6 Things You Might Not Know About David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’

David Bowie ruled. And one of our favourite Bowie albums is unquestionably 1983’s smash hit Let’s Dance. So we decided to dig up some JACK facts so you can impress your friends and win over your enemies. Check them out below.

Stevie Ray Vaughan played lead guitar on the title track.

Bowie saw Vaughan perform at the Montreaux Jazz festival the year previous and was floored watching him play. Vaughan was recording his album “Texas Flood” when David Bowie called him up and asked him to play guitar on “Let’s Dance”.

Let’s Dance was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award in 1984 but lost to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Never heard of it.

via GIPHY

Let’s Dance was produced by Nile Rodgers, who helped come up with the album’s funky sound. Nile Rodgers previously founded the disco band Chic (“Upside Down” & “I’m Coming Out”) and also produced Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” record in 1985.

Nile Rodgers was quoted as saying “The first time I heard David Bowie’s music, I was naked on a beach”. Enough said!!

Back story: Rodgers was in Miami playing a club which was near a nude beach. The club’s photographer said to Rodgers: “Let’s spend the night on the beach naked and listen to David Bowie!”. Rodgers said he had no idea who David Bowie was, but went along with the offer and the two listened to Ziggy Stardust and the rest is history.

Bowie didn’t play any instruments on the album which was a huge departure from every other album of his.

In 1983, David Bowie told Timothy White for Musician Magazine: “I don’t play a damned thing. This was a singer’s album.”

China Girl was written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop while they were together in Berlin.

It’s safe to assume Iggy Pop probably wasn’t wearing a shirt when this song was written (is he ever in a shirt?) … but it was recorded and made its debut on Iggy Pop’s debut solo album “The Idiot” which was produced by David Bowie.

After spending two weeks researching for what the record would sound like, Bowie found the inspiration for this album … from a photo of Little Richard, wearing a red suit getting into a Cadillac.

We’ve looked for this photo but haven’t been able to find it. If you know it, please tag us on Twitter @JACK969van, we’d love to see it!!

Bowie said in a later interview that the success of the Let’s Dance album caused him to hit a creative low point in his career which lasted the next few years. We think through the high’s and low’s, Bowie did alright!!