| "Subterraneans" | |
|---|---|
| Song byDavid Bowie | |
| from the albumLow | |
| Released | 14 January 1977 |
| Recorded | December 1975,Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles; September 1976, Château d'Hérouville, France; October–November 1976, Hansa Studio by the Wall, West Berlin, Germany[1][2] |
| Genre | Dark ambient |
| Length | 5:39 |
| Label | RCA |
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
| Producer(s) | David Bowie andTony Visconti |
"Subterraneans" is a song byDavid Bowie, the closing track of his 1977 albumLow. As with most of Side 2, "Subterraneans" is mostly instrumental, with brief, obscure lyrics sung near the song's end.
"Subterraneans" was first recorded in 1975 and intended for the soundtrack to the 1976 filmThe Man Who Fell to Earth.[1] It was later revisited during the sessions forLow.[1]
After theStation to Station sessions ended in November 1975 atCherokee Studios in Los Angeles, David Bowie recorded "Subterraneans" within those studios in December 1975.[1] The song later received overdubs byBrian Eno.
The sleeve notes ofLow credit "Peter and Paul with additionalARP synthesizer and piano". The "Peter and Paul" mentioned arePeter Robinson, who playedFender Rhodes, andPaul Buckmaster (the composer of the string arrangements for the Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile") who played theARP Odyssey.[3] Peter Robinson and Paul Buckmaster worked with Bowie at Cherokee Studios in late 1975 on the aborted movie soundtrack toThe Man Who Fell to Earth.
"Subterraneans" was ultimately the most heavily edited song onLow, with David Bowie's saxophone, as well as multilayered synthesizers and reversed instrument sounds fromBrian Eno, floating underneath a moaned vocal which iswordless until around the final ninety seconds. The soundscapes contain a cinematic quality which evokes the feel ofMiles Davis' landmark albumIn a Silent Way.[1]
Bowie related the song to the misery of those inEast Berlin during theCold War. According to Bowie, people who "got caught inEast Berlin after the separation – hence the faintjazzsaxophones representing the memory of what it was."[4]
