The power of rock and roll might seem like it could conquer all, but as Mick Jagger and David Bowie learned in 1985, that’s not quite true. For example, mid-1980s technology was always going to be mid-1980s technology, no matter what sort of fantastical ideas the international superstars came up with. Luckily, with a massive film and recording crew backing the rockstars up, they could avoid total disaster.
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And while the results were undoubtedly effective, they were also incredibly divisive. Polls named the corresponding music video the worst of all time. Family Guy dedicates an episode to making fun of it. Still, Jagger and Bowie managed to stick to their creative vision while still maintaining their artistic integrity, which is a feat in and of itself.
How Mick Jagger and David Bowie Avoided Global Tech Issues
On July 13, 1985, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s vision of creating a two-venue benefit concert and massive fundraising effort for the Ethiopian famine came to fruition with Live Aid. The event took place at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium, with each venue featuring a star-studded lineup of major artists like Queen, U2, Elton John, the Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger. The last two artists wanted to include a simultaneous broadcast where they performed together from each venue: Bowie at Wembley and Jagger at JFK Stadium. However, the satellite link necessary to realize this dream would create a half-second delay.
To avoid what would become a pretty major synchronization disaster, one of the two artists would have to mime their performance. Being such a historical event, neither rockstar was keen to do so. So, they had to improvise. Rather than performing their song live, Bowie and Jagger recorded their cover of the 1960s hit “Dancing in the Street” in the studio on June 29, 1985. The pair recorded their song at London’s Westside Studios, where Bowie was actively working on the Absolute Beginners soundtrack. Then, the musicians went to Millennium Mills in London to record a music video of the two dancing, strutting, and gyrating together.
The entire process—both recording the song and the music video—took about thirteen hours from start to finish. Comedian Chevy Chase introduced the music video at Live Aid just after Queen performed their historic set at Wembley Stadium. When Jagger and Bowie released the song as a single later that summer, it topped the charts in the U.K., Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain. In the U.S., the track reached a modest but successful No. 7.
A Divisive But Memorable Moment In Musical History
The fact that David Bowie and Mick Jagger managed to record a chart-topping single and a corresponding music video in 13 hours, two short weeks ahead of one of the largest musical events of the 20th century, is no small feat. It was a testament to their abilities as artists (and the incredible work ethic of their colleagues). The single and music video also showed that, although neither was willing to lip-synch at such a monumental event, they didn’t let their egos get in the way of the greater cause. Bowie and Jagger still managed to get their point across about the importance of unity, love, and global friendship, even if they didn’t get the live performance they originally intended.
However, as the old adage goes, everyone’s a critic, and their version of “Dancing in the Street” didn’t get a pass just because they recorded it for Live Aid. Multiple news outlets would later call their music video one of the worst of all time. Family Guy included a segment making fun of it. To be fair, the music video is pretty cheesy.
But honestly, what wasn’t (at least a little bit) in 1985?
Photo by News UK Ltd/Shutterstock
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