Look Back in Anger (song)
| "Look Back in Anger" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyDavid Bowie | ||||
| from the albumLodger | ||||
| B-side | "Repetition" | |||
| Released | 20 August 1979(US) | |||
| Recorded |
| |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| David Bowiesingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Look Back In Anger"onYouTube | ||||
"Look Back in Anger"is a song written by English artistsDavid BowieandBrian Enofor the albumLodger(1979). It concerns "a tatty 'Angel of Death'",[1]and features a guitar solo byCarlos Alomar.
RCA Recordswas unsure if America was ready for the sexual androgyny of "Boys Keep Swinging",[2]the lead-off single fromLodgerin most territories, and "Look Back in Anger" was issued instead.[3]The B-side was another track fromLodgercalled "Repetition",a story of domestic violence. The single failed to chart.
Beyond the shared title, the song has nothing to do with theJohn OsborneplayLook Back in Anger.Bowie performed the song on his 1983Serious Moonlight Tour(it is the opening number on theSerious Moonlightfilm) and reworked it in the mid-1990s as a heavy rock song for theOutside,Earthling,Heathentours.
Critical reception[edit]
"Look Back in Anger" has a mixed reputation among Bowie commentators.NMEcriticsRoy CarrandCharles Shaar Murraydescribed it as "probably the low point" of the album,[1]whileNicholas Peggconsiders it "one ofLodger'sdramatic highlights "[3]and Chris O'Leary has called it "one of Bowie's strongest songs of the late Seventies".[4]
Track listing[edit]
- "Look Back in Anger" (David Bowie,Brian Eno) – 3:08
- "Repetition"(Bowie) – 2:59
Personnel[edit]
- Producers:
- Musicians:
- David Bowie: vocals, guitar
- Dennis Davis:drums and congas
- George Murray:bass
- Carlos Alomar:guitar
- Sean Mayes: piano
- Brian Eno:synthesizer,horse trumpet,Eroica horn
- Tony Visconti:backing vocals
Music video[edit]
David Malletdirected a music video for the song, featuring Bowie in an artist's studio. The scenario was based on the conclusion ofOscar Wilde'sThe Picture of Dorian Gray,as a self-portrait of the protagonist grows more handsome while he himself physically decays.[5]
Other releases[edit]
"Look Back in Anger" has appeared on the following compilations:Chameleon(Australia/New Zealand 1979),Christiane F.soundtrack (1981),Golden Years(1983),Sound + Vision(1989),The Singles Collection(1993),The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979(1998), andThe Platinum Collection(2005/2006).
A concert performance recorded on 12 September 1983 may be heard on the live albumSerious Moonlight (Live '83),which was part of the 2018 box setLoving the Alien (1983-1988)and was released separately the following year. The filmed performance appears on the concert videoSerious Moonlight.
In summer 1988 Bowie recorded a "new, brutal version of the song" withReeves Gabrelson lead guitar,Kevin Armstrongon rhythm guitar, andErdal Kizilcayon bass and drums; it was the first arrangement Bowie and Gabrels collaborated on, taking place shortly before the formation of the bandTin Machine.[6][7]The recording was issued as a bonus track on theRykodiscrelease ofLodgerin 1991.
Bowie subsequently performed the song on several of his later tours, including the 1995Outside Tour,the 1997Earthling Tour,and his 2002Heathen Tour.Live versions from the 1995 tour were included onOuvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)andNo Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)(both released in 2020).
References[edit]
- ^abRoy Carr&Charles Shaar Murray(1981).Bowie: An Illustrated Record:p.106
- ^Nicholas Pegg(2000).The Complete David Bowie:p.43
- ^abNicholas Pegg(2000).The Complete David Bowie:p.131
- ^Chris O'Leary (2019).Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie, 1976–2016:p.128
- ^David Buckley (1999).Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story:p.355
- ^David Buckley (1999).Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story:pp.449–450
- ^Chris O'Leary (2019).Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie, 1976–2016:pp.126, 128, 278–279