| "Andy Warhol" | |
|---|---|
| Song byDavid Bowie | |
| from the albumHunky Dory | |
| A-side | "Changes" |
| Released | 17 December 1971 |
| Recorded | Summer 1971 |
| Studio | Trident, London |
| Length | 3:56 |
| Label | RCA |
| Songwriter | David Bowie |
| Producers | Ken Scott, David Bowie |
| Official audio | |
| "Andy Warhol" (2015 Remaster) onYouTube | |
"Andy Warhol" is a song written by the English singer-songwriterDavid Bowie in 1971 for the albumHunky Dory. It is an acoustic song about one of Bowie's early artist inspirations, the American pop artistAndy Warhol.
The album track opens with a series of strange electronic tones which fades into studio chatter in which producerKen Scott mispronounces Warhol's name and Bowie repeatedly corrects him. Scott then solemnly reintroduces the take with the correct pronunciation, and Bowie asks if the tape is rolling. Upon realising he is indeed being recorded, Bowie bursts into laughter and the song proper begins.
The song is memorable for a distinctive repeated riff played byMick Ronson on acoustic guitar.
Originally the song was written forDana Gillespie, who recorded it in 1971, but her version of the song was not released until 1973 on her albumWeren't Born a Man. Bowie produced Gillespie's version and Ronson also plays guitar.[1] Gillespie performed the song in 1974 on the Dutch television programmeTopPop.[2]
Bowie, an admirer of Warhol, sent him a copy ofHunky Dory and performed "Andy Warhol" for him in person at Warhol's studiothe Factory in New York in September 1971, before the album was released. Due to Warhol's typically minimal reaction, however, Bowie was never sure if he liked it.[3]
The song was released as the B-side of the single "Changes" in January 1972.[4] It also appeared on the Japanese compilationThe Best of David Bowie from 1974. An edited version, with the dialogue in the introduction cut, as it was on the US single version, is included onRe:Call 1, part of the 2015 boxed setFive Years (1969–1973).
A performance sung byDana Gillespie was recorded for BBC Radio's In Concert strand on 3 June 1971, presented by John Peel and first broadcast on 20 June that year.[5] Bowie played this song atBBC'sSounds of the 70s withBob Harris on 23 May 1972. This was broadcast on 19 June 1972, and in 2000 was released on theBowie at the Beeb album. A performance recorded at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 20 October 1972 has been released onSanta Monica '72 andLive Santa Monica '72. The song was a 1972 regular performance, but it was not played again until the 1995Outside Tour withNine Inch Nails.[6] One live performance from 1995 was released in 2020 on the live albumOuvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95). A November 1996 tour rehearsal recording of the song, which originally aired on a BBC radio broadcast in 1997, was released in 2020 on the albumChangesNowBowie.[7]
A riff from "Andy Warhol" (at 0:48) is quoted inMetallica's songMaster of Puppets (at 6:19). It is an homage made byCliff Burton andKirk Hammett to whom Bowie was a huge influence.[9]Rock bandStone Temple Pilots covered the song in theirMTV Unplugged performance in 1993.Rachel Stevens' "Funky Dory (song)" was based around the guitar riff from "Andy Warhol" where David Bowie receives a writing credit. Funky Dory charted at number 26 in the UK in 2003.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
