Here’s a track from David Bowie’s 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World. When I wrote about this album during my 2016 Bowie deep dive, I said it sounded like a White Stripes song recorded five years before Jack White was born.
What I didn’t say at the time was that hard-edged guitar sound was courtesy of Mick Ronson, who is also believed to be the writer of this song, despite Bowie getting sole credit in the liner notes.
Bowie’s then-wife Angie said this about the song: “We were watching TV one night and Led Zeppelin were on. I looked at Mick [Ronson] and started to laugh and I went: “I bet the Rats from Hull (Mick’s former band) could do a better blues song than that”.
Then, according to the story, Ronson and the rest of the band (minus Bowie) went downstairs and cooked this up.
The night was cool and still
She sucked my dormant will
Mother, she blew my brain
I will go back again
My God, she shook me cold
I had no time to spare
I grabbed her golden hair
And threw her to the ground
Father, she caved my head
Oh Lord, the things she said
My God, she should be told
I was very smart
Broke the gentle hearts
Of many young virgins
I was quick on the ball
Left them so lonely
They’d just give up trying
Then she took my head and
Smashed it up
Kept my young blood rising
Crushed me mercilessly
Kept me going around
So she don’t know I crave her so-o-o
I’ll give my love in vain
To reach that peak again
We met upon a hill
Mother, she blew my brain
I will go back again
My God, she shook me cold
Fun story, but the song is nothing my cup of tea no matter who wrote it.