"Black Tie White Noise" is the title track from British singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie's 1993 album of the same name. Featuring guest vocals by Al B. Sure!, it was produced by Nile Rodgers and released as the second single from the album in June 1993.

"Black Tie White Noise"
Single by David Bowie featuring Al B. Sure!
from the album Black Tie White Noise
B-side	"You've Been Around" (Dangers remix)
Released	1 June 1993 (1993-06-01)[1]
Studio	Mountain, Montreux Hit Factory, New York City
Genre	Soul
Length	4:52 (album version) 4:10 (radio edit)
Label	Arista, BMG Savage, BMG (US)
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	Nile Rodgers
David Bowie singles chronology
"Jump They Say" (1993) "Black Tie White Noise" (1993) "Miracle Goodnight" (1993)
Music video
"Black Tie White Noise" on YouTube

Background

The track was inspired by Bowie's stay in Los Angeles in April 1992, when the city saw race riots in reaction to the Rodney King incident.[2] It is the epitome of its parent album's feelings towards conformity and corporations, with Benetton and the saccharine charity single "We Are the World" among the targets. Bowie would later explain that the track was concerned with the black community's own identity, and how it didn't need to be absorbed into the white community.

It is among the most jazz- and soul-influenced tracks on the album, highlighted by the key vocal of Al B. Sure!, although Lenny Kravitz was reportedly Bowie's first choice for the duet. Essentially a rhythm and blues tune, the song ultimately reinforced the feeling of Bowie's tendency as a chameleon of musical styles.

Release

Released as the album's second single, "Black Tie White Noise" was a top 40 hit in Britain and subsequently reached No. 36 in the UK chart[3] and No. 74 in Australia.[4]

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "This oddly churning but attractive track is a little too slow for current dancefloor tastes. Not as instant as many of Bowie's bigger hits, it will need a lot to push it into the top end of the chart. A moderate hit."[5] James Hamilton from the magazine's RM Dance Update described it as a "gloomy slow roller".[6] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it five out of five, saying, "This is the title track from his new album and it's fabulous. Funky and soulful – and you could listen to it again and again and never get bored. Genius."[7]

Music video

A music video for this piece was produced by Mark Romanek, featuring a montage of African-American youth playing in urban Los Angeles, while intercut with scenes of Bowie in a blue suit with his saxophone and Al B. Sure! singing. The music video attempted to capture Bowie's image behind the song: multiple ethnic groups coexisting with their own identities, and not attempting to absorb one another.

Track listing

Tracks #1-3 re-produced, re-arranged and mixed by Marc 'Funkyman' Paley, Raul 'DJ EFX' Recinos & Jeremy 'DJ Digit' Cowan
Track # 2 remix and additional production by John Waddell
Track # 4 remix and additional production by Al B. Sure & Timar

Credits and personnel

• Producers:
  • Nile Rodgers
• Musicians:
  • David Bowie – vocals
  • Al B. Sure! – vocals
  • Nile Rodgers – guitar
  • Barry Campbell – bass
  • Sterling Campbell – drums
  • Richard Hilton – keyboards
  • Lester Bowie – trumpet
  • Reeves Gabrels – guitar on "You've Been Around"

Charts

Other releases

• On the bonus disc following the 10th anniversary edition of Black Tie White Noise the remixes "3rd Floor US Radio Mix" and "Here Come Da Jazz" appeared.

Cover versions

• The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra – Plays David Bowie Classic Trax

Other uses

A sample of the first bar of the song is the basis for the song Tziporen (Hebrew: ציפורן) from the 1994 album Iver be-lev yam by the Israeli singer Eran Zur.

References

• Black Tie White Noise Limited Edition DVD, 2004
• Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5