By Joanie Cox-Henry
It's difficult to fathom, but it's been eight years since David Bowie departed this earth. He died two days after the release of his twenty-sixth and final studio album, Blackstar, and he had just turned 69. However, the influence of Bowie's music lives on far past 2016.
So many artists have listed Bowie as their musical idol and will likely continue to do so for generations to come. His contributions to the music world are infinite. In addition to being an exceptional songwriter, Bowie was a pioneer in experimenting with different musical styles and genres and a fashion icon to boot. And make that a sparkly silver boot no other dude could pull off! Throughout his career, he was a genre-jumper exploring rock, glam rock, soul, funk, electronic beats, and more. His willingness to take risks and push the boundaries of conventional music made him a true innovator.
These 10 Bowie tributes will sprinkle your soul with plenty of "Ziggy Stardust."
1. "Space Oddity" by Fernando Santomaggio
For as long as he can remember, South Florida-based bassist, guitarist, and singer, Fernando Santomaggio says he has been a fan of David Bowie. The multi-talented powerhouse of a musician morphed into a one-man Bowie band in this impressive rendition of the 1969 song that became Bowie's first bonafide hit.
“I’ve always loved the song,” Santomaggio said on covering “Space Oddity.” “I like how it was written as a dialogue between ‘ground control’ and Major Tom. I’ve also always appreciated the unexpected chord changes. It’s one of the reasons I love Bowie’s music...and cool vocal harmonies!”
After researching the song further, Santomaggio, who also plays bass in Big Rock Band, made an additional discovery. "I came across some indications that the song may have been a metaphor for a heroin high," he added. "In fact, the character of Major Tom is reprised in the song 'Ashes To Ashes.' That made the song take on a whole new meaning for me. Bowie has always been an influence, even before I understood anything about music! I remember quite vividly playing the Let’s Dance album on cassette over and over as a kid."
2. "Young Americans" By The Cure
Covering "Young Americans" was a no-brainer for Robert Smith and The Cure. Smith has frequently cited Bowie as a top inspiration in multiple interviews. “Ziggy Stardust was the first vinyl album I ever bought,” Smith said in an interview shared in Far Out magazine. “I always loved how he did things as much as what he did. I love that idea of being an outsider and creating characters.”
Buying Bowie albums became a pleasurable ritual for Smith too.
“Each time a Bowie album came out, so regularly every two years, it really captured the mood of that year for me,” Smith told the magazine.
3. "Under Pressure" By Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters' late, great drummer Taylor Hawkins once said David Bowie was one of his most important influences. Although The Foo Fighters played at Bowie’s 50th birthday party in 1997, Hawkins wasn't in the band yet, but eventually something "Ironic" would happen and Alanis Morissette ended up introducing Hawkins to his hero.
“Alanis did a show with him. I was warming up for it when I saw this figure in the corner smoking a cigarette,” Hawkins told Far Out Magazine. “I look over and Bowie’s watching me play… I was like, ‘Holy shit! Hey!’ He said, ‘Come on, man, keep playing.’ When I put my sticks down I did the typical, ‘It’s an honor’ thing and he was lovely – he said, ‘You’re really good, you should probably have a good career’ and walked away."
4. "Modern Love" By Brad Thompson
Bowie's feel-good banger "Modern Love" has been a movie and TV show soundtrack staple for decades. The song has popped up on the big screen in Adventureland, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Couples Retreat and in shows such as Riverdale and New Girl.
Musician Brad Thompson's take on the tune should come with a complimentary pocket full of confetti. Born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas, Brad Thompson studied guitar and vocals at The University of North Texas before dropping out to tour with his group, Brad Thompson and The Undulating Band. Thompson offers a kicky take on Bowie's classic "Modern Love" with his own contemporary version of the tune.
5. "Heroes" By Hollywood Vampires
Johnny Depp and the Hollywood Vampires deliver a cover of "Heroes" that's downright elevating. Depp, who gigged around South Florida in the early to mid-80s with his punk rock band, The Kids, has never been shy about expressing his love for Bowie. Depp's idol, Jeff Beck, sadly passed away on Jan. 10, 2023. It was seven years to the day that Bowie died. Depp and the Hollywood Vampires, which includes Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, performed "Heroes" as a tribute to Beck. "I should dedicate this song to one of our all of our heroes...Mr. Jeff Beck," Depp said.
6. "The Man Who Sold The World" By Nirvana
Kurt Cobain famously inspired a new generation of fans with his 1994 MTV Unplugged performance of "The Man Who Sold The World." After Cobain's tragic death, Bowie came forward to reveal his thoughts on the performance. “It’s a very sad rendition, of course,” Bowie said to Far Out magazine. “Because it is so tied up with his own life and death. So it takes on all these different shades for me. I also remember, fairly clearly, my state of mind when I was actually writing it, which was, I guess, as near to a mystical state that a 19-year-old can get into. I remember it was at a time when I was sort of studying Buddhism — for my 15 minutes of Buddhism — so, it is interesting that it changed.”
Bowie was also extremely flattered Cobain wanted to perform his song.
“I was simply blown away when I found that Kurt Cobain liked my work, and have always wanted to talk to him about his reasons for covering ‘The Man Who Sold the World’” and that “it was a good straight forward rendition and sounded somehow very honest.”
He added: “It would have been nice to have worked with him, but just talking with him would have been real cool.”
7. "Moonage Daydream" By St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Singer Paul Janeway of St. Paul & The Broken Bones grew up in a rural area where Bowie wasn't commonplace. But as soon as he got his hands on a Bowie album, the musician knew nothing would be the same.
“Growing up in rural Alabama, you’re not exposed to much,” Janeway mentioned to Rolling Stone. “I’m always attracted to the weirdo, artsy, the space element: everything about Bowie speaks to me.”
8. "Starman" By Yoni Schlesinger
Yoni Schlesinger has released covers of at least half a dozen Bowie songs but his collaboration on "Starman" just shines. It's a raw, real, approachable cover of one of Bowie's most brilliant melodies.
9. "Fame" By The Killers
While Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, admits he didn't grow up listening to David Bowie's music, once he discovered it, there was no turning back. In a 2011 interview with The Independent, Flowers revealed: “I still remember when I heard ‘Changes’ for the first time. I thought it was Bob Dylan because of the way he sings the verses. I found out it was Bowie and it was from this album called Hunky Dory. It's the most important record to me, ever. When there’s a rough album, there will always be that one song on there that grabs you. But Hunky Dory is the pinnacle – there’s not one song I skip past”.
10. "Rebel Rebel" By The Struts
Bowie's influence on The Struts is undeniable. They covered "Suffragette City" on "The Howard Stern Show" and the lead singer of The Struts, Luke Spiller, possesses the gender-bending energy of Bowie himself.
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