The Form - All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople Cover)

From ’’ It Happens That Way / All The Young Dudes ’’ Label: Twin/Tone Records – TTR 8552 Format: Vinyl, 7“, 45 RPM, Single Country: US Released: 1984 Tracklist A It Happens That Way Written-By – Nic Santiago B All The Young Dudes Written-By – David Bowie Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Nic Santiago Guitar, Backing Vocals – Al Lehman Drums – John Leonidas Bass – Paul Harsha Overdubbed By – Steve Fjelstad Overdubbed At – Nicollet Studios Producer – Bill Batson, Mark Freeman Recorded By – Bill Batson, Mark Freeman Photography By – Daniel Corrigan Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Lunch Rush Music ------------------------ “All the Young Dudes“ is a song written by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally recorded and released as a single by the English rock band Mott the Hoople in 1972 by Columbia Records. Bowie produced the song, which he had given to the band after they rejected his “Suffragette City“. Bowie would subsequently record the song himself. Regarded as an anthem of glam rock, the song has received acclaim and was a commercial success. Background and recording On 4 February 1972, David Bowie sent the band a demo of “Suffragette City“ in hopes they would record it. The band played it and believed it did not fit their style. Bassist Pete Watts contacted Bowie in late March 1972 and politely rejected it, stating the band broke up. Upon learning this, Bowie contacted Watts back two hours later and said, “I’ve written a song for you since we spoke, which could be great.“ Bowie had just finished recording two albums back-to-back and had another single, “John, I’m Only Dancing“, prepared for release, so he was eager to write for other artists. While Bowie’s manager Tony Defries worked on signing the band with CBS Records, Bowie met with Watts a few days later and played “All the Young Dudes“ on acoustic guitar. Watts recalled: “He hadn’t got all the words but the song just blew me away, especially when he hit the chorus.“ Watts then introduced Bowie to the rest of the band at an office located at Regent Street in London, where Bowie sat cross-legged on the floor and played the band the song. The band were ecstatic. Ian Hunter recalled: “He just played it on an acoustic guitar. I knew straight away it was a hit. There were chills going down my spine. It’s only happened to me a few times in my life, when you know that this is a biggie“. Drummer Dale Griffin said: “We couldn’t believe it. In the office at Regent Street he’s strumming it on his guitar and I’m thinking, he wants to give us that? He must be crazy! We broke our necks to say yes! You couldn’t fail to see it was a great song.“ After playing it, Bowie told them he would produce the track for release as a single while his manager, Tony Defries, informed them he would become their manager. Knowing the track would be a hit, the band agreed to not break up. Mott the Hoople recorded “All the Young Dudes“ at Olympic Studios in London on 14 May 1972, with Bowie producing. The song was engineered and mixed by Keith Harwood, and featured handclaps by Nicky Graham and security guard Stuey George. Describing the session, Hunter said: “It was a high, because we knew we were singing a hit.“ Release and aftermath “All the Young Dudes“ was released by CBS Records in the UK on 28 July 1972, with the catalogue number CBS 8271. It was a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart,[18] No. 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (in November), and No. 31 in Canada (also in November). Mott the Hoople titled their fifth album after the song, which was produced by Bowie and recorded at Trident Studios in London during the summer of 1972. Reception “All the Young Dudes“ has received critical acclaim, and is regarded as one of glam rock’s best recordings. In its review of the single, Record World said that the “’Hey Jude’-ish hook takes on classic status“ and “lead singer Ian Hunter vocalizes and acts magnificently.“ In a review for its parent album, in which he describes it as one of the “most satisfying glam records“, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls “All the Young Dudes“ “one of the all-time great rock songs“, further praising Bowie’s involvement. Mark Deming, also of AllMusic, further praised the song, calling it one of Hunter’s best songs, even if he didn’t write it. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked “All the Young Dudes“ number 253 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, moving down to number 256 on its 2010 updated list, and moving up to number 166 in its 2021 revised list. It is also one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Jon Savage of The Guardian ranked it the fifth best glam-rock song of all time in 2013. Based on the song’s appearances in professional rankings and listings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists “All the Young Dudes“ as the 7th most acclaimed song of 1972, the 60th most acclaimed song of the 1970s and the 271st most acclaimed song in history.