David Bowie vs Neil Young

[The Modernist]

I think both of these guys are stand-ins for the platonic ideal of how a musical artist ‘does it the right way’ in their respective country of greater influence. People in the UK see Bowie as the exemplar of a great artist. In the US there is little desire for other artists to be more like Bowie (too much attention to artifice). Young’s sense of authenticity and personal integrity are closer to the standard we look for.

I think this is broadly true.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

I think I'd struggle to name 10 NY songs that have really impacted upon the wider public consciousness.

Seems to me that Young and Bowie are pretty equal on this count. Both have a pretty durable slate of hits that the average layperson would know. Both have an even longer list of “important” songs that an active fan could cite.
.

I don't think Young has written anything as famous as 'Space Oddity', 'Life on Mars', 'Starman' or 'Heroes'. 'Heart of Gold' comes closest.

Mind you I also don't think that matters when measuring an artist's worth, so I don't know why I introduced it in the first place!

Well FWIW...I don’t think the songs you listed are any more well known than ‘Old Man’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Southern Man’.

[joels344]

Neil Young for me. Both as a songwriter and for his albums.

[Matt Wilson]

Seems to me that Young and Bowie are pretty equal on this count. Both have a pretty durable slate of hits that the average layperson would know. Both have an even longer list of “important” songs that an active fan could cite.
.

I don't think Young has written anything as famous as 'Space Oddity', 'Life on Mars', 'Starman' or 'Heroes'. 'Heart of Gold' comes closest.

Mind you I also don't think that matters when measuring an artist's worth, so I don't know why I introduced it in the first place!

Well FWIW...I don’t think the songs you listed are any more well known than ‘Old Man’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Southern Man’.

"Life on Mars" and "Starman" were only big in the UK and Ireland.

[naughty boy]

We're going round in circles.

Neil Young's rep in the US is roughly equal with David Bowie's rep in the UK.

'Southern Man' means little to the average UK milkman, like 'Starman' means very little to the average US miner.

Both have written a handful of great tunes - I would put them on equal footing as far as sheer songwriting talent goes.

Can we get beyond that, finally?

[Matt Wilson]

You've certainly got a point, John.

[Minnie the Minx]

I don't think Young has written anything as famous as 'Space Oddity', 'Life on Mars', 'Starman' or 'Heroes'. 'Heart of Gold' comes closest.

Mind you I also don't think that matters when measuring an artist's worth, so I don't know why I introduced it in the first place!

Well FWIW...I don’t think the songs you listed are any more well known than ‘Old Man’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Southern Man’.

"Life on Mars" and "Starman" were only big in the UK and Ireland.

Incorrect, unsurprisingly.

[Matt Wilson]

Well FWIW...I don’t think the songs you listed are any more well known than ‘Old Man’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Southern Man’.

"Life on Mars" and "Starman" were only big in the UK and Ireland.

Incorrect, unsurprisingly.

Do tell.

[Minnie the Minx]

I'm not providing you with an education. You're a teacher, go and look it up! Lazy sod.

[Matt Wilson]

I did. The UK/Ireland was where the song charted the highest.

[George P. Smackers]

I did. The UK/Ireland was where the song charted the highest.

All based on feeling, but I do think "Life on Mars?" became more of a thing in the US as the years passed, even though it wasn't exactly a hit initially.

People started putting it at the top of their "best of" lists (of this and that), so it stayed on everyone's minds and radios. It became part of the breathable air. Maybe "Star Man" also, to a lesser extant.

[Matt Wilson]

Both of them aren't played that much on rock radio stations though. Certainly not more than any number of Neil Young songs.

[George P. Smackers]

Both of them aren't played that much on rock radio stations though. Certainly not more than any number of Neil Young songs.

Well I'm not the best judge of these things. I'm always asking people "is this popular?" "Is this something people have heard of?"

The afterlife of of non-hits is particularly hard to gauge.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

I’d argue that Life on Mars is to Bowie what After the Gold Rush is to Young. Both are “important” songs that a fan would consider central to the greatness of Bowie/Young. But your mom doesn’t know either of them.

[naughty boy]

Yep.

[Minnie the Minx]

My mum did!

[Moleskin]

My mum did!

So does mine.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Which song?

[Moleskin]

Life On Mars

[naughty boy]