Lady Grinning Soul
Encyclopedia
"Lady Grinning Soul" is a ballad written by David Bowie
, which is the final track on the album Aladdin Sane
, released in 1973. The composer’s first meeting with American soul
singer Claudia Lennear
in 1972 is often cited as the inspiration for the song.
The style of the piece has been compared to a James Bond
theme. Pianist
Mike Garson
described his own performance as "about as romantic as it gets … French with a little Franz Liszt
thrown in there". Rolling Stone
s contemporary review called Bowie's singing "the album's most expansive and sincere vocal", while author Nicholas Pegg
considers the track "one of Bowie's most underrated recordings … quite unlike anything else he has ever done".
The piece opens in the key of F# minor and undergoes many unexpected modulations. Bowie exhibits his wide vocal range in the finale, hitting a series of high notes (G#5, G5, F#5, D#5).
The track was used in the 2010 film The Runaways
during a scene in which Cherie Currie
, played by Dakota Fanning
, lip synchs to the song for a school talent show.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, which is the final track on the album Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
, released in 1973. The composer’s first meeting with American soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Claudia Lennear
Claudia Lennear
Claudia Lennear is an American soul singer who has worked with many acts including Ike and Tina Turner, Humble Pie and Joe Cocker. She recorded a solo album entitled Phew! in 1973.She was part of a trio of backup singers for Delaney and Bonnie, that also included Rita Coolidge...
in 1972 is often cited as the inspiration for the song.
The style of the piece has been compared to a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
theme. Pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Mike Garson
Mike Garson
Mike Garson is an American pianist, most notable for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Free Flight, and The Smashing Pumpkins.- Early career :...
described his own performance as "about as romantic as it gets … French with a little Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
thrown in there". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s contemporary review called Bowie's singing "the album's most expansive and sincere vocal", while author Nicholas Pegg
Nicholas Pegg
Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer.A graduate of the University of Exeter, Pegg trained at the Guildford School of Acting. His acting work in the theatre includes productions for Nottingham Playhouse, Scottish Opera, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Plymouth...
considers the track "one of Bowie's most underrated recordings … quite unlike anything else he has ever done".
The piece opens in the key of F# minor and undergoes many unexpected modulations. Bowie exhibits his wide vocal range in the finale, hitting a series of high notes (G#5, G5, F#5, D#5).
The track was used in the 2010 film The Runaways
The Runaways (film)
The Runaways is a 2010 American biographical film about the 1970s all-girl rock band of the same name. The film was written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, who based the screenplay on the book Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by the band's original lead vocalist Cherie Currie...
during a scene in which Cherie Currie
Cherie Currie
Cherie Currie is an American singer, actress and chainsaw artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a hard rock band from Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 1970s.-Life and career:...
, played by Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
, lip synchs to the song for a school talent show.
Other releases
- It was released as the B-side of the single "Let's Spend the Night Together" in June 1973.
- It was also the B-side of the Spanish release of the single "SorrowSorrow (song)"Sorrow" is a song first recorded by The McCoys in 1965 then by The British Mod Beats in 1967.It became a big hit in the United Kingdom in a version by The Merseys, reaching number 4 in the UK charts on 28 April 1966...
" in November 1973. - The US release of the single "Rebel RebelRebel Rebel"Rebel Rebel" is a song by David Bowie, released in 1974 as a single and on the album Diamond Dogs. Cited as his most-covered track, it was effectively Bowie's farewell to the glam movement that had made him a star.-Music and lyrics:...
" had "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side. - It appeared as the B-side of the Japanese release of the single "19841984 (song)"1984" is a song by David Bowie, from his 1974 album Diamond Dogs. Written in late 1973, it was inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and, like much of its parent album, originally intended for a never-produced stage musical based on the novel.-Music and lyrics:The centerpiece of Side...
" in April 1974.
Cover versions
- Box Office Poison – Single
- Ulf LundellUlf LundellUlf Lundell is a Swedish writer, poet, songwriter, composer, musician and artist....
– Sweethearts (Swedish translation called "Elden") - Paul Roberts – Faith (1999)
- Lucia MicarelliLucia MicarelliLucia Micarelli is an American violinist and actress best known for her collaborations with Josh Groban and classic rock band Jethro Tull, and her role as Annie in Treme.-Early Life:...
– Instrumental version on Music From a Farther Room (2004)