What was David Bowie’s first number one song?
David Bowie will always be remembered for his electric stage presence, colourful personas, and, of course, incredible music. His impact is undeniable, and the proof is in the impressive amount of records he shifted in his lifetime – over 100 million.
Yet the music legend wasn’t always so successful. In the 1960s, desperate to become a musician, Bowie played in several bands that were inspired by blues and soul; however, all of the tracks he released during this period flopped. Eventually, Bowie became a solo artist, but his first single, ‘I Can’t Help Thinking About Me’, was also unsuccessful.
A period of studying dramatic arts under the supervision of Lindsay Kemp, where Bowie experimented with creating personas and mime, was vital in his progression to becoming a star. As a mime artist, he supported Marc Bolan’s T. Rex on a short tour in 1969 before releasing a song that would launch him into public consciousness.
This would be ‘Space Oddity’, released just five days before the Apollo 11 launch. Bowie’s timing was perfect, and his single (which would appear on his second album David Bowie a few months later) shot to number five on the UK Singles Chart.
However, RCA’s 1975 re-release of ‘Space Oddity’ as part of a maxi-single would become Bowie’s first number one hit in the UK. By this point, the singer had already released some of his most well-known hits, such as ‘Starman’, ‘Rebel, Rebel’, ‘The Jean Genie’ and ‘Life on Mars’, yet none of them had reached the top spot.
Bowie actually managed to reach number one in the U.S a few months before he did in the UK with the single ‘Fame’ from his album Young Americans. In the U.S and Canada, the track was a hit, but in Europe, it was considerably less successful, only charting at number 17 in the UK.
Since his number one singles in 1975, you might expect that Bowie went on to have countless more, but he only reached the top spot in the U.S again in 1983 with his hit ‘Let’s Dance’. As for his UK chart performance, Bowie reached number one with four more songs: ‘Ashes to Ashes’, ‘Under Pressure’ (with Queen), ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Dancing in the Street’ (featuring Mick Jagger).
Instead, Bowie seemed to have a lot more success in the charts with his albums. His first number one album in the UK was 1973’s Aladdin Sane, which spent five weeks on top. His next album, Pin-Ups, released just a few months later, also topped the charts for five weeks. The following year he released Diamond Dogs, which reigned supreme for four weeks.
Bowie also reached number one in the UK with the following albums: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), Let’s Dance, Tonight, Changesbowie, Black Tie White Noise, Best Of Bowie, The Next Day, and Blackstar.
