So why is David Bowie’s Let’s Dance on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Let’s Dance was my first introduction to David Bowie, and it became the version of Bowie that I knew during my childhood.
In fact, songs like “Modern Love,” “China Girl,” and the title track, “Let’s Dance,” made such an impression that I was amazed and slightly perplexed that there was this other Bowie (or Bowies, if you like) that was entirely different that dated back to many years earlier. Of course, I would soon embrace the incredible multitudes that make up Bowie, but the early ‘80s Bowie of Let’s Dance will always hold a special place for me.
From end to end, Let’s Dance is an accessible pop, rock, and new wave smasher. If I had to pick a favorite song, it’s “Modern Love,” which I’m pretty sure is the very first David Bowie song I ever heard. It’s iconically early ‘80s in sound, and owes as much to Billy Joel’s high energy, piano-driven hits as Bowie’s own varied influences.
“Let’s Dance” is a delightful mix of pop and slinky new wave. It’s the kind of song that would fit in just as effortlessly in a James Bond flick as at a discotheque or ‘80s high school dance.
As he so often does, Quentin Tarantino resurrected the musical treasure that is “Cat People (Putting Out Fire),” inserting it at a critical moment during the brilliant 2009 movie, Inglorious Basterds. It’s a powerhouse of a number, incredibly unique and a Bowie cut that has become one of my most favorite in recent years.
And then “China Girl” is a gentle, beguiling, and darkly pretty synth pop track.
Some stats & info about David Bowie – Let’s Dance
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, New Wave, Album Rock Dance Music, Synth Pop
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Let’s Dance released? 1983
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #262 out of 1,000
David Bowie’s Let’s Dance on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from David Bowie’s Let’s Dance that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
And I’ve been putting out the fire with gasoline.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.