Ranking the 5 Best Album-Openers by David Bowie

When we did a list of David Bowie‘s greatest album-closing songs, it was striking how many of the choices ended up being tracks that don’t get a ton of airplay. That’s not the case as we look at his album-openers.

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Bowie tended to open his LPs with bangers, many of which turned out to be among the biggest hit singles of his career. Here are five outstanding tracks that got Bowie albums off on the right foot.

5. “Modern Love” from Let’s Dance (1983)

Bowie decided he didn’t want to let the ‘80s hit parade pass him by, which is why he enlisted Nile Rodgers to help him devise a radio-friendly sound. The resulting album, Let’s Dance, is a bit top-heavy, with the album tracks a little on the mediocre side. But the hit singles all sparkle, including “Modern Love” as the opening track. In a way, the song is analogous to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Both iconic frontmen try to make sense of romance over an extremely danceable beat, and both come out sounding more approachable than ever before.

4. “Five Years” from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

The one song on this list that wasn’t a hit single, “Five Years” was needed to set the table for Bowie’s magnum opus. On the one hand, it’s expository, giving us the basis of the story that’s about to take place (although the narrative turns out to be not very linear). But even on its own, the song draws you in with its concept and execution. Mick Woodmansey’s kicky little beat is a nice change from the typical assault of drums you might expect for such a momentous song, and Bowie’s delivery of the lyrics, part defeated mumbling, part desperate screaming, is extremely affecting.

3. “Young Americans” from Young Americans (1975)

On the one hand, this song soars because of how well it pays tribute to its main influence, which was the Philly Soul explosion that took place around that time. Bowie’s studio assistance certainly made a difference, with key contributions from Luther Vandross on backing vocals, David Sanborn on sax, and Andy Newmark on drums. Once that foundation is in place, you get lost in Bowie’s emoting, as he sings out a story that begins with two young, foolish lovers and somehow expands to take the temperature of the entire U.S. at the time.

2. “Space Oddity” from David Bowie (1969)

Bowie was still finding himself as an artist when he wrote and performed the song that helped define him. He understood its importance as well as anybody, as he would refer to Major Tom a few more times in his career, as if the guy was never too far from his psyche. What’s so clever about the narrative is how Tom ending up getting lost in space is the least important thing about it. Instead, the character sketch that Bowie draws, of a man who doesn’t seem to feel at home either on terra firma or out in the stratosphere, is what sticks with you.

1. “Changes” from Hunky Dory (1971)

Bowie went into the making of Hunky Dory thinking he might be better off as a writer-for-hire. When you hear the tracks on this album, they are indeed very literate and melodic so other performers might take to them. He found out the idiosyncrasies he himself brought to the table added an extra layer of meaning to these songs. “Changes,” for example, becomes less a lament of the way time slips away from us and more a celebration of transformation, something to be embraced rather than feared. In that respect, it became a kind of motto for Bowie’s entire career.

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