Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia · Slate Podcasts

Starman to Blackstar Edition Part 2

·57 min·5 clips

David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes became his fastest-selling UK single ever, but flopped in America at number 101.

This episode continues host Chris Molanphy's chart analysis of David Bowie's career, focusing on his 1980s pop comeback and later experimental phases. Molanphy, a Slate critic and chart expert, details Bowie's shifting commercial fortunes and artistic reinventions through specific hits and albums. Bowie's 1980 album "Scary Monsters" was a major UK comeback that peaked at number one, but it only reached number 12 in the US. Its lead single, "Ashes to Ashes," revived the Major Tom character and became Bowie's fastest-selling UK single, hitting number one, though it stalled at number 101 in America. The album's track "Fashion" performed better in the US, cracking the Hot 100 and peaking at number 70. Bowie's 1981 duet with Queen, "Under Pressure," returned him to the US top 40, peaking at number 28, and hit number one in the UK. For the 1982 film *Cat People*, Bowie collaborated with producer Giorgio Moroder on the title track, which reached the US rock top 10. Determined to create global hits, Bowie partnered with producer Nile Rodgers in 1983, resulting in the album "Let's Dance." The title track became Bowie's first US number one single since 1975's "Fame," aided by a searing guitar solo from Stevie Ray Vaughan. The album's second single, a reworked cover of Iggy Pop's "China Girl," reached number 10 on the Hot 100. A third single, "Modern Love," peaked at number 14, making "Let's Dance" Bowie's first album with multiple US top-ten hits. The album itself reached number four on the Billboard chart and was his first to go platinum in America. Bowie's subsequent 1984 album "Tonight" was critically panned but still reached the US top ten and went platinum, fueled by the top-ten single "Blue Jean." In 1985, his charity duet with Mick Jagger on "Dancing in the Street" for Live Aid reached number seven in the US and number one in the UK. Feeling artistically unfulfilled by this commercial period, Bowie later formed the noisy rock band Tin Machine in 1989, which found some success on Billboard's new Modern Rock chart but sold poorly. The 1990s saw Bowie experimenting with electronic and industrial music, collaborating with Brian Eno on 1995's "Outside" and Trent Reznor on a remix. After a heart attack halted his 2004 tour, Bowie entered a period of seclusion before a surprise return in 2013 with the album "The Next Day," which debuted at number two in the US. Following a cancer diagnosis, he secretly recorded his final album, "Blackstar," with a jazz ensemble led by saxophonist Donny McCaslin. Released on his birthday in 2016, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 after Bowie's death two days later, and its single "Lazarus" became his last US top 40 hit. A surprising insight is that Bowie's two highest-charting US albums were his final two, "The Next Day" and "Blackstar," despite being among his least pop-oriented works. The episode reveals that Bowie had session musicians sign non-disclosure agreements to keep "The Next Day" a secret. His 1985 single "This Is Not America" with the Pat Metheny Group cracked the top 40, showing his range even during his commercial peak. The narrative notes that the "Let's Dance" album's success launched the career of guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The tone is educational and analytical, blending music criticism with detailed chart history in a narrative style. The host delivers the content in an engaging, conversational monologue, rich with specific data and cultural context. This episode is ideal for music history buffs, David Bowie fans, and listeners fascinated by the mechanics of pop chart success. Those seeking only light entertainment or uninterested in detailed musical analysis might find the depth less engaging.

As heard by us

Bowie's 80s reset feels like triumph, friction, and the charts still keeping score.

Bowie's 1980s turn is framed as more than a career detour: it reads as a push to trade old momentum for something sharper, even if the results were never fully free of the machine that made them.

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Why you'd press play

You want Bowie at peak glide, then the bill that followed.

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