David Bowie's Young Americans, released March 7, 1975 on RCA Records, marks his most dramatic stylistic pivot, abandoning glam rock entirely for Philadelphia soul, funk, and R&B, recorded at Sigma Sound Studios with some of the city's top session musicians. Bowie wrote or co-wrote seven of the eight tracks, with the sole exception being the John Lennon co-written and co-performed 'Fame,' which became Bowie's first US number-one single. 'Young Americans' itself, featuring Luther Vandross on backing vocals, is one of Bowie's most ironic and layered social commentaries, examining American aspirations through a British outsider's eyes. Carlos Alomar, who co-wrote 'Fame' and 'Fascination' with Bowie, became a key long-term collaborator from this album forward. The record reached the top five in both the US and UK, and its blue-eyed soul production style (what Bowie dubbed 'plastic soul') broadened his commercial reach while demonstrating his ability to completely inhabit a genre.
Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Americans | David Bowie | David Bowie | Tony Visconti |
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| 2 | Win | David Bowie | David Bowie | Tony Visconti |
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| 3 | Fascination | David Bowie, Luther Vandross | David Bowie, Luther Vandross | Tony Visconti |
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| 4 | Right | David Bowie | David Bowie | Tony Visconti |
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| 5 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | David Bowie | David Bowie | Tony Visconti |
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| 6 | Across the Universe | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Harry Maslin |
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| 7 | Can You Hear Me? | David Bowie | David Bowie | Harry Maslin |
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| 8 | Fame | David Bowie, Carlos Alomar, John Lennon | David Bowie, Carlos Alomar, John Lennon | Harry Maslin |
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