An unreleased track by music legend David Bowie has been discovered some 40 years after its creation, according to a report by Rolling Stone. The find — a song called “To Be Love” — is one of three Bowie songs uncovered in a forgotten tape in the vaults of an old record label. In the wake of the star’s death (and the release of his final album, Blackstar), this lost track is providing new insight into the creative genius of one of music’s most beloved and influential figures.
A “Lost” Track Returns
The songs come from a cassette that had been languishing in the vaults of the U.S. arm of his old record label, Decca. They started surfacing — along with others — after Jean Marc Lederman, a former label executive from Decca’s Belgian office, came across a crate of old cassettes and decided to give them a listen.
The musician, known for his eclectic style and whose various musical alter-egos made him a chameleon of pop culture, passed away in January 2016 at the age of 69. After barnstorming the world of music with a celebrated career that spanned several decades, Bowie’s influence extended beyond music, cementing his reputation as a style icon and as a visionary who mission was consistently ahead of its time.
The song is a treasure trove of rare and raw chords about love and clairvoyance. Given Bowie’s storied career of reinvention and exploration, it’s no surprise that raw audio of one of their rock inspirations stands as something of a diamond in the coal dust of ages, adding an emphatic postscript to the story of a pioneer who hasn’t stopped inspiring performers both young and old.
The world of casino has always been a fan of integrating music into its gaming, as music-themed slot games that honor the legacies of industry legends continue to pop up. This further demonstrates pleads Bowie’s case, as the iconic artist has broken through the music wall and made his way into yet another form of entertainment. Casinos are obviously privy to the power of music, using it to draw different audiences in. However, what’s different about the emergence of a song from Bowie is that it highlights this symbiotic relationship between music and entertainment venues and the edge of adding legendary musicians to the mix, experience-wise.
Music Community Reaction
The response from Bowie’s community has been pretty cool, as no one’s turning away from an unpublished piece of music by The Goblin King. Musicians, critics and fans have all chimed in about their anticipation for its release, as it serves as a new gift from Bowie’s past, that also provides a window into the artist’s mind — indicating what could be a new era of creativity soon to be studied.
Preservation and Release
The preservation and eventual release of the song speaks to an interesting time in the music industry, as the focus has turned from “What is this song?” to “What do we do with this song to maintain the artist’s legacy?” Naturally, the chance of compiling classics and unreleased tracks is the first thought, but isn’t the surprise standalone release more up Bowie’s alley?
The unearthing of a David Bowie song after nearly 40 years is a rare and thrilling event. It's a reminder of the ongoing impact of an artist who was ahead of his time, but it also enriches an already extraordinary legacy. This much like that last song, goes yet another step further in allowing fans to get behind the curtain to see precisely how Bowie's mind worked during the formative stages of his career. It's a tremendous gift, and with it still awaiting a public release, it's a reason not just to celebrate music's most outstanding genius but to acknowledge precisely how thoroughly intertwined and influential music and entertainment continue to be — in this case by anticipation and excitement alone.
Conclusion
It's not just every teenager glued to their smartphone right now who wonders what it might have been like to have been alive when David Bowie was in his prime — every Bowie fan thinks of what it would be like to see him perform one more time. The unearthing of a heretofore unheard Bowie recording after nearly 40 years is precisely the kind of rare, thrilling event that prompts us to wonder.
Against the backdrop of scarcely controlled hysteria, one is once again reminded that there really was no "Bowie genre." In the '60s, he was a proto punk rocker. In the '70s, he was a god of glam. The '80s saw him morph into a New Wave star. All along, he was a master of rock or even hard rock. He drew from funk, jazz, and even the avant-garde. As lesser artists invent "new" sounds that can be more appropriately described as recombinations, Bowie is celebrated for always having one foot in some strange form of music.
The unearthing of a David Bowie song after nearly 40 years is a rare and thrilling event. It's yet another way to enrich an already extraordinary legacy. This much like that last song goes yet another step further in allowing fans to get behind the curtain to see exactly how his mind worked at the start of his career. That it's Clark doesn't hurt either. It's a tremendous gift, and with it still awaiting a public release, it's just one more reason not just to celebrate music's most outstanding genius but to acknowledge just how thoroughly intertwined — and influential — music and entertainment continue to be. You can bet your bottom dollar that someone, somewhere, will soon put this track to use without giving it a second thought.
In the meantime, this and the excitement and anticipation it creates should serve as its own tribute to the genius of Bowie and the lasting influence of his music.
