David Bowie: Never in the Top of the Pops

Bowie's landmark performance of "Starman" on the British television programme "Top of the Pops" in 1972

As I wrote yesterday, I got my hands on a list of the Bowie songs Sony/ATV owns the publishing rights to, and it's impressive, to say the least (refer to the playlist below).



However, when the book listed all of these songs, it also included it's "Billboard Hot 100"* ranking.  Now, although I rarely pay attention to this list, it is a decent indicator to see what the studios want the public to listen to (and what the masses, in general, are also listening to by sheer radio air play time).  This is what was listed:

"All the Young Dudes" #37 (recorded by Mott the Hoople)
"Changes" #41
"China Girl" #10
"Dancing in the Street" #7 (recorded by David Bowie & Mick Jagger)
"Fame" #1
"Fashion" #70
"Golden Years" #10
"Rebel Rebel" #64
"Sound and Vision" #69
"Starman" #65
"The Jean Genie" #71
"Under Pressure" #29 (recorded by Queen & David Bowie)
"Young Americans" #28

All of the others that are unlisted, but still included in the Spotify playlist didn't break into the Top 100.

Now granted, Sony/ATV certainly doesn't own the rights to every Bowie song (not by a long shot), but the ones that they do own are pretty respectable in their own right.  In fact, these are some of Bowie's most famous songs.  And no one in the music industry (or outside of it) denies the sheer genius and impact Bowie had on both the musical and pop culture scene of the 1970s (and beyond).  To put it another way, in many books about the history of rock'n'roll that I have read, a common breakdown is "from The Beatles to Bowie".  In fact, in the booklet itself, the two highlighted acts are indeed The Beatles for the 1960s and Bowie for the 1970s. 

Yet despite the 1000+ songs Bowie made in over fifty years, his international renown and respect as an artist that changed the face of rock music and pop culture (indeed, the most prominent and important artist since the Beatles agreed upon by fans and critics alike), and the fact that he made a respectable living off of the music he created, it's rather odd to consider that only two of his songs ever hit #1 in the US ("Fame" and "Let's Dance") - so to visually see such minimal representation of his work in the charts is rather jarring.

However, this is rather typical of Bowie's work.  Despite his genius (and his status as a "rock god"), Bowie never really became a commercial success in the way that we think of it today.  "Let's Dance" from 1983 was the peak of his commercial success, and his only competitive Grammy win was for the long-form music video/short film "Jazzin for Blue Jean" from 1984.  That isn't to say he was "short for cash" or "wishing for success".  Many inside and outside of the music industry highly revered Bowie and respected his work, and the man himself was worth around $230 million dollars before his death.  An impressive feat for a "non-mainstream" musician who once joked that he was going to release an album called "4" (in response to the Beatles releasing their "1" album in 2000 which celebrated every "Number 1" hit they had from 1962 to 1970).

Not only does this show how astute of a businessman Bowie really was, but it is also a great example of how the accolades and awards academies may or may not bestow upon an individual is not a guide to whether or not a work is successful or, indeed, worthy of praise.  And as a "five seconds of fame" culture, I think it is more important than ever to remember as an artist to create works that are lasting and meaningful, rather than "just trying to get that one breakthrough hit".  This isn't to say that Bowie himself was so altruistic (indeed, many of his songs were made in an attempt to score that "hit single" - particularly in the American market - and he himself didn't believe there was such a thing as "non-profit art").  Rather, it seems that he was right when he stated, "The only real failure is trying to second-guess the taste of an audience. Nothing comes out of that except a kinda of inward humiliation."

Thus, by working "for himself" Bowie was able to create a lasting career out of an art which, as he described it, had given him, "...over 40 years of extraordinary experiences. I can't say that life's pains or more tragic episodes have been diminished because of it. But it's allowed me so many moments of companionship when I've been lonely and a sublime means of communication when I wanted to touch people. It's been both my doorway of perception and the house that I live in."

And really, in the grand scheme of things, that's the type of career I hope to have in my own industry.


*quick note here to emphasize that all of these rankings are reflective of US chart-listings and not international markets despite my ironic choice to use his performance on a British television show as the opening picture and title inspiration