“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” Songs Ranked

You would have a hard time finding a Bowie fan who didn’t rank “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” among one of his best, or as one of the greatest albums of all time for that matter. Nobody can deny the brilliance of this album, but some songs have to be better than others – how would I rank them all?

You can check out some of my other lists below:

OK

11 – Star

This is the only track on the album that I’m not too fond of, but even then it only just missed out on a place in “Good”.

Good

10 – It Ain’t Easy

With a catchy chorus and great performances all-round, it’s a shame to say “It Ain’t Easy” is only the second worst song on the record, but that’s the sort of standards we’re dealing with here.

9 – Hang on to Yourself

Apparently this is one of Bowie’s favourites, and while it does sound like they all had a barrel of laughs making it, “Hang on to Yourself” has always seemed a bit filler to me.

8 – Lady Stardust

A lovely, slowed-down track to once again showcase Bowie’s immense vocal talents, but even I have to admit that it can feel a bit too slow at times on an otherwise insanely upbeat record.

Great

7 – Five Years

A fantastic album opener that sets the tone and lays out the plot, there haven’t been many better concept album openers in music history. Not the craziest song Bowie ever did, but its simplicity is effective and the vocal performance is as outstanding as ever.

Amazing

6 – Soul Love

Call me crazy, but I’d almost rank this track among some of Bowie’s best. I don’t really know why this track stands out as much as it does, maybe it’s just the general jazzy feel of it all.

5 – Starman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI66hcu9fIs

This was a tricky song for me to place, as it’s obviously an all-time classic and would otherwise deserve to be in that category, but I’ve always felt “Starman” was a bit too overplayed. It’s my list, and I hate to say it but I think it can only go in “Amazing” for me.

4 – Ziggy Stardust

Slightly less overplayed than “Starman”, but I still think this track doesn’t quite reach the heights that some other tracks on the album do. “Starman” and “Ziggy Stardust” are still both obviously amazing songs, so please don’t write me angry emails Bowie fans.

All-Time Great

3 – Moonage Daydream

This is a song that I’ve absolutely adored since I first heard it. I feel like this is an undisputed Bowie classic, but at the same time I have no idea if this track is underrated? I hardly ever hear it on radios, and maybe that’s just bad luck but I feel this definitely deserves its place in “All-Time Great”.

2 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide

One of the great Rock album closers ever, this might just be Bowie’s greatest vocal performance ever as well. It’s extremely jarring at first listen to have a slightly slower song after the electric “Suffragette City”, but it makes perfect sense to end the record on a slower, more sombre note.

1 – Suffragette City

I don’t know whether many other people would say “Suffragette City” is their favourite from the album, but it takes the number 1 spot on my list. The chorus is catchy as hell, and the guitar / woodwind / synthesizer riffs will get stuck in your head for the rest of time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Aaand that’s my list. Check out some of my other blog posts below: