The song is familiar to the majority. Few people can recall the author of most of it. And 50-years ago, two rock icons entered a recording studio with one idea and one thing, but left without having formed the other. The secret of Fame has been a matter of right before our eyes.
Forgotten Collaboration
In 1975, the name of John Lennon featured squarely in the liner notes of Young Americans. Nobody hid it. Somehow, more than half a century ago, all people simply forgot the fact that one of the beats in this unforgettable song was written by a Beatle.
How It Happened
Bowie invited Lennon in, where he recorded a Beatles cover. Instead, they began jamming. Guitarist Carlos Alomar came on board and was out of this studio in a matter of hours.
Three Men One Song
Alomar introduced the riff. Lennon sang with an acoustic guitar and screamed that memorable Aim. The cynical lyrics were written by Bowie. The three secluded minds were chained to make something that none of them could have produced alone.
The First Number One of Bowie
Before his fame, Bowie had never hit American charts in spite of years of acclaim. This changed everything. It topped Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1975 and remained at the top of the list for two complete weeks.
Why It Mattered
That rank became even more valuable to Bowie than a hit. It allowed him to continue universally reinventing himself in the next forty years. The later Bowie chapters would have had a totally different appearance without Fame.
Lennon’s Hidden Fingerprints
Ask the majority of the fans these days who helped in co-writing fame, and blank stares will be the answer to that. Lennon had frivolously slipped into triviality over 50 years. One of the best hidden links in the sphere of music is entirely unnoticeable.
Sampled Everywhere
Here, Parliament owes a grave debt to Give Up the Funk. So does an endless variety of hip hop songs that came after. A single impromptu studio recording in 1975 gently influenced American pop music over the decades later.
Bowie’s Brave Pivot
Bowie abandoned glam rock and went with soul and funk. The critics scratched their heads. Fans weren’t sure. The operant conditioning of the gamble was a spectacular success as he could turn the ship around and not lose anybody important.
Secret Worth Knowing
The following time Fame is on, afford Lennon his credit, as well. Two legends intended to do a cover version and ended up writing a masterpiece. And this is normally the way that good music is created.
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