Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (song)
Encyclopedia
"Scary Monsters" is the title track from David Bowie
's 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
. It was also issued as the third single from that album in January 1981. Coming as it did in the wake of two earlier singles from Scary Monsters, "Ashes to Ashes
" in August 1980 and "Fashion" in October the same year, NME
critics Roy Carr
and Charles Shaar Murray
labelled its release another instance "in the fine old tradition of milking albums for as much as they could possibly be worth".
Musically the track was notable for its lead guitar work by Robert Fripp
and distinctive synthesized percussion. The lyrics, sung by Bowie in a mock-cockney
accent, charted a woman's withdrawal from the world and descent into madness ("When I looked in her eyes they were blue but nobody home ... Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialise"). Thematically it has been compared to Joy Division
's "She's Lost Control
" (1979), and to the "claustrophobic romance" of Iggy Pop
's 1977 collaborations with Bowie, The Idiot
and Lust for Life
.
The edited single reached #20 in the UK charts. As well as 7" vinyl, it was issued in Compact Cassette
format. It has since been performed on a number of Bowie tours.
The French release of the single had "Up the Hill Backwards
" as the B-side.
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...
's 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters is an album by David Bowie, released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was Bowie's final studio album for the label and his first following the so-called Berlin Trilogy of Low, "Heroes" and Lodger . Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proved less...
. It was also issued as the third single from that album in January 1981. Coming as it did in the wake of two earlier singles from Scary Monsters, "Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)
"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet...
" in August 1980 and "Fashion" in October the same year, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
critics Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
and Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
labelled its release another instance "in the fine old tradition of milking albums for as much as they could possibly be worth".
Musically the track was notable for its lead guitar work by Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
and distinctive synthesized percussion. The lyrics, sung by Bowie in a mock-cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent, charted a woman's withdrawal from the world and descent into madness ("When I looked in her eyes they were blue but nobody home ... Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialise"). Thematically it has been compared to Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
's "She's Lost Control
She's Lost Control
"She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. It was first introduced in a concert in June 1978. Two separate single recordings have been released: a guitar-dominated version appearing on the band's 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures, and a heavier and more electronic...
" (1979), and to the "claustrophobic romance" of Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
's 1977 collaborations with Bowie, The Idiot
The Idiot (album)
The Idiot is the debut solo album by American rock singer Iggy Pop. It was the first of two LPs released in 1977 which Pop wrote and recorded in collaboration with David Bowie...
and Lust for Life
Lust for Life
Lust for Life may refer to:* Lust for Life , a 1934 biographical novel about Vincent Van Gogh, written by Irving Stone* Lust for Life , a 1956 film based on the novel, starring Kirk Douglas...
.
The edited single reached #20 in the UK charts. As well as 7" vinyl, it was issued in Compact Cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
format. It has since been performed on a number of Bowie tours.
Track listing
- "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" (Bowie) – 3:27
- "Because You're YoungBecause You're Young"Because You're Young" is a song written by David Bowie in 1980 for the album Scary Monsters . The song features The Who's Pete Townshend on guitar.-Other releases:...
" (Bowie) – 4:51
The French release of the single had "Up the Hill Backwards
Up the Hill Backwards
"Up the Hill Backwards" is a song from David Bowie's 1980 album Scary Monsters . It was also issued as the fourth and final single from the album in March 1981...
" as the B-side.
Production credits
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s:- Tony ViscontiTony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid 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...
- Tony Visconti
- MusicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s:- David Bowie: Vocals, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - George MurrayGeorge MurrayGeorge Murray may refer to:*George Mosley Murray , Bishop*Lord George Murray , Jacobite general*George Murray , Royal Navy officer and MP for Perth Burghs...
: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dennis DavisDennis DavisDennis Davis is an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie.He was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City and studied with the late drummers Max Roach and Elvin Jones. He met guitarist Carlos Alomar when they were both playing with Roy Ayers...
: DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Tony ViscontiTony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
: Acoustic guitar on "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" - Pete TownshendPete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
: Guitar on "Because You’re Young"
- David Bowie: Vocals, Keyboards
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.K. Singles Chart | 20 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 17 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 49 |
Live versions
- Bowie performed the song on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on February 8, 1997. This was later released on the album Saturday Night Live - 25 Years Volume 1. - Bowie and Reeves GabrelsReeves GabrelsReeves Gabrels is an American guitarist, known for virtuosity, versatility, and originality. His compositions and improvisations defy genre and "explore sonic extremes with a great, adaptive intuition for what each song needs most."...
performed an all-acoustic country and westernCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
version of the song for the radio station WRXT in Canada on October 16, 1997. - Bowie performed the song with Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
numerous times during the Outside Tour.
Other releases
- It appeared on the following compilations:
- Golden YearsGolden Years (album)Golden Years is a 1983 compilation album by David Bowie.-Side one:#"Fashion" – 4:51#"Red Sails" – 3:47#"Look Back in Anger" – 3:07#"I Can't Explain" – 2:14#"Ashes to Ashes" – 4:26-Side two:...
(1983) - The Singles CollectionThe Singles Collection (David Bowie album)The Singles Collection is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1993 in the UK and as The Singles 1969 to 1993 in the United States...
(1993) - Best of BowieBest of BowieBest of Bowie is a career-spanning greatest hits album by multi-platinum recording artist David Bowie. The songs range from his second album to 2002. It was released 35 years after his first album, David Bowie....
(2002) - The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987The Best of David Bowie 1980-1987 is a David Bowie compilation album. The CD was originally released by EMI as part of The Platinum Collection in 2005/06. The 2007 release is part of EMI's two-disc Sight & Sound series, each of which features a CD and DVD of material from the same artist...
(2007)
- Golden Years
- It also appeared on the soundtrackMusic of the Gran Turismo Series-Gran Turismo:Gran Turismo featured two different opening songs. For the North American and PAL versions is a Chemical Brothers remix of the Manic Street Preachers song Everything Must Go...
of the PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game Gran Turismo (1998).
Cover versions
- Frank BlackFrank BlackBlack Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
- Live recording (with David Bowie) - Ex-VotoEx-votoAn ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude or devotion...
- Goth Oddity: A Tribute to David Bowie (1999) - Sepulcrum Mentis - The Dark Side of David Bowie: A Tribute to David Bowie (1997)
- Tides of Mars - .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
- SuperchunkSuperchunkSuperchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
- Cup of SandCup of SandCup of Sand is a double-sized collection of singles, B-sides and various rarities released by Superchunk in 2003...
compilation