“Golden Years” arrived at a moment when David Bowie was redefining what his plastic soul could become, but with a noticeable maturation of the energy he had crafted. Released as a single on November 21, 1975, ahead of the rest of Station to Station, “Golden Years” came during a moment of transition when it wasn’t certain that Bowie would even be the one to sing the recorded version. Elvis Presley was waiting in the background as a potential performer, yet Bowie’s own delivery ultimately made it a hit, sending it to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Its success landed at a pivotal point in Bowie’s career, one many fans regard as his creative peak. “Golden Years” is musically funky and groovy, but its lyrics reveal a story of isolation, naivety, and a loss of direction. It was, perhaps, an undercurrent that reflected Bowie’s own state at the time. In this way, the track represents his remarkable ability to blend American pop with a distinctly European sensibility, subtly foreshadowing the experimentation of the Berlin Trilogy.
Elvis Presley Nearly Sang “Golden Years,” and His Vocal Influence on the Song
Amazingly, “Golden Years” was first written with Elvis Presley in mind to perform it, according to Bowie’s biographers. Bowie and Presley were both signed to RCA Records at the time “Golden Years” was being written, and Presley had heard demos from Bowie. Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, thought it would be wise for Bowie to write songs for the King, given the ease that sharing a label naturally brought the pair. It’s written in David Buckley’s biography, Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story, that Bowie simply “adored” Presley and would have loved the opportunity to have worked with him. Alas, Elvis Presley never recorded a version of “Golden Years,” despite the artists’ offices being in contact with each other.
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When you listen to “Golden Years,” it’s clear why Elvis Presley would have been an incredible performer of the song. The vocals on the track start in a distinctively Elvis-inspired, low and smooth, coolly delivered croon. In the first verse alone, Bowie’s voice bounced around melodically and rhythmically, shadowing the free elasticity that Presley made so iconic twenty years before “Golden Years” was recorded. Bowie references Presley’s technique throughout the song, but one line in the second verse does so particularly accurately. “In walked luck, and you looked in time / Never look back, walk tall, act fine,” exudes a dulcet baritone power that is cooly restrained, a loosely phrased way that prioritizes expression over rhythmic rigidity. Bowie performed so incredibly as various characters, and the pastiche of Elvis Presley was such a smart way to epitomize a feeling of nostalgic soul in his forward-facing funk. In subtly referencing an icon, Bowie bravely asserted that his music was aiming to exist in the legendary realm, and that it certainly did.
David Bowie’s Creative Transition With ‘Station to Station’
After Bowie’s success with Fame, he and his label were keen for a repeat. Bowie expanded on the upbeat funk elements of the record to build the foundations for Station to Station. “Golden Years” is more understated than the large-sounding “Young Americans,” “Fascination,” and “Fame” of the previous 1975 album, and leans more into a cool, sophisticated exploration of his soul-influenced music. The slowing down in pace also implies a steady preparation for the experimentation that Bowie took on in the Berlin Trilogy. “Golden Years,” and the rest of Station to Station could then be considered to be a creative bridge between Bowie’s plastic soul sound and the more left-field avant-garde output of the late-’70s.
It was also at this time, in 1975, that Bowie was at the height of his drug use. He was living in Los Angeles in an unhealthy state, frequently experiencing paranoia. The lyrics of “Golden Years” tell a story of feeling lost and isolated, with lines like “Run for the shadows / In these Golden Years” expressing an almost fear-like state among a fragmented sense of self. Set against an upbeat soul instrumental, the narrative holds a strong sense of suspicious melancholy, which was carried over from Young Americans and expanded even further on Station to Station in a more dismissive manner, which only heightened the eeriness of it.
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Bowie captured glamour versus decay expertly, and it reached a new peak on Station to Station with the introduction of the Thin White Duke. If I may, the Thin White Duke is the persona of Bowie I regard as having the most depth and bearing in his career. It may not be the opinion of every Bowie fan, but the era of The Thin White Duke is perhaps not as equally ubiquitous as his other characters. Bowie embraced nostalgic elements of soul, dark romance and obsession combined with an inherently unfeeling man. This feels like a theatrical dramatization of figures like Elvis Presley, whose iconically romantic presence was used as a reference to the surface of the Thin White Duke.
“Golden Years” was the first song from Station to Station to be recorded. RCA actually released it as the lead single for the record on 21 November before the remainder of Station to Station was even finished. It’s a testament to Bowie that the label was so confident in his musical abilities to commit to Station to Station without a confirmed final destination. “Golden Years” continues to be one of Bowie’s most celebrated works. As it approaches 50, the song perfectly crystalizes Bowie’s shifting identities and how his music will forever exist in golden leagues.
