Holy Holy (song)
"Holy Holy" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by David Bowie | ||||
B-side | "Black Country Rock" | |||
Released | 15 January 1971 (1971-01-15) | |||
Recorded | 9, 13–16 November 1970[1] | |||
Studio | Island (London) | |||
Genre |
| |||
Length | 3:13 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | David Bowie | |||
Producer(s) | Blue Mink | |||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Holy Holy" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally released as a single in January 1971. It was recorded in November 1970,[2] after the completion of The Man Who Sold the World, in the perceived absence of a clear single from that album. Like Bowie's two previous singles, it sold poorly and failed to chart.
At the time Marc Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex was a significant source of inspiration for Bowie. On this track, according to NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray, "Bolan's influence is so much in the ascendant that it virtually amounts to a case of demonic possession".[3] The single's B-side was another Tyrannosaurus Rex flavoured song called "Black Country Rock" from The Man Who Sold the World. Bowie performed "Holy Holy" on Britain's Granada Television wearing a dress,[4] which he would also wear on the cover of the soon-to-be-released UK edition of The Man Who Sold the World.
A more energetic version of the song was recorded in late 1971 for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.[4] It was dropped from the album, but subsequently appeared as the B-side to "Diamond Dogs" in 1974. This version was also released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc reissue of The Man Who Sold the World in 1990 (despite the sleeve notes referring to it as the original cut), as well as on the Ziggy Stardust – 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc in 2002. Bowie himself vetoed the inclusion of the original at a late stage (in favour of the remake), and the single remained the only official release of the 1970 recording until 2015, when it was included on Re:Call 1, part of the Five Years (1969–1973) compilation.
Track listing
All tracks written by David Bowie.[5][6]
- 1971 Mercury single
- "Holy Holy" – 3:13
- "Black Country Rock" – 3:05
- 1974 RCA single
- "Diamond Dogs" – 5:56
- "Holy Holy" – 2:20
Personnel
Credits according to biographer Chris O'Leary.[7]
- Original version
- David Bowie – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Alan Parker – lead guitar
- Herbie Flowers – bass, producer
- Barry Morgan – drums
- Re-recorded version
- David Bowie – vocals
- Mick Ronson – lead and rhythm guitar
- Trevor Bolder – bass
- Woody Woodmansey – drums
- Ken Scott – producer
Notes
- ^ Pegg 2016, p. 114.
- ^ Cann 2010, p. 199.
- ^ Carr & Murray 1981, pp. 32, 36.
- ^ a b Buckley 1999, pp. 97–98, 119.
- ^ "Holy Holy" (Single liner notes). David Bowie. UK: Mercury Records. 1971. 6052 049.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Diamond Dogs" (Single liner notes). David Bowie. UK: RCA Victor. 1974. APBO 0293.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ O'Leary 2015, p. 164.
References
- Buckley, David (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-85227-784-0.
- Cann, Kevin (2010). Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974. Croydon, Surrey: Adelita. ISBN 978-0-95520-177-6.
- Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Shaar (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record. London: Eel Pie Publishing. ISBN 978-0-38077-966-6.
- O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76. Winchester: Zero Books. ISBN 978-1-78099-244-0.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
- v
- t
- e
- "Liza Jane"
- "I Pity the Fool"
- "You've Got a Habit of Leaving"
- "Baby Loves That Way"
- "Can't Help Thinking About Me"
- "Do Anything You Say"
- "I Dig Everything"
- "Rubber Band"
- "The London Boys"
- "The Laughing Gnome"
- "Love You till Tuesday"
- "Space Oddity"
- "The Prettiest Star"
- "Memory of a Free Festival"
- "Holy Holy"
- "Moonage Daydream"
- "Hang On to Yourself"
- "Changes"
- "Starman"
- "John, I'm Only Dancing"
- "The Jean Genie"
- "Drive-In Saturday"
- "Time"
- "Life on Mars"
- "Let's Spend the Night Together"
- "Sorrow"
- "Rebel Rebel"
- "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"
- "Diamond Dogs"
- "1984"
- "Knock on Wood"
- "Rock 'n' Roll with Me"
- "Young Americans"
- "Fame"
- "Golden Years"
- "Station to Station" (French promo)
- "TVC 15"
- "Suffragette City"
- "Stay"
- "Sound and Vision"
- "Be My Wife"
- "'Heroes'"
- "Beauty and the Beast"
- "Breaking Glass"
- "Boys Keep Swinging"
- "D.J."
- "Yassassin"
- "Look Back in Anger"
- "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)"
- "Alabama Song"
- "Crystal Japan"
- "Ashes to Ashes"
- "Fashion"
- "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"
- "Up the Hill Backwards"
- "Under Pressure"
- "Wild Is the Wind"
- "The Drowned Girl"
- "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"
- "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"
- "Let's Dance"
- "China Girl"
- "Modern Love"
- "Without You"
- "White Light/White Heat"
- "Blue Jean"
- "Tonight"
- "This Is Not America"
- "Loving the Alien"
- "Dancing in the Street"
- "Absolute Beginners"
- "Underground"
- "When the Wind Blows"
- "Magic Dance"
- "Day-In Day-Out"
- "Time Will Crawl"
- "Never Let Me Down"
- "Under the God"
- "Heaven's in Here"
- "Tin Machine" / "Maggie's Farm (live)"
- "Prisoner of Love"
- "Fame '90"
- "You Belong in Rock n' Roll"
- "Baby Universal"
- "One Shot"
- "Real Cool World"
- "Jump They Say"
- "Black Tie White Noise"
- "Miracle Goodnight"
- "The Buddha of Suburbia"
- "Ziggy Stardust"
- "The Hearts Filthy Lesson"
- "Strangers When We Meet" / "The Man Who Sold the World (live)"
- "Hallo Spaceboy"
- "Telling Lies"
- "Little Wonder"
- "Dead Man Walking"
- "Seven Years in Tibet"
- "Pallas Athena"
- "I'm Afraid of Americans"
- "I Can't Read"
- "Without You I'm Nothing"
- "Thursday's Child"
- "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"
- "Survive"
- "Seven"
- "Slow Burn"
- "Everyone Says 'Hi'"
- "I've Been Waiting for You"
- "Shadow Man"
- "New Killer Star"
- "Just for One Day (Heroes)"
- "Rebel Never Gets Old"
- "Golden Years David Bowie vs KCRW"
- "Where Are We Now?"
- "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
- "The Next Day"
- "Valentine's Day"
- "Love Is Lost"
- "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore"
- "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)"
- "Blackstar"
- "Lazarus"
- "I Can't Give Everything Away"
- "Silly Boy Blue"
- "Let Me Sleep Beside You"
- "Karma Man"
- "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed"
- "Cygnet Committee"
- "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud"
- "The Width of a Circle"
- "All the Madmen"
- "Black Country Rock"
- "After All"
- "She Shook Me Cold"
- "The Man Who Sold the World"
- "The Supermen"
- "Oh! You Pretty Things"
- "Kooks"
- "Quicksand"
- "Andy Warhol"
- "Song for Bob Dylan"
- "Queen Bitch"
- "The Bewlay Brothers"
- "Bombers"
- "Five Years"
- "Soul Love"
- "Lady Stardust"
- "Velvet Goldmine"
- "Sweet Head"
- "Amsterdam"
- "Round and Round"
- "Watch That Man"
- "Aladdin Sane"
- "Panic in Detroit"
- "Cracked Actor"
- "Lady Grinning Soul"
- "All the Young Dudes"
- "Future Legend"
- "Sweet Thing"
- "Big Brother"
- "Can You Hear Me?"
- "Right"
- "Fascination"
- "Word on a Wing"
- "Speed of Life"
- "What in the World"
- "Always Crashing in the Same Car"
- "Warszawa"
- "Art Decade"
- "Weeping Wall"
- "Subterraneans"
- "Joe the Lion"
- "Sons of the Silent Age"
- "Blackout"
- "V-2 Schneider"
- "Sense of Doubt"
- "Neuköln"
- "Fantastic Voyage"
- "It's No Game"
- "Teenage Wildlife"
- "Scream Like a Baby"
- "As the World Falls Down"
- "Girls"
- "Nite Flights"
- "I'm Deranged"
- "Nature Boy"
- "Cactus"
- "Pablo Picasso"
- "The Loneliest Guy"
- "Try Some, Buy Some"
- "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon"
- "Bring Me the Disco King"
- "Girl Loves Me"
- "Dollar Days"