Song#: 0429
Date: 12/06/1980
Debut: 87
Peak: 70
Weeks: 9
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Bowie was just coming off of what has been called the "Berlin Trilogy" of his albums, "Low, "Heroes," and "Lodger" (1977-1979). It was a period where Bowie lived in Berlin and with contributions from Brian Eno created music that experimented with minimalism and were much more ambient in tone that his previous albums. As the trilogy progressed, he would incorporate more rock elements but overall through this period his commercial appeal fell in the US. He returned to putting rock at the forefront with 1980's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" and this single got him back on the pop chart for the first time in over three years. Although it wasn't a major pop hit, rock radio got on board and it became more popular than what the pop chart peak reflects. Many critics have stated that "Scary Monsters" was the last great Bowie album and that it basically closed his most potent musical period.
ReduxReview: Bowie is another artist that I liked throughout the years but didn't fully latch onto until much later. Nowadays he is one of my all-time favorites and I love all of his characters and music from his early vaudeville-type stuff through to his current resurgence with "The Next Day." I'd probably agree with critics that while he did do some excellent work in later years, "Scary Monsters" was probably the cut off point for pure classic Bowie. This track is representative of what he was doing and it is killer. I actually thought this was a Top 10 hit until I revisited this chart! But it doesn't matter. The song is brilliant.
ReduxRating: 9/10
Trivia: Although it didn't hit the chart in the US, the first single from the album was "Ashes to Ashes," which hit #1 in the UK. This song was a sequel of sorts to his 1973 hit "Space Oddity" (#15) as Bowie brings back the song's main character Major Tom.
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