Across the Universe’ – The Beatles
Bowie was always open about his love of The Beatles and even continued adoring them after he was rejected by Apple Records in 1968. Later, after making his mark on music and rising as one of the world’s biggest stars, he became friends with John Lennon, who features on 1975’s blue-eyed soul outing, Young Americans.
‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’ – The Rolling Stones
Another group that made an indelible impression on Bowie was The Rolling Stones. Their exuberant hedonism and rollicking R&B grooves were two crucial influences on glam rock coming to the fore, and, in his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane periods – when Bowie had also committed himself to the delights of hard living – he channelled their sound into his work.
The Who did more for music than they are often given credit for. Not only did they create their generation’s defiant rallying cry in ‘My Generation’, the definitive anthem about refusing to give into the demands of tradition, but they also expanded rock music’s scope by fusing it with many different genres and mastering the rock opera.
‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ – The Velvet Underground
While Lou Reed and David Bowie were close friends, it’s no secret that Reed and The Velvet Underground had a transformative impact on the former. Their fusion of rock with avant-garde and transgressive lyrics would lay the foundations for his approach and the glam rock scene he made his name at the forefront of. For Bowie, 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico represented the absolute pinnacle of music.
