“Fashion” by David Bowie

After electrifying the ‘70s with his powerful sonic brew of glam rock, protopunk, blue-eyed soul, post punk and art rock, music chameleon David Bowie kicked off the ‘80s with a bang with Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), released in September of 1980. The album’s lead single is the brilliant “Ashes to Ashes,” which continues fictional astronaut Major Tom’s saga that began with Bowie’s 1969 classic “Space Oddity.” The second single is the high-voltage funk/dance/rock attack “Fashion.” Bowie had previously shown his strong funk credentials on tracks like "Golden Years,” "Stay" and “Fame,” so it’s not surprising that “Fashion” is so funky. The groove is powered by a piledriver bass line and mammoth beat. Guitar wizard Robert Fripp tears it up with his inventive lead-guitar work. The funk is further deepened by some wicked rhythm guitar licks. “Fashion” was originally a reggae song titled “Jamaica,” but Bowie and his band gradually began funkifying the groove as the session went on until it evolved into the funk gem that we know today.

On “Fashion,” Bowie slams the fashion industry for its superficiality and commercialism. With tongue-in-cheek, he draws parallels between those who slavishly adhere to fashion trends and fascism: “We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town.” Bowie was initially fascinated with the disco/fashion scene of the ‘70s but then soured on it when it became inorganic, commercialized and regimented. He shared his thoughts on it in an old interview: “When I first started going to discos in New York in the early ‘70s, there was a very high-powered enthusiasm and the scene had a natural course about it. It seems now to be replaced by an insidious grim determination to be fashionable, as though it’s actually a vocation. There’s some strange aura about it.”

Bowie was an influential fashion icon throughout most of his career; he was constantly setting new fashion trends with his ever-evolving image and persona. Each of his new music eras involved a drastic transformation of his look and sound. He served as the blueprint for superstar pop/fashion chameleons such as Madonna, Prince and Lady Gaga.

“Fashion” was written by Bowie, and he co-produced it with musician, singer and producer Tony Visconti. The song was released on October 20, 1980 on RCA Records. It peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart. It also performed well on the charts in Sweden (#7), South Africa (#8), Norway (#9), Ireland (#11) and New Zealand (#22). And it rose to #22 on Billboard’s dance club chart in the U.S.

“Fashion” has been sampled on four songs, per WhoSampled.com. It has been featured on the soundtracks for the films Clueless (1995) and Raising Helen (2004). The song was also used for a tribute to the fashion industry during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. New Musical Express (NME) ranked "Fashion" the eighth best song of 1980.

Here is the full personnel for “Fashion”: David Bowie (lead and backing vocals), Robert Fripp (lead guitar), Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar), George Murray (bass), Dennis Davis (drums) and Andy Clark (synthesizer).

Director David Mallet shot the song’s music video in a New York nightclub called Hurrah. Shots of  Bowie performing onstage with his band are interposed with footage of dancers rehearsing and a procession of New Romantics outside a soup kitchen. (The New Romantic was an underground subculture movement of the late ‘70s that was  characterized by its flamboyant and outré fashion.)

Bowie often performed “Fashion” in concert, and he never failed to bring massive doses of funk each time. The song always got a rousing response from the audience.

David Bowie performing "Fashion" on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2002

"Fashion" at Amazon