Studio Album · No. 13
Lodger Songwriting Credits by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie, Tony Visconti · Engineered by Tony Visconti, David Richards, Eugene Chaplin, Rod O'Brien
Holds writing credit on 10 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 10 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether David Bowie carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Lodger closes the Berlin Trilogy and is the most song-based of the three, with David Bowie writing or co-writing all ten tracks. Brian Eno co-wrote five songs, "Fantastic Voyage," "African Night Flight," "Red Sails," "D.J.," and "Look Back in Anger," while guitarist Carlos Alomar co-wrote "D.J." and "Red Money." Several tracks came from Eno's chance-based studio methods, with the musicians swapping instruments on "Boys Keep Swinging."
David Bowie's Lodger, released May 18, 1979 on RCA Records, is the third and final album of the Berlin Trilogy (though recorded partly in Montreux and New York) and features the most overtly poppy and world-music-influenced material of the three. Bowie co-wrote all ten tracks with Brian Eno, Carlos Alomar, or both, embracing a global pastiche approach that incorporated Middle Eastern, African, and Turkish musical influences into post-punk and art-rock frameworks. Tracks like 'Boys Keep Swinging,' 'DJ,' and 'Look Back in Anger' are among the most fully realized singles of his Berlin era, while 'Yassassin' and 'African Night Flight' reflect Bowie's restless global curiosity. The album reached the top five in the UK and confirmed Bowie's status as one of the most forward-thinking songwriters in rock, even as his commercial profile had somewhat diminished from the mid-70s peak. Lodger marked the end of Bowie's most collaborative writing period with Brian Eno, whose contributions are credited on six of the ten tracks.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fantastic Voyage
|
David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 2 |
African Night Flight
|
David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 3 |
Move On
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 4 |
Yassassin
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 5 |
Red Sails
|
David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 6 |
D.J.
|
David BowieBrian EnoCarlos Alomar | David BowieBrian EnoCarlos Alomar | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 7 |
Look Back in Anger
|
David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 8 |
Boys Keep Swinging
#7
|
David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieBrian Eno | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 9 |
Repetition
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 10 |
Red Money
|
David BowieCarlos Alomar | David BowieCarlos Alomar | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |