It’s been two years since we lost David Bowie, and his absence still stings. He was a true revolutionary who will never be replaced. So, in his honor, here are my 10 favorite Bowie songs in order. Of course, this is a completely unscientific list, and I spent way too long narrowing this down to just 10 rather than throwing in a bunch of honorable mentions.
10. Blue Jean
This is just a fun song. It makes me want to get up and dance. Also a great song to rock out to in the car.
9. Life on Mars?
This was one of my first introductions to some of David Bowie’s less known but still excellent work. I first heard this song in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which is an excellent movie if you enjoy David Bowie’s music.
8. Ashes to Ashes
I love how Bowie was both forward thinking and self-referential. This song is a perfect example.
7. The Man Who Sold the World
This song sounded just as revolutionary when Nirvana covered it in the 90s as it did when it first came out. So much of Bowie’s music is wonderfully timeless.
6. Heroes
This is another example of a thoroughly timeless song. Upon hearing it for the first time as a kid, I thought it was from the 90s (blame Moulin Rouge for this), rather than the 70s.
5. Starman
Out of the multitude of space-age David Bowie songs, I feel like most people would choose “Space Oddity” or “Moonage Daydream” but “Starman” is the clear winner for me. It’s just proof that Bowie was never completely of this world.
4. Young Americans
Is it really surprising that I had a hardcore Anglophile phase? I’ve never learned more about being an American than when I studied abroad in London, and I think I listened to this song every single day I was there.
3. Diamond Dogs
Other than having one of my favorite lyrics of all time (“In the year of the scavenger, season of the bitch”), this song is just a glam-rock jam.
2. Golden Years
This is another college-era standard for me. And it’s great to note all the different styles David Bowie experimented with over the years. Even my personal list travels directly from rock n’ roll to something more jazzy.
1. Queen Bitch
I did not discover this song until later in my David Bowie phase, but it quickly became one of my favorite songs of all time. “Queen Bitch” is my personal anthem and it absolutely is a title I am happy to claim for myself. This is David Bowie’s tribute to Velvet Underground, and he does it seamlessly.
