Actually, I Like It - 80s Bowie

I was thinking initially about titling this strand of blog posts “Guilty Pleasures” but I think I’m not actually that keen on the term. There’s a certain level of judgement implied there - that somehow there is one thing that defines a benchmark as “good” and, if the thing you like doesn’t fit into that, you should be ashamed about it. Seems a bit harsh to me - I reckon if you like something, just enjoy it. 

With that in mind, anything that falls under the banner of “Actually, I Like It” will be looking at stuff that perceived wisdom says is generally considered to be rubbish but I happen to have a soft spot for. You may well agree with the consensus on these things (as is your right) but I’m going to tell you why I disagree. Let’s kick off with the following oft-heard statement:-

“David Bowie wasn’t very good in the 80s”

He had his missteps in the 80s, sure. I’m not a fan of his Tin Machine work really and there are a few other clunkers but Bowie was someone who constantly wanted out to try out new things and, if you try out new stuff, sometimes it’s not going to hit. There are, however, some stone cold classics from that decade and here are the ones that I think prove that Bowie was still producing the goods in the 80s.

Let’s Dance
It’s a solid 80s pop tune and it does exactly what it says on the tin - it makes you want to put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

China Girl
Alright, maybe technically you could classify this as a 70s song given that Bowie wrote it with Iggy Pop and Iggy released his version of it in 1977. I’m talking about the David Bowie re-recording of it from 1983, though, which is, let’s face it, the one the everyone really knows.

Blue Jean
I always liked this as it had a more traditional Bowie feel to it and liked the video which features a nerdy version of Bowie trying to impress a girl by taking to see a painted, 70s-style version of himself perform, feeling a little like he was poking fun at himself.

Magic Dance
Look, when three things that you’re a big fan of collide - Jim Henson, Monty Python (Terry Jones wrote the script) and David Bowie - how can you not love everything to do with Labyrinth? It’s a bona fide classic and, if you say “You remind of the babe” to anyone of a certain age, they will be almost physically incapable of not giving you the next line. True fact.

Also, for cheesy reasons, I do enjoy Bowie and Jagger’s “two embarrassing dads dancing at a family reunion” video for Dancing In The Street. I do, however, see how this could support the argument that Bowie was crap in the 80s so fair play.

There you have it - reasons why Bowie in the 80s was still a good thing. Feel free to disagree, mind. I won't hear you, though, as I’m listening to my Bowie playlist...