “Fame”, in which he provides vocals. This one arose from a jam between Bowie, Lennon and Carlos Alomar and is very similar to the song “Pick up the pieces” (1974) by Average White Band.

Although Lennon”s contribution is limited to singing the word “fame” repeatedly over the track, he was offered co-authorship and the song is signed by Bowie-Alomar-Lennon. The last-minute inclusion of the songs with John, caused two songs that had already been recorded and mixed, “It”s going to be me” and “Who can I be now”, which were recovered on the 1991 CD reissue, to fall out of the final list. On “Win”, Bowie uses his British pop experience by adding an R&B chorus and this mix seems to work better for him than when he opts for a single defined style, as in “Right”, in which he seems to imitate James Brown.

The album is completed by “Fascination”, co-written with Luther Vandross, “Somebody up there likes me” and the plaintive cry of “Can you hear me?”. The cover image reinforced Bowie”s new reality and his new “accessibility”. His stylized androgyny was replaced by a close-up looking at the camera in the style of “50s Hollywood, with his cigarette smoke ascending to the heights. Even the album”s title pointed directly at its target audience, “young Americans”. Bowie commented that it was the “definitive soul album”, although his commitment to it was somewhat ambiguous, as he spent the rest of the decade courting the “old world” (“Station to Station”, “Low”, “Heroes” and “Lodger”), which did not prevent “Young Americans” from making Bowie a star in the US.

David Bowie – vocals, guitar

Carlos Alomar – guitar

Mike Garson – piano

David Sanborn – sax

Willie Weeks – bass

Andy Newmark – drums

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“Young American” Lyrics:

They pulled in just behind the bridge
He lays her down, he frowns
“Gee, my life’s a funny thing, am I still too young?”
He kissed her then and there
She took his ring, took his babies
It took him minutes, took her nowhere
Heaven knows, she’d have taken anything, but

She wants a young American
(Young American, young American, she wants the young American)
(All right)
But she wants the young American

Scanning life through the picture window
She finds the slinky vagabond
He coughs as he passes her Ford Mustang
But Heaven forbid, she’ll take anything
But the freak, and his type, all for nothing
Misses a step and cuts his hand, but
Showing nothing, he swoops like a song
She cries, “Where have all Papa’s heroes gone?”

She wants a young American
(Young American, young American, she wants the young American)
(All right)
Well she wants the young American

All the way from Washington
Her bread-winner begs off the bathroom floor
“We live for just these twenty years
Do we have to die for the fifty more?”

He wants the young American
(Young American, young American, he wants the young American)
(All right) all right
Well he wants the young American

Do you remember, your President Nixon?
Do you remember, the bills you have to pay?
Or even yesterday?

Have you been the un-American?
Just you and your idol sing falsetto
‘Bout leather, leather everywhere, and
Not a myth left from the ghetto
Well, well, well, would you carry a razor
In case, just in case of depression?
Sit on your hands on a bus of survivors
Blushing at all the Afro-Sheeners
Ain’t that close to love?
Well, ain’t that poster love?
Well, it ain’t that Barbie doll
Her heart’s have been broken just like you and

All night you want the young American
(Young American, young American, you want the young American)
(All right)
You want the young American

You ain’t a pimp and you ain’t a hustler (young American, young American)
A pimp’s got a Cadi and a lady got a Chrysler (you want the young American)
Black’s got respect, and white’s got his soul train (all right)
Mama’s got cramps, and look at your hands ache
(I heard the news today, oh boy)
I got a suite and you got defeat
Ain’t there a man who can say no more? (All night)
And, ain’t there a woman I can sock on the jaw?
And, ain’t there a child I can hold without judging? (young American, young American)
Ain’t there a pen that will write before they die? (You want the young American)
Ain’t you proud that you’ve still got faces? (All right)
Ain’t there one damn song that can make me
Break down and cry?

I want the young American
Young American, young American, I want the young American
(All right)
I want the young American, young American
(Young American, young American, I want the young American)
I want what you want, I want what you want
(All night)
You want I, I want you, I
(Young American, young American, I want the young American)
(All right)
And all I want is the young American
(Young American, young American, I want the young American)