Joe the Lion

1977 song by David Bowie

"Joe the Lion"
Song by David Bowie
from the album "Heroes"
Released	14 October 1977 (1977-10-14)
Recorded	July–August 1977
Studio	Hansa Studio by the Wall, West Berlin
Genre	Art rock, krautrock
Length	3:05
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie, Tony Visconti

"Joe the Lion" is a song by David Bowie in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti and features lead guitar by Robert Fripp.

"Joe the Lion" has been described by critic Chris O'Leary as "phenomenal" and "one of the high peaks of Bowie's late Seventies".^[1] Mojo magazine listed it as Bowie's 94th best track in 2015.^[2]

Background

The track is in part a tribute to performance artist Chris Burden,^[3] who was famous for having himself crucified to a Volkswagen in 1974 ("Nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are") and for having an assistant shoot him in the arm at an art gallery in 1971 ("Guess you'll buy a gun / You'll buy it secondhand"). "Joe the Lion" has also been seen as reflecting Bowie's struggle to overcome the emotional numbness that appeared to permeate his previous album Low ("You get up and sleep").^[4]

Bowie rehearsed the song for the Isolar II tour of 1978,^[5] but it ultimately was not performed live until the first two dates on the 1983 Serious Moonlight Tour and more frequently on the 1995 Outside Tour.^[6]

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary:^[1]

David Bowie – lead and backing vocals, piano
Robert Fripp – lead guitar
Carlos Alomar – rhythm guitar
Brian Eno – EMS VCS 3 synthesizer, guitar treatments
George Murray – bass guitar
Dennis Davis – drums
Tony Visconti – backing vocals, guitar treatments

Technical

David Bowie – producer
Tony Visconti – producer, engineer
Colin Thurston – engineer

Other releases

The song was released as the B-side of the US release of "John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)" in December 1979.
It appeared on the following compilations:
- Golden Years (1983)
- Sound + Vision box set (1989)
A remixed version, which replaced the distorted guitars and drums of the original with those reflecting late-1980s production values, was included in the Rykodisc reissue of "Heroes" in 1991.
A previously unreleased live soundcheck rehearsal of the song from the Isolar II Tour was released in February 2020, backing a picture disc, featuring a live recording of “Alabama Song“.^[5]
Momus performed a cover version of "Joe the Lion" for his 2015 album Turpsycore.

Live versions

A live version recorded in 1995 during Bowie's Outside Tour was released as part of the live album Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95) (2020).^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b O'Leary 2019, p. 85.
^ "David Bowie – The 100 Greatest Songs". Mojo. No. 255. February 2015. p. 54.
^ Buckley 1999, p. 320.
^ Carr & Murray 1981, p. 92.
^ ^a ^b "Alabama Song 40th anniversary picture disc". David Bowie. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
^ Pegg 2016, p. 142.
^ "Ouvrez Le Chien streaming next week". David Bowie Official Website. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

Sources

Buckley, David (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-85227-784-0.
Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Shaar (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record. London: Eel Pie Publishing. ISBN 978-0-38077-966-6.
O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater Books. ISBN 978-1-91224-830-8.
Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (revised and updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.