Speed of Life (David Bowie song)

"Speed of Life"
B-side label of the UK vinyl pressing of the
"Be My Wife" single release
Instrumental by David Bowie
from the album Low
Released14 January 1977
RecordedSeptember–November 1976
GenreArt rock
Length2:46
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)David Bowie
Producer(s)David Bowie and Tony Visconti

"Speed of Life" is the first instrumental by David Bowie. It is the opening track on his album Low from 1977.

"Speed of Life" introduces the Low album, and, coupled with the instrumental "A New Career in a New Town", provides a front bookend for the A-side of the album. The track opens with its heavy use of synthesizers as both effects and instruments, with the presence of Dennis Davis' drums and the overlaid harmonizer creating a distinctly different mix than any previous Bowie album.

The song includes the refrain from Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again.[1]

Lyrics were originally planned for this song, but Bowie abandoned the idea after several attempts, deciding that the piece stood better on its own.

  1. ^ O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to ashes. London: Repeater Books. p. 33. ISBN 9781912248360.