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DailyBoom Your Old School Music Authority

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: David Bowie - 'China Girl'


"I couldn't escape this feeling with my China girl

I feel a wreck without my little China girl
I hear her heart beating loud as thunder
Saw these stars crashing

I'm a mess without my little China girl

Wake up in the morning, where's my little China girl
I hear her heart's beating loud as thunder
Saw these stars crashing down"

It has been awhile since anything by David Bowie has made its' way on to DailyBOOM, hasn't it? So let's revisit "China Girl", a song that was first recorded by Iggy Pop in the late 70's with little fanfare. He and Bowie had written it together and when Bowie remade it in 1983, it found commercial success. It's off of the Let's Dance album and the single was sandwiched between the title track and the later release of "Modern Love", so it was basically positioned for success.

The song itself has always had a bit of a double meaning. While the video depicts a romance, China is a term for heroin and girl is a term for cocaine. Bowie supposedly loved the hidden meaning of the song because he loved adding different layers to his music. 

I just remember loving the song as a kid and I still believe it's one of Bowie's best tracks to come out of the 80's. Check out the video below!