Young Americans

"Young Americans" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his ninth studio album of the same name. It was mostly recorded in August 1974 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and was debuted on the Soul tour the following month. The song featured contributions from then-unknown singer Luther Vandross, who conceived the backing vocal arrangement. An embracement of R&B and Philadelphia soul, the song presents an Englishman's impressionist portrait of America at the time, featuring various characters and allusions to American totems and events. Released by RCA Records as the lead single on 21 February 1975, the song reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart but was a breakthrough in the United States, at the time becoming Bowie's second highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 28. He promoted it with an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in November 1974 and on The Cher Show the following year. Bowie performed the song on his concert tours throughout the 1980s, before retiring it after the Sound+Vision Tour in 1990. Ranked among Bowie's best songs by numerous publications, critics praise "Young Americans" as a successful transition to soul music following the artist's glam rock releases. It has since appeared on several compilation albums and was remastered in 2016 for the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set. Overview Music and lyrics "Young Americans" was a major musical departure for David Bowie. Following years of glam rock and hard rock releases, the song represented a full embracement of the R&B and Philadelphia soul sound of the mid-1970s. Bowie himself referred to the sound as "plastic soul". Discussing the stylistic departure in his book Starman: The Definitive Biography, author Paul Trynka describes the song as a "statement of intent", wherein Bowie was "repositioning the brand".