#61 Hunky Dory by David Bowie

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

61

2011 Album Rank

46

Total Points

992

Year Released

1971

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

93

Weeks at #1

N/A

RIAA Sales Certification

N/A (Sold under 500,00 copies)

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Hunky Dory Album Details

Released in December 1971, Hunky Dory marked a dramatic creative leap for David Bowie and laid the foundation for the shape-shifting persona that would define his career. A kaleidoscope of art pop, cabaret, glam rock, and folk influences, the album showcases Bowie's growing confidence as a songwriter, stylist, and conceptual artist. Unlike the harder-edged records that would follow, Hunky Dory is reflective, piano-driven, and often lush, a love letter to artistic influences and a personal manifesto in one.

With tracks like "Changes," "Life on Mars?," and "Oh! You Pretty Things," Bowie blends existential anxiety with theatrical flair, couching weighty themes in vibrant melodies. He pays tribute to Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, and Lou Reed, signaling the avant-garde affinities that would inform his Ziggy Stardust transformation. Produced by Ken Scott and featuring pianist Rick Wakeman and guitarist Mick Ronson, Hunky Dory was the first album with the Spiders from Mars lineup, and a brilliant prelude to Bowie's seismic impact in the years to come.

Interesting Facts about Hunky Dory

• The album was recorded before Bowie had a record deal in place. RCA picked it up after hearing the tapes, impressed by the strength of the material.
• "Life on Mars?" was written in reaction to Frank Sinatra's version of "My Way." Bowie had previously written English lyrics for the French original "Comme d'habitude", which were rejected. Paul Anka's version became "My Way," and Bowie's wounded pride helped inspire this surrealist anthem.
• "Oh! You Pretty Things" features Bowie on piano and was also recorded by Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, his version charted in the UK before Bowie's own version was released.
• Rick Wakeman, who played piano on many of the tracks (including "Life on Mars?" and "Changes"), was invited to join Bowie's band full-time but declined to remain with Yes.
• "Quicksand" includes references to Aleister Crowley, the Golden Dawn, Nietzsche, Himmler, and Churchill. Bowie weaves together occultism, fascism, and philosophy in a darkly introspective ballad.
• The song "Andy Warhol" features an intentionally awkward acoustic guitar intro. Bowie told guitarist Mick Ronson to make it sound clumsy to annoy Warhol, who reportedly disliked the track.
• The original UK release of the album was a commercial failure. It wasn't until the success of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972 that Hunky Dory gained traction and reached a wider audience.
• The song "The Bewlay Brothers" remains one of Bowie's most cryptic compositions. He later suggested it was partly inspired by his relationship with his half-brother Terry, who struggled with mental illness.
• The cover photo, inspired by Marlene Dietrich and shot by Brian Ward, shows Bowie in a quasi-feminine pose, reinforcing his exploration of gender ambiguity and theatricality.
• Bowie viewed Hunky Dory as a "songwriting album", an intentional contrast to the more character-driven direction he would take with Ziggy Stardust just a year later.
• A demo version of "Kooks" was recorded as a spontaneous tribute to his newborn son, Duncan Jones. The lyrics offer humorous, heartfelt advice to a child born into a bohemian lifestyle.
• The track "Fill Your Heart," the only non-Bowie composition on the album, was co-written by Tiny Tim collaborator Biff Rose. Bowie used it as a transition into the darker second half of the record.

Hunky Dory Track List

1. Changes
2. Oh! You Pretty Things
3. Eight Line Poem
4. Life on Mars?
5. Kooks
6. Quicksand
7. Fill Your Heart
8. Andy Warhol
9. Song for Bob Dylan
10. Queen Bitch
11. The Bewlay Brothers

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