Song: “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”

Famous for a horror-inflected sound crafted by David Bowie’s producer, Tony Visconti, “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” was the title track to a 1980 album that included the hits “Fashion” and “Ashes to Ashes.”

The album was a turning point for Bowie, a return to his progressive pop sound after three “Berlin period” experimental albums. Three years later, he would release the monster hit album Let’s Dance.

Visconti knew Bowie well, having produced classics like Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold The World, and Young Americans. It was perfect that Visconti would help Bowie return to his particular brand of mainstream success.

Bowie first offered the song with the working title “Running Scared” to Iggy Pop, but when he couldn’t do anything with it, Bowie took it back and worked on it for a few years, letting ideas percolate. It finally came together, partly thanks to a distinctive descending synth riff Visconti introduced that brought the intro to life.

With a studio version featuring lead guitar by Robert Fripp, the song tells the story of a woman driven into madness by a maniac who seduced her first. Bowie emphasizes his Cockney accent to add a bit of nutso energy to the proceedings.

The version below is from 1996. Bowie played the song live for the last time in 1997.

Enjoy!