The London Boys

"The London Boys"
Single by David Bowie
A-side	"Rubber Band"
Released	2 December 1966 (1966-12-02) (as B-side) 2 May 1975 (1975-05-02) (as A-side)[1]
Recorded	18 October 1966
Studio	RG Jones, London
Genre	Mod
Length	3:20
Label	Deram
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie, Dek Fearnley
Alternative cover
Cover of the 1975 single

"The London Boys" is a song by the English musician David Bowie. It was first released as the B-side of the single "Rubber Band" in the United Kingdom on 2 December 1966. It was originally written and demoed in 1965 with the Lower Third for potential release as the artist's debut single for Pye Records but it was rejected. After a year of rewrites, he recorded a new version with a new band, the Buzz, which helped secure him a record contract with Decca-subsidiary Deram Records. Unlike the A-side, "The London Boys" retains the Mod feel of Bowie's previous singles. The dark lyrics concern a 17-year-old who leaves home for London and becomes embroiled in the Mod scene (the "London Boys" of the title), turning to pills to fit in.^[2] Like his previous singles, it failed to chart. Decca later issued it as an A-side in 1975.

Bowie's biographers and other reviewers have praised "The London Boys" as one of his finest tracks of the era. He considered re-recording the song for his covers album Pin Ups in 1973, although the idea was abandoned. After reviving it unexpectedly for live performances in 2000, Bowie re-recorded the song in 2000 for the Toy project, which was initially shelved and released posthumously in 2021. The new version is more guitar-led compared to the original. Artists who have covered the song include English artists the Times and Marc Almond, whose version was praised by Bowie himself.