Never Let Me Down cover art

  Studio Album · No. 17

Never Let Me Down Songwriting Credits by David Bowie

1987 EMI Records 11 tracks 53 min

Produced by David Bowie, David Richards  ·  Engineered by Bob Clearmountain, Malcolm Pollack

EMI Records Pop RockArt RockHard Rock
91%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 10 of 11 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether David Bowie carries a lyricist or composer credit.

91%
10 trackswritten by David Bowie 1 trackoutside writers
David Bowie's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist91%
Composer91%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
2.6 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
1987
Released
Data Insight

David Bowie wrote or co-wrote the bulk of Never Let Me Down himself, returning to a more hands-on authorship after the covers-heavy Tonight. He shared writing credits with longtime guitarist Carlos Alomar on the title track and with multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilcay on "Too Dizzy," while "Bang Bang" was a cover of an Iggy Pop and Ivan Kral song. Bowie later disowned much of the record's overproduced 1980s sound, though he defended the strength of the underlying songs.

David Bowie's Never Let Me Down, released April 27, 1987 on EMI Records, is the final album of what critics have called the 'commercial trilogy' following Let's Dance and Tonight, a hard rock and pop record that Bowie himself later described as 'not a great album' and whose Glass Spider Tour productions he found overwrought. Bowie wrote nine of the eleven tracks himself, with 'Never Let Me Down' co-written with Carlos Alomar and 'Iggy Pop's Bang Bang' serving as the lone cover. Peter Frampton appears as lead guitarist across much of the album. 'Day-In Day-Out' and 'Time Will Crawl' were the principal singles. The album reached the top six in the UK but received mixed reviews and underperformed commercially, prompting Bowie to later reassess his mid-80s output and ultimately return to more experimental work with Tin Machine. Despite its reputation, Bowie's authorship of the underlying material remained consistent, he wrote or co-wrote virtually everything, even at this commercial and creative low point.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Day-In Day-Out #17
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
2
Time Will Crawl #33
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
3
Beat of Your Drum
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
4
Never Let Me Down #34
David BowieCarlos Alomar David BowieCarlos Alomar David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
5
Zeroes
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
6
Glass Spider
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
7
Shining Star (Makin' My Love)
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
8
New York's in Love
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
9
'87 and Cry
David Bowie David Bowie David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
10
Bang Bang
Iggy PopIvan Kral Iggy PopIvan Kral David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)
11
Too Dizzy
David BowieErdal Kızılçay David BowieErdal Kızılçay David BowieDavid Richards David Bowie (Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 6 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Never Let Me Down

When was David Bowie's Never Let Me Down released?
Never Let Me Down was released on 18 April 1987 by EMI America. It was Bowie's seventeenth studio album and preceded his Glass Spider Tour of the same year.
Who wrote the songs on Never Let Me Down?
David Bowie wrote most of the album himself. He co-wrote the title track with Carlos Alomar and "Too Dizzy" with Erdal Kizilcay, while "Bang Bang" was a cover of a song by Iggy Pop and Ivan Kral.
What was the lead single from Never Let Me Down?
"Day-In Day-Out" was the lead single. It reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Did "Time Will Crawl" chart in the United States?
"Time Will Crawl" reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart but did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100. Bowie later named it one of his favorite songs from the record and re-recorded it for a 2008 compilation.
Did David Bowie like Never Let Me Down?
Bowie was largely critical of the album, citing its heavy 1980s production. He did praise several of the individual songs, and a fully re-recorded version of the album was released in 2018 as part of the Loving the Alien box set.
How did Never Let Me Down perform commercially?
The album reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard 200. It sold around 2.6 million copies worldwide and earned Gold and Platinum certifications across several territories.
Who produced and engineered Never Let Me Down?
The album was produced by David Bowie and David Richards. Bob Clearmountain handled the mixing, with Malcolm Pollack also working as an engineer, and Bob Ludwig mastered the record.

Sources