3 Killer Guitar Riffs from David Bowie’s Discography

David Bowie was known for a lot of things while he was alive and dishing out amazing tunes. He was a pop and rock star rolled into one, a man with great artistic integrity, and one of the most unique figures in music history. Sadly, it seems to me that a lot of Bowie’s musicality and excellent instrumental choices tend to get overlooked in favor of his larger-than-life persona(s). Let’s take a look at a few classic David Bowie tunes that have guitar riffs worth celebrating!

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“Rebel Rebel”

This standout gem from Diamond Dogs was almost entirely put together by David Bowie alone, and it’s appropriate in that sense. This song was Bowie’s loving farewell to glam rock, and what a sendoff it was back in 1974. The chord progression on this guitar track is stunning, and Alan Parker’s downward strums toward the end are perfect for this kind of work. Apparently, Bowie wanted to create something that sounded very similar to The Rolling Stones. I, personally, don’t hear a resemblance. I hear something very uniquely David Bowie.

“Let’s Dance”

This was the first song I thought of while brainstorming tunes for this list. “Let’s Dance” has an amazing guitar riff a la Stevie Ray Vaughan, but the refined version most of us first enjoyed was put together with some serious help from Nile Rodgers. According to lore, he took the guitar riff from the demo (which you can hear above) and added wider spaces, staccato stabs, and some serious harmonic interpretation. Naturally, Bowie was very into the changes. Everyone say, “Thank you, Nile Rodgers!”

“The Jean Genie”

There’s something almost physical and visual about this song from Bowie’s 1972 album Aladdin Sane. That’s how well-written and artistic it is. “The Jean Genie” could have easily kicked off with a hooky riff. Instead, it starts off with a distorted, lightning-fast series of strums that immediately brings to mind classic rock and roll. According to Bowie, this song was supposed to be an Iggy Pop-esque ode to Americana, complete with a title reference to poet Jean Ganet. Mick Ronson’s performance on the guitar is absolutely fantastic. Bowie proved he could make a song that was both heavy and lighthearted all at the same time.

Photo by Steve Morley/Redferns