| "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" | |
|---|---|
| Song by David Bowie | |
| from the album Diamond Dogs | |
| Released | 24 May 1974 |
| Recorded | January 1974 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:57 |
| Label | RCA |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | David Bowie |
| "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by David Bowie | ||||
| from the album David Live | ||||
| B-side | "Panic in Detroit" | |||
| Released | September 1974 (US) | |||
| Recorded | Philadelphia, July 1974 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | RCA PB 10105 (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | David Bowie | |||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Rock 'n' Roll with Me" is a power ballad[1][2] written by David Bowie and Geoff MacCormack and recorded in January 1974 that first appeared on Bowie's Diamond Dogs album, supposedly to address the artist's complex relation with his fans.[3] A version recorded during the Diamond Dogs tour in July 1974 was released on the album David Live.
While the song "Knock on Wood" from David Live was issued as a single in the UK, "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" was chosen for release as the US single (RCA PB 10105) in September 1974, in response to Donovan's recent cover version.[4] The B-side in each case was another live recording from the Diamond Dogs tour, "Panic in Detroit", originally from Aladdin Sane (1973). An edited version was issued on a US promotional single (RCA JB 10105) that same month.
Like "Rebel Rebel", the lead single from Diamond Dogs, "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" was conceived as part of a never-produced Ziggy Stardust musical in 1973.[5] It has been described as "one of Bowie's least self-conscious love songs" and a foretaste of the R&B balladry on Young Americans (1975).[6]
Cash Box said of the live single that "the spontaneity of Bowie's performance comes across with some heavy instrumentation and Bowie's inimitable vocal style."[7]
On 27 July 2016, a remastered version of the 1974 live promo single edit was posted online to promote the upcoming compilation Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976). Subsequently, this version was included on Re:Call 2, part of the compilation.
- ^ Chapman, Ian (1 September 2015). Experiencing David Bowie: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 97. ISBN 9781442237520.
- ^ Perone, James E. (2007). The Words and Music of David Bowie. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 44. ISBN 9780275992453.
- ^ Robert Hilburn (1971). "Bowie Finds His Voice" Archived 17 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Melody Maker.
- ^ Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.175-175
- ^ David Buckley (1999) Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.140
- ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.62
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 2 November 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2021.