The Buddha Of Suburbia

The Buddha Of Suburbia, 1993

Bowie finally emerged from a difficult 80s into his full-scale 90s renaissance by temporarily eschewing forward momentum and seeking inspiration in his own catalogue. Commissioned to provide the theme music for the BBC’s adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s 70s-set book The Buddha Of Suburbia, he composed a glorious self-parody that sounded like a hugely welcome return to form. Octave-parted double-

tracked vocals reminiscent of The Bewlay Brothers and especially All The Madmen (‘Zane zane zane, Ouvrez le chien’), an acoustic bridge straight out of Space Oddity and a soaring sax break are deployed in a nostalgic and emotive fan-directed masterpiece that effortlessly transcends pastiche.