Studio Album · No. 14
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) Songwriting Credits by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie, Tony Visconti · Engineered by Tony Visconti, Larry Alexander, Jeff Hendrickson
Holds writing credit on 9 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 9 / 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
David Bowie wrote every song on Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) except the Television cover "Kingdom Come," written by Tom Verlaine, while "It's No Game (No. 1)" used Japanese lyrics translated by Hirota Michi. The album's centerpiece "Ashes to Ashes" revisits the Major Tom character from his 1969 song "Space Oddity," recasting him as an addict. Bowie produced the record with Tony Visconti and used it to close out his RCA years with a sharper, post-punk informed sound.
David Bowie's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), released September 12, 1980 on RCA Records, is the triumphant coda to the Berlin era, a harder, more aggressive art-rock statement that reasserted Bowie's commercial dominance while retaining the experimental spirit of Low, Heroes, and Lodger. Bowie wrote nine of the ten tracks himself, with Tom Verlaine's 'Kingdom Come' the sole cover, and produced the album alongside Tony Visconti with guest guitar from Robert Fripp and Pete Townshend. 'Ashes to Ashes,' which returned to Major Tom from 'Space Oddity,' reached number one in the UK and remains one of Bowie's most discussed songs; the album itself also hit number one in the UK. The propulsive 'Fashion' was an international top-five hit, and 'Teenage Wildlife' is a nine-minute centerpiece that many consider Bowie's greatest epic since 'The Width of a Circle.' The album closes with a second take of 'It's No Game,' sung partly in Japanese, a bookending structural device that shows Bowie's complete artistic control of the record from start to finish.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
It's No Game (No. 1)
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 2 |
Up the Hill Backwards
#32
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 3 |
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
#20
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 4 |
Ashes to Ashes
#1
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 5 |
Fashion
#5
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 6 |
Teenage Wildlife
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 7 |
Scream Like a Baby
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 8 |
Kingdom Come
|
Tom Verlaine | Tom Verlaine | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 9 |
Because You're Young
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |
| 10 |
It's No Game (No. 2)
|
David Bowie | David Bowie | David BowieTony Visconti | David Bowie (Vocals) |