Apparently this is one of those albums that most Bowie fans don’t like / have in their bottom half? I’ve never understood that personally – this album is fantastic. I love how Bowie infused Soul and Motown into his sound, and the result is an entirely unique album with some fantastic songs. How would I rank them all?
You can check out some of my other Bowie lists below:
OK
8 – Across the Universe
The original John Lennon masterpiece is one of my favourites of all time, but sadly this cover just doesn’t do it for me. It barely adds anything new, and all the new additions make it worse. Apparently Lennon himself was in the studio and approved this cover version, so at least that’s something.
7 – Can You Hear Me
This track comes right near the end of the album, and by this point I’ve grown tired of the slightly repetitive Motown vibe. It’s still a decent track, but hugely forgettable and sort of filler.
Great
6 – Somebody up There Likes Me
We’re skipping straight to “Great” tier songs, and I feel “Somebody up There Likes Me” is a little bit underrated. Bowie’s vocals are phenomenal, and this is up there with the most feel-good choruses on the entire record.
5 – Win
Bowie takes a slightly slower, more laid-back approach to “Win”, and the result is a soulful, sexy track that I’ve always loved. I’m actually quite surprised myself to see this as low as 5, but there are just too many good ones on this album.
4 – Right
Another slow track like “Win”, but I think “Right” just slightly comes out on top. The saxophone playing the the background is probably what sets this apart.
3 – Fascination
Now THIS is an underrated gem. It has all the aspects of “Win” and “Right” that I love, but it’s more upbeat this time. I genuinely can’t believe why this wasn’t a big (or at least fairly successful) song for Bowie.
All-Time Great
2 – Fame
Two “All-Time Greats” on a single album? Yeah, there’s no doubt in my mind that “Young Americans” is a fantastic album that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Co-written by John Lennon, this funky track is one of the weirdest, most off-putting songs on first listen, but every time you hear “Fame” it just keeps getting better and better. Lennon and Bowie were masters of their craft, and their skill and prowess is on full display with this intricately assembled masterpiece.
That’s a lot of praise for a 2nd place track, so you can only imagine how good number 1 is …
1 – Young Americans
Perhaps not as adventurous or ground-breaking as “Fame”, but the commercial appeal of the title track “Young Americans” is phenomenal. This has one of Bowie’s best lyrics, choruses and instrumental arrangements all in one go, and it’s no wonder this track will go down as one of Bowie’s best.
Aaaand that’s my list. I’ve actually already done “Station to Station”, so I’ll link it below:
The album after that is the fantastic “Low”. Until then, check out some of my latest blog posts below:
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