Artists
Musicians featured in this piece are:
Written by David Bowie. Produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti, recorded at The Power Station, New York, February 1980, and Good Earth Studios, London, April 1980.
According to co-producer Tony Visconti, “Fashion” was the last song completed during the Scary Monsters sessions, with its bassline and some of the melody drawing on Bowie’s earlier hit “Golden Years.” The track evolved out of a reggae-flavored synth part from keyboardist Andy Clark, and King Crimson’s Robert Fripp — already a key contributor to Bowie’s 1977 album “Heroes” — returned to add a series of harsh, mechanical guitar lines over the song’s funk-reggae groove. Lyrically, Bowie later said he was less interested in making a simple statement about fashion trends and more in capturing a kind of gritted-teeth determination mixed with self-doubt; biographer David Buckley has read it as a gentle jab at the posturing of the New Romantic movement. Fripp’s contributions to this album, along with “Heroes,” later became the subject of a royalty dispute with the Bowie estate over his “Featured Player” status.
David Bowie – Fashion Lyrics
There’s a brand new dance but I don’t know its name
That people from bad homes do again and again
It’s big and it’s bland, full of tension and fear
They do it over there but we don’t do it here
Fashion! Turn to the left
Fashion! Turn to the right
Ooh, fashion!
We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town
Beep-beep
Beep-beep
Listen to me – don’t listen to me
Talk to me – don’t talk to me
Dance with me – don’t dance with me, no
Beep-beep
There’s a brand new talk but it’s not very clear
That people from good homes are talking this year
It’s loud and tasteless and I’ve heard it before
You shout it while you’re dancing on the dance floor
Oh bop, fashion
Fashion! Turn to the left
Fashion! Right
Fashion!
We are the goon squad
And we’re coming to town
Beep-beep
Beep-beep
Listen to me – don’t listen to me
Talk to me – don’t talk to me
Dance with me – don’t dance with me, no
Beep-beep
Beep-beep
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
La-la la la la la la-la
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
La-la la la la la la-la
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
La-la la la la la la-la
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
La-la la la la la la-la
To listen to other songs from the Teleskop 18 program and the full program, click here.