Speed of Life (David Bowie song)

1977 instrumental by David Bowie

"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
Released	14 January 1977
Recorded	September–November 1976
Genre	Art rock
Length	2:46
Label	RCA
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.

Live versions

Performances from the Isolar II Tour have been released on Stage (1978) and Welcome to the Blackout (2018). The song was also performed during the 2002 tour, in which Bowie played the Low album in its entirety on selected dates.^[2]

Other releases

It was released as the B-side of the single "Be My Wife" in June 1977.
It also appeared in the Sound + Vision box set.
It was released as a picture disc in the RCA Life Time picture disc set.

Production credits

Producers:
- Tony Visconti
Musicians:
- David Bowie: ARP synthesizer, Chamberlin
- Carlos Alomar: Guitar
- George Murray: Bass
- Dennis Davis: Drums
- Roy Young: Piano

Cover versions

ST-37 – Only Bowie (1995)
Insect Surfers – Ziggy Played Surf Guitar (Various Artists Compilation) (2011)
Shearwater – as part of a live performance of the entire Berlin Trilogy for WNYC (2018)^[3]

Sources

Greatorex, Johnathan. "Just a Mortal With Potential." Teenage Wildlife. Nov. 1996. 6 Mar. 2006 <http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Interact/fc/misc/JG/index.html>.
Griffin, Roger. "Low." Bowie Golden Years. Jan. 2005. 6 Mar. 2006 <http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/low.html>.
Wilcken, Hugo, Low, Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, 2005, ISBN 0-8264-1684-5

References

^ O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to ashes. London: Repeater Books. p. 33. ISBN 9781912248360.
^ "Sound + Vision: David Bowie plays 'Low' in concert, 2002". DangerousMinds. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
^ Dorris, Jesse (23 October 2018). "A Surprising Tribute to David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, Played in a Manhattan Mall". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.