Rebel Rebel

"Rebel Rebel"
Side A of the mid-1970s UK vinyl pressing
Single by David Bowie
from the album Diamond Dogs
B-side"Queen Bitch"
Released15 February 1974 (1974-02-15) (UK)
RecordedDecember 1973 – January 1974
Studio
Genre
Length4:20 (UK single)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)David Bowie
Producer(s)David Bowie
David Bowie singles chronology
"Sorrow"
(1973) 		"Rebel Rebel"
(1974) 		"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"
(1974)

"Rebel Rebel" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK on 15 February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album Diamond Dogs. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctive guitar riff reminiscent of the Rolling Stones. Cited as his most-covered track, "Rebel Rebel" has been described as Bowie's farewell to the glam rock movement[3] that he had helped initiate, as well as being a proto-punk track.[2] Two versions of the song were recorded: the well-known UK single release and the shorter US single release, which featured added background vocals, extra percussion and a new arrangement.

Upon its release, the song was a commercial success, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song received critical acclaim for its central guitar riff and strength as a glam anthem. Several publications consider it to be one of Bowie's greatest songs. It was performed live by Bowie during many of his concert tours and since appeared on many compilation albums. It was remastered in 2016 as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.

  1. ^ Savage, Jon (1 February 2013). "The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b Greene, Lora (2012). Combat Rock: A History of Punk (From Its Origins to the Present). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1478305637. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  3. ^ Trynka 2011, p. 246.