10 Most Underrated David Bowie Songs

Feature Photo: AVRO, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our list of the 10 Most Underrated David Bowie Songs looks back at the career of one of the most exceptional rock and roll artists of all time. You won’t find many people who are indifferent about David Bowie. Bowie was born on January 8, 1947, and, sadly, he passed away almost eight years ago now, on January 10, 2016. Hailing from London, England, David Bowie would become one of the most interesting rock stars of all time. He was a musical chameleon, changing his look, style, and character with almost every album. This is a man whose music, personality, and life were never boring. He created some of the greatest albums and rock songs of all time. His first album, David Bowie, was released on June 1, 1967, on Deram Records.

Throughout his career, David Bowie released 26 studio albums as a solo artist, and in the late ’80s, he formed a band called Tin Machine that released two albums. It was an important break that Bowie had said he needed at the time. David Bowie would continue to release studio albums under his own name up until 2016, when his final album while he was still alive, entitled Blackstar, was released. A few years later, his record company would release Toy. Throughout his career, David Bowie also issued 128 singles, close to 30 compilation albums, and nine live albums.

# 10 – I Can’t Give Everything Away – Blackstar

We kick off our article on the 10 most underrated David Bowie songs with “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” released as the third single from his final studio album, Blackstar. The album was released on January 8, 2016, coinciding with Bowie’s birthday. Tragically, Bowie passed away just two days later on January 10, 2016. He never witnessed the success and critical acclaim that Blackstar received.

# 9 – “Baby Universal” – Tin Machine II

Continuing with Bowie’s underrated songs, we turn to the music he released with his band Tin Machine. It could be argued that many people are unaware of this phase of David Bowie’s musical career. The first Tin Machine album was released on May 22, 1989. The group followed up their debut with Tin Machine II almost two years later, on September 2, 1991. David Bowie said he wanted to be part of a group where all voices were equal, and that’s exactly what he did with Tin Machine. The group featured David Bowie on lead vocals, Reeves Gabrels on guitar and backing vocals, Tony Fox Sales on bass and backing vocals, and Hunt Sales on drums and backing vocals. The Sales brothers were the sons of comedian Soupy Sales.

Both Tin Machine albums are strong rock and roll records and are very much underrated in David Bowie’s career. We thought it was pretty important to represent a song from one of these two albums. The debut album’s single “Under the God” did pretty well on the radio, although we wonder how many people did not realize it wasn’t a David Bowie solo song. The second album did not do as well, but we actually like it better. We featured the album’s opening track and second single release, “Baby Universal,” here. This is a great one.

# 8 – Little Wonder – Earthling

“Little Wonder” was the opening track on David Bowie’s Earthling album, released on January 27, 1997. Both the song and the album represented Bowie’s never-ending penchant for change, mixing electronica and glam rock to create a unique and interesting sound. That was quintessential David Bowie. However, as successful as Bowie was in the 1970s, with fans celebrating so many classic hits, many did not want to hear anything new or different. That’s why so many of his ’90s and 2000s albums were overlooked. This track is really unique stuff. If you were a hardcore David Bowie fan, you accepted it; if you weren’t, you likely just moved on. We hope you give it a shot.

# 7 – “Hang On to Yourself” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

While most of the songs on this list are pulled from David Bowie’s more underrated albums, particularly from later in his career, we thought it apt to include one from perhaps his most acclaimed album. Choosing an underrated track from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was challenging, given that it’s possibly the best record he ever released, filled with David Bowie classics like “Suffragette City,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” “Starman,” and of course, “Ziggy Stardust.” However, if we had to pick one track that’s truly a fabulous yet perhaps not as celebrated Bowie song, it would be “Hang On to Yourself,” the third track on side two. The band at the time featured Bowie on vocals and acoustic guitar, Mick Ronson on lead guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums.

# 6 – Without You – Let’s Dance

David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album stands as one of his most successful rock and roll records of the 1980s, fueled by the massive hit single “Let’s Dance.” This album is one of our favorites for various reasons, notably the magnificent contributions of producer Nile Rodgers and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was not very well known at the time. Rodgers brought his slick dance groove elements to the record, which meshed well with Bowie’s style.

Meanwhile, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar playing, though mixed low on some tracks, truly shines, especially on “Without You.” This is one reason why we picked this song. “Without You” was also the fourth single released from the album, though it didn’t perform well on the charts. If you’re not familiar with this song or haven’t really listened closely, take a moment to appreciate what Stevie Ray Vaughan does on this record. It would have been fascinating to see Stevie Ray Vaughan tour with David Bowie, but he dropped out at the last second as his solo career was taking off.

# 5 – Slow Burn – Heathen

If you’re not familiar with David Bowie’s song “Slow Burn” from the album Heathen, we highly recommend you take a listen to this jaw-dropping track. Heathen was released on June 10, 2002, and “Slow Burn” was the first single from the album. When it debuted, David Bowie’s Heathen received widespread critical acclaim. Notably, the song “Slow Burn” also featured Pete Townshend on guitar.

# 4 – The Stars (Are Out Tonight) – The Next Day

The Next Day by David Bowie (2013-03-11)

In March of 2013, David Bowie released his 25th studio album, marking his first new album in over a decade. The anticipation for new Bowie material had grown immensely over the years, creating a buzz that only increased as the release date approached. Upon its release, the album soared to number one in the United Kingdom and number two in the United States, making it the highest-charting album Bowie had ever released in the US. This fact is almost hard to believe, given his success in the 1970s, but in 2013 Bowie was celebrating what was, on the charts, his most successful album ever.

Despite its commercial success, it seems that many people missed this album. Many of Bowie’s older or more casual fans had aged and were less engaged with rock and roll than they had been in their youth. This shift in audience attention is one reason much of his later work is overlooked. The album’s first single, “Where Are We Now?” was very successful. However, we believe the second single, “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” was the standout track on the album.

# 3 – The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Trent Reznor Alternative Mix) – Outside

Securing the number three spot on our list, we delve into David Bowie’s Outside, an album that emerged in 1995 during a prolific phase of his career. Bowie was exceptionally productive in the 1990s, a decade in which he released five studio albums. The only other decade during which he was more prolific was the 1970s. However, the albums from the ’90s are among his most overlooked works, including Black Tie White Noise (1993), the lesser-known The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), and Hours (1999).

Outside stands out as a concept album, one that might confound listeners at times but nevertheless is replete with intriguing material. This ambitious project was produced by the legendary Brian Eno, whose influence is palpable throughout the album’s complex sonic landscape.

# 2 – Lazarus – Lazarus

As we approach the pinnacle of our list, we revisit David Bowie’s Blackstar, marking it as the only album to be represented twice on our list. Blackstar holds a special place, not only because it was Bowie’s farewell gift to his fans but also because it stands as one of his finest works. If you’ve yet to experience this album, it comes highly recommended. Highlighted in our number two spot is the compelling track “Lazarus.” The song’s opening lyrics, “Look up here, I’m in heaven I’ve got scars that can’t be seen,” get me every time.

# 1 – Thursday’s Child – Hours

Claiming the top spot on our list of underrated Bowie songs is “Thursday’s Child,” released as the lead single from his 1999 album Hours. Despite the album peaking at number 47 on the US Billboard Top 200, this single astonishingly failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100—a real head-scratcher considering the song’s quality. “Thursday’s Child” channels the essence of vintage ’70s Bowie, marking it as one of his finest singles and arguably the best since “Let’s Dance.” Sometimes, great music simply flies under the radar, and unfortunately, this track was largely ignored by US radio.