Up and Down and All Around
Young Americans - David Bowie (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
We all listen to music. Through headphones, speakers, CD players, radio — it flows through us, sometimes sticking around and sometimes being pushed away as quickly as it came. However, there’s nothing like the moment when you first HEAR a song, when the setting is perfect and it feels written for the exact situation you’re in.
The first song I ever really HEARD was David Bowie’s “Young Americans”. It was simple — the track was playing off a cassette tape player inside of a doorless Jeep I was riding down the road in. I don’t think I’ll ever feel cooler than I did that day, the sun shining down and the air all warm as Bowie crooned his rambles on and on. Every time I listen I’m transported back there, and I feel like that mental image perfectly matches the song.
My love of the saxophone began with Bowie’s “Changes”, so the very beginning of this song has always had me hooked. There’s an easy beat throughout — simple to follow along with, a nice grounding presence that lasts the whole time. The backup singers are perfect, adding an “ooo” or an “allll right” at the exact right moment. A personal highlight is the sly “I heard the news today, oh boy”, mostly because I’m a sucker for crossovers. (Interesting too that the album named after this song also features a cover of “Across the Universe” AND John Lennon himself on “Fame”…) Last but not least, I have to point out the terrific rallying point that comes about three quarters of the way through — after going at it again and again, voice going up and down and all around, hitting the emphasis over and over, its like all the musical lights go out. In typical dramatic fashion, Bowie steps into the metaphorical spotlight and delivers a magnificent, desperate falsetto plea — “ain’t there one damn song that can make me break down and cry??”
“Young Americans” has everything I love. Backing vocals with tremendous effort, prominent saxophone, a beat to nod your head to… and of course, David Bowie himself. When I really HEARD this song for the first time, I felt on top of the world, like it was my oyster, like everything was set up just for me. I hope with everything I have that others feel the same way when they listen to this track.
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