A David Bowie Selection Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Over six decades, English musician David Bowie recorded over 400 different songs. This is a selection of singles he released as a solo artist.

"1984" and "Diamond Dogs" were both released from the 1974 album "Diamond Dogs". "1984" takes its name and inspiration from George Orwell's 1949 novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". It was intended for a stage musical adaptation of the novel, however the musical failed to get permission from Orwell's widow. The single "Diamond Dogs" marks a change from glam rock towards proto-punk.

Released in 1986, "Absolute Beginners" was written as the theme song for the 1986 film of the same name in which Bowie also appeared. The film was an adaptation of the 1959 novel by Colin MacInnes of the same name.

The 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" was the lead single from the 1980 album "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)". The accompanying music video was at the time the most expensive music video ever made and was praised by critics. An edited version of "Fashion" was the second single released from the album. Its accompanying music video also received critical praise.

The 1983 "China Girl" single, part of the 1983 "Lets Dance" album, is David Bowie's version of the song jointly written with Iggy Pop and first recorded by Iggy Pop for his 1977 debut solo album "The Idiot". Unlike Bowie's version, Pop's version with improvised lyrics failed to chart.

Going back to 1972, "Five Years" was released from the 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars". The single is the lead track from the album and warns of Earth's impending doom in five years.

"Golden Years" (1976) was the lead single off his 1976 "Station to Station" album. There are two versions for the inspiration: that it was written for Elvis Presley to sing but that negotiations stalled with Presley's manager, or that it was written for his first wife Angie Bowie.

An early one, the 1969 single "Space Oddity" was released as a single first before becoming the opening track for his album "David Bowie" (1969). This tells the tale of Major Tom and was rushed out to capitalise on the Apollo 11 moon landing. It was later re-releases that saw it become his first hit in the US in 1972 and his first number-one in the UK during 1975.

Lead single from his 1973 album "Aladdin Sane", "The Jean Genie" was released in 1972. The song's inspiration was Cyrinda Foxe, one of the clique of New York City people labelled Warhol superstars. Bowie met her during his 1972 US tour. The film clip to promote the song also included Bowie posing with Cyrinda Foxe.

The wrong answers were "Crocodile Rock" (the 1973 song by Elton John), "Lady in Red" (a 1986 song by Chris de Burgh), "Paint It Black" (by the Rolling Stones in 1966), "I Don't Like Mondays" (the 1979 song by the Boomtown Rats), "Our House" (either the 1982 song by Madness or the 1969 song by Crosby, Still, Nash & Young), and "Red Red Wine" (written and first recorded by Neil Diamond in 1967).