David Bowie: Hunky Dory

I’ve wanted to feature a 1970s-era Bowie album for weeks, but it was hard picking one. How do you single out a Bowie album from that decade? It’s his best period; nearly every album is brilliant. So let’s talk about my personal favorite (after all, isn’t that what I’m doing on Tuesdays anyway?): Hunky Dory, released in December 1971.

Don’t you just feel cool when you listen to a Bowie song? Somehow he elevates us, makes us feel as groovy as he is. Or so that’s how I feel. I’m writing about early Bowie today, but I think he’s been relevant in every decade. Don’t agree? Listen to Heathen, released in 2002; it’s a great album, and he even covers The Pixies. And, yes, I like Tin Machine.

So, how many times have you seen Bowie live? Just four for me — and never during the 1970s, dammit; I wasn’t that cool in high school. I saw him twice in the 1980s, once in the 1990s, and two years ago. The most recent show was at our outdoor amphitheater, with opening act Stereophonics. We were on the ninth row, so close we could barely stand it, so close we had a discussion about his fabulous belt. Bowie still has the sexy charm and androgynous swagger that makes him Bowie. Love him.

Now, you youngsters out there put this album in chronological perspective. T. Rex’s Electric Warrior was released in September, three months before Hunky Dory — but both were recorded that spring. Think how fresh and new that glam pop sounded. The album came out before Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, Diamond Dogs, and Young Americans. The Man Who Sold the World came out earlier in 1971, but it’s more of a rock album.

I love every track on Hunky Dory, but I’m too tired to chat about each one. Let’s hit a few highlights (and I apologize for skipping “Oh! You Pretty Things,” but I’m trying to go with less familiar tunes).

You have to love an album that kicks off with “Changes.” Thirty-five years, and it’s still as fresh as it was the month it was released. I cannot switch the station when it’s playing, and I must sit in the car, singing and baying along at the top of my lungs, until it ends. I make others “break down and cry” when they hear me sing along. (And, yes, I know I’m referencing a non-Hunky Dory song.)

“Kooks” is a fun, loving family song, fitting for Bowie and Angela to sing to then-named Zowie: I bought you a pair of shoes / A trumpet you can blow / And a book of rules / On what to say to people when they pick on you / Cause if you stay with us / You’re gonna be pretty kookie too. If I’d had a child, this would have been one of her lullabies, with “Green Grows the Rushes” and “Pink Moon.”


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“Queen Bitch,” on the other hand, has that Velvet Underground sound. And you can dance to it! This may be my favorite track on the album.


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Who knew when he recorded “Andy Warhol” that he’d play his friend 25 years later in Basquiat? And he nailed that portrayal.


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Hunky Dory is great fun. If you love Bowie's music and don't have this disc, hit your local CD shop this week.

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