David Bowie – All the Young Dudes

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  My Opinion:Mott the Hoople's version of this song came out back in 1972. I was 13 years old, and I remember the first time I heard it on the radio - it sounded so weird and different from everything else on the radio. That strange chord sequence and the odd chorus anthem with those singalong glam vocals. Back then, radio stations had real humans spinning songs, and somehow this song got just enough attention to get played a few times among all the pop star Carpenters, Jim Croce and Harry Chapins of that era. Eventually it became a very minor radio hit here in the US, barely making it into the top 40 for a week or two. But that was enough for the local K-Mart to carry the 45 single, so I used my allowance that week to buy it, so I could listen to it all summer long. I could never really understand the words except "all the young dudes, carry the news" and something about T.Rex (Bang A Gong was my other favorite song that year) and Beatles and Stones, but it didn't matter. It was the sound and the look - I found a Creem magazine with pics of Mott and Bowie and Bolan and all the British glam rock stars splashed everywhere on the pages. I just went nuts over it all.

  Flag zosanon December 04, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I don't know anything about the remakes you guys are mentioning by Mott the Whoever and this Bowie guy, I'll take Bruce Dickinson's original over any cover version anyday!!! UP THE IRONS!

  Flag anvilheadsixon February 03, 2011   Link

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    Sorry Anvilheadsix, but Bruce Dickinson's version is not the original, it is in fact a cover version released many years later. :-)

    Flag kymson October 13, 2011  

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    Ignorant - Dickinson's cover isn't bad, but it's Bowie's song, and Mott the Hoople covered it long before Dickinson

    Flag slywlfon August 27, 2012  
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  My Interpretation:Some of this has been said before, but I'm posting this as further proof this is a song about glam rock. It is not a gay anthem, although gender bending and cross-dressing, as well as homosexual behavior, were very much part of the glam rock scene. Note the references to T. Rex, Freddy Mercury, ect. and the rejection of the Beatles and Stones era. There's also reference to society's rejection of (what was at the time) the newest type of rock in the lines "Television man is crazy saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks." and "Oh brother you guessed I'm a dude now". I'm not 100% sure on this, but think the line "And Freddy's got zits from picking off the stars from his face" refers to Freddy Mercury ripping those big glittery sticker like things that were shaped like lightening bolts or stars off his face. I imagine they left a red mark like how there's temporary redness on your face after getting your eyebrows waxed.

  Flag toki667on May 25, 2010   Link

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    Queen formed in 71. debut album not until 73.

    Flag HairyPalmJoeon October 13, 2011  

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    Hi Toki. The reference to Freddie being Freddie Mercury can not be right. All the Young Dudes was written in 1972, Queen were unheard of at this time.

    Flag kymson October 13, 2011  
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  General Comment:*bowie's

  Flag jasssson July 19, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:i first heard mott the hooples version and i later heard owie's which i like better. he's just so cool!! :)

  Flag jasssson July 19, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I've heard this is not only an anthem for young gay males, but for old ones......

  Flag lilith2on July 12, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Bowie wrote the song for Mott the Hoople. its originally a part of the Ziggy Stardust story:
  
  ""The time is five years to go before the end of the earth. It has been announced that the world will end because of lack of natural resources. Ziggy is in a position where all the kids have access to things that they thought they wanted. The older people have lost all touch with reality and the kids are left on their own to plunder anything. Ziggy was in a rock-and-roll band and the kids no longer want rock-and-roll. There's no electricity to play it. Ziggy's adviser tells him to collect news and sing it, 'cause there is no news. So Ziggy does this and there is terrible news. 'All the young dudes' is a song about this news. It's no hymn to the youth as people thought. It is completely the opposite. "

  Flag THe_Atomic_Punkon September 22, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Guys! Isn't it, "Oh man, I _DON'T_ need T.V. when I got T-Rex" ??

  Flag a3soggettion September 17, 2008   Link

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    No, the line is ironic, it shows contempt for the judgemental line before it, but most lines in the song should be read as ambiguous since that is the whole point of the work, (also, whenever you use the word should you should stop writing about glam, they thought the concept of should was hilarious.)

    Flag HamishMcGeachon August 26, 2011  
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  General Comment:T.Rex is the band that Marc Bolan sang for back in the 70's. They were popular for being a glam-rock band.

  Flag PtolemyKittyon January 25, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Enough about Mott the Hoople and Bowie...
  
  Has anyone heard Ozzy's cover of this song? It friggin' rocks.

  Flag Zekon December 27, 2007   Link

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