{"id":5665,"date":"2026-09-11T16:44:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T20:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=5665"},"modified":"2026-09-11T16:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T20:44:31","slug":"the-iconic-david-bowie-song-that-didnt-become-a-hit-until-another-artist-covered-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-iconic-david-bowie-song-that-didnt-become-a-hit-until-another-artist-covered-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Iconic David Bowie Song That Didn\u2019t Become a Hit Until Another Artist Covered It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mick Ronson\u2019s twisting phrase in \u201cThe Man Who Sold The World\u201d is one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history. But it didn\u2019t reach its current level of ubiquity until Nirvana covered David Bowie\u2019s psychedelic tune on their 1994 <em>MTV<\/em> <em>Unplugged<\/em> performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than play his biggest hit, \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-story-behind-one-of-kurt-cobains-favorite-nirvana-songs\/\">Kurt Cobain<\/a> chose what was then a rather obscure Bowie song from 1970, alongside covering songs by Meat Puppets, The Vaselines, and Lead Belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (MTV Unplugged)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fregObNcHC8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Nirvana\u2019s cover of \u201cThe Man Who Sold The World\u201d wasn\u2019t the first time another artist made the song popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Panic at the Disco<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u3MX-rUtS6M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The title track of Bowie\u2019s 1970 album marked a shift in style for the singer. He had transitioned from folk music to hard rock. And Ronson\u2019s guitar riff helped give \u201cThe Man Who Sold The World\u201d both its edge and its musical identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the chorus, Ronson plays a climbing riff that echoes Bowie\u2019s searching lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Oh no, not me,<br>I never lost control.<br>You\u2019re face to face,<br>With the man who sold the world<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Bowie narrates a supernatural tale about examining one\u2019s identity as he roams for form and a sense of grounding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I laughed and shook his hand,<br>And made my way back home.<br>I searched for form and land,<br>For years and years I roamed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lulu<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lulu - The Man Who Sold The World (1974)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TyFAnA9oPRE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, it didn\u2019t become a hit until the Scottish singer Lulu recorded a version in 1974. Co-produced by Bowie and Ronson, Lulu\u2019s cover reached No. 3 in the U.K. Her pop-soul rendition doesn\u2019t feature Ronson\u2019s famous riff. Instead, the guitarist strums along as Bowie\u2019s sax playing takes center stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the chorus, you hear Ronson hinting at his cycling notes. It\u2019s subtle, leaving the tune feeling less anxious and more determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Life and Death<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recalling Nirvana\u2019s version, Bowie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DGgARdavuM0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s a very sad rendition, of course, because it\u2019s so tied up in life and death. So it takes on all these different shades for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bowie also described experiencing a kind of mystical state that inspired the song. And with the haunting performance by\u2014the fittingly named\u2014Nirvana, \u201cThe Man Who Sold The World\u201d turned out to be one of Bowie\u2019s most transcendent works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo by \u00a9 Hulton-Deutsch Collection\/CORBIS\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Bowie wrote &#8220;The Man Who Sold The World&#8221; about a search for identity before two different artists finally made it a hit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":5671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by \u00a9 Hulton-Deutsch Collection\/CORBIS\/Corbis via Getty Images","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[42,18],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-5665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-david-bowie","tag-rock-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"david bowie","term_id":42,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/david-bowie\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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