Slow Burn (David Bowie song)

"Slow Burn"
"Slow Burn"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Heathen
B-side	"Wood Jackson" (7")
Released	3 June 2002
Recorded	Allaire Studios; (Shokan, New York); Looking Glass Studios; (New York, New York);
Genre	Art rock; alternative rock;
Length	4:43 (album version); 3:55 (single edit)
Label	ISO; Columbia;
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie; Tony Visconti;
David Bowie singles chronology
Music video
	"Slow Burn" on YouTube

"Slow Burn" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was released as the lead single from his 22nd studio album, Heathen, on 3 June 2002. The song was not released as a single in the UK. There was no British single from Heathen released until September, with "Everyone Says 'Hi'".^[1] The recording features Pete Townshend on guitar. The song earned Bowie a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Male Vocal Performance.

The radio version of the song was included on the Best of Bowie compilation album, also released in 2002.

Cover Art

The cover photograph by Markus Klinko, featuring Bowie striding forward with a baby in his arms, is a composite of two images. Bowie's head is grafted onto the body of a male model photographed separately.^[2]

Music video

The music video of "Slow Burn" was directed by Gary Koepke, and released in 2002.^[3] A music video for "Slow Burn" was uploaded to the official DavidBowieVEVO YouTube channel on 23 March 2011. The video shows Bowie dressed in white performing the vocals to the song in a recording studio booth, with a young girl wandering around the darkened control room and occasionally touching the equipment and mixing desk. The video is an edited version of the song and no directing or other credits are given.^[4]

Live versions

The song was performed live on several TV shows in 2002, although was only performed during the first two dates of the Heathen Tour^[5] and during a promotional performance at Sony Music Studios in New York between those two dates.

Track listing

CDs

ISO-Columbia / 672744 1 (Austria)

"Slow Burn" – 4:43
"Wood Jackson" – 4:48
"Shadow Man" – 4:46

ISO-Columbia / COL 672744 2 (Austria)

"Slow Burn" – 4:43
"Wood Jackson" – 4:48
"Shadow Man" – 4:46
"When the Boys Come Marching Home" – 4:46
"You've Got a Habit of Leaving" – 4:51

Sony / SICP-162 (Japan)

"Slow Burn" (edit) – 3:55
"Shadow Man" – 4:46
"When the Boys Come Marching Home" – 4:46
"You've Got a Habit of Leaving" – 4:51
"Baby Loves That Way" – 4:44

7" Orange Vinyl

ISO-Columbia / 672744 7 (Europe)

"Slow Burn"
"Wood Jackson"

Personnel

Producers
- David Bowie
- Tony Visconti
Musicians
- David Bowie – Vocals, Horns
- Pete Townshend – Guitar
- Tony Visconti – Bass guitar, Recorders, B-vox, String arrangements
- Matt Chamberlain – Drums, Loop programming, Percussion
- David Torn – Guitars, Guitar loops, Omnichord
- Jordan Rudess – Piano and Hammond organ
- The Scorchio Quartet
  - Greg Kitzis – 1st violin
  - Meg Okura – 2nd violin
  - Martha Mooke – Viola
  - Mary Wooten – Cello

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[6]	69
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[7]	33
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[8]	69
Italy (FIMI)^[9]	16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[10]	80
UK Singles (OCC)^[11]	94
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[12]	19

References

^ "Heathen: 2002 - Pushing Ahead of the Dame".
^ Klinko, Markus (2012). Icons. Running Press. ISBN 978-0762446766.
^ "David Bowie - Slow Burn". David Bowie News. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
^ DavidBowieVEVO channel - Slow Burn www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDoLjW4YmHs
^ "David Bowie Tour Statistics: Heathen Tour - setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
^ "David Bowie – Slow Burn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
^ "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. 28 June 2003. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
^ "David Bowie – Slow Burn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
^ "David Bowie – Slow Burn". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
^ "David Bowie – Slow Burn". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
^ "David Bowie Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2023.

External links

"Slow Burn" at Discogs (list of releases)
Slow Burn (work) on MusicBrainz.org.

[1] "Heathen: 2002 - Pushing Ahead of the Dame".

[2] Klinko, Markus (2012). Icons. Running Press. ISBN 978-0762446766.

[3] "David Bowie - Slow Burn". David Bowie News. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2019.

[4] DavidBowieVEVO channel - Slow Burn www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDoLjW4YmHs

[5] "David Bowie Tour Statistics: Heathen Tour - setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.

[sc_Austria_David_Bowie-6] "David Bowie – Slow Burn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 February 2016.

[7] "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. 28 June 2003. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.

[sc_Dutch100_David_Bowie-8] "David Bowie – Slow Burn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 February 2016.

[sc_Italy_David_Bowie-9] "David Bowie – Slow Burn". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 6 February 2016.

[sc_Swiss_David_Bowie-10] "David Bowie – Slow Burn". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 February 2016.

[sc_UK_David_Bowie-11] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

[sc_Billboardadultalternativesongs_David_Bowie-12] "David Bowie Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

v t e David Bowie singles
Discography Songs
1960s	"Liza Jane" "I Pity the Fool" "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" "Baby Loves That Way" "Can't Help Thinking About Me" "Do Anything You Say" "I Dig Everything" "Rubber Band" "The London Boys" "The Laughing Gnome" "Love You till Tuesday" "Space Oddity"
1970s	"The Prettiest Star" "Memory of a Free Festival" "Holy Holy" "Moonage Daydream" "Hang On to Yourself" "Changes" "Starman" "John, I'm Only Dancing" "The Jean Genie" "Drive-In Saturday" "Time" "Life on Mars" "Let's Spend the Night Together" "Sorrow" "Rebel Rebel" "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" "Diamond Dogs" "1984" "Knock on Wood" "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" "Young Americans" "Fame" "Golden Years" "Station to Station" (French promo) "TVC 15" "Suffragette City" "Stay" "Sound and Vision" "Be My Wife" "'Heroes'" "Beauty and the Beast" "Breaking Glass" "Boys Keep Swinging" "D.J." "Yassassin" "Look Back in Anger" "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)"
1980s	"Alabama Song" "Crystal Japan" "Ashes to Ashes" "Fashion" "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" "Up the Hill Backwards" "Under Pressure" "Wild Is the Wind" "The Drowned Girl" "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" "Let's Dance" "China Girl" "Modern Love" "Without You" "White Light/White Heat" "Blue Jean" "Tonight" "This Is Not America" "Loving the Alien" "Dancing in the Street" "Absolute Beginners" "Underground" "When the Wind Blows" "Magic Dance" "Day-In Day-Out" "Time Will Crawl" "Never Let Me Down" "Under the God" "Heaven's in Here" "Tin Machine" / "Maggie's Farm (live)" "Prisoner of Love"
1990s	"Fame '90" "You Belong in Rock n' Roll" "Baby Universal" "One Shot" "Real Cool World" "Jump They Say" "Black Tie White Noise" "Miracle Goodnight" "The Buddha of Suburbia" "Ziggy Stardust" "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" "Strangers When We Meet" / "The Man Who Sold the World (live)" "Hallo Spaceboy" "Telling Lies" "Little Wonder" "Dead Man Walking" "Seven Years in Tibet" "Pallas Athena" "I'm Afraid of Americans" "I Can't Read" "Without You I'm Nothing" "Thursday's Child" "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"
2000s	"Survive" "Seven" "Slow Burn" "Everyone Says 'Hi'" "I've Been Waiting for You" "Shadow Man" "New Killer Star" "Just for One Day (Heroes)" "Rebel Never Gets Old"
2010s	"Golden Years David Bowie vs KCRW" "Where Are We Now?" "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" "The Next Day" "Valentine's Day" "Love Is Lost" "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" "Blackstar" "Lazarus" "I Can't Give Everything Away"
Other songs	"Silly Boy Blue" "Let Me Sleep Beside You" "Karma Man" "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" "Cygnet Committee" "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" "The Width of a Circle" "All the Madmen" "Black Country Rock" "After All" "She Shook Me Cold" "The Man Who Sold the World" "The Supermen" "Oh! You Pretty Things" "Kooks" "Quicksand" "Andy Warhol" "Song for Bob Dylan" "Queen Bitch" "The Bewlay Brothers" "Bombers" "Five Years" "Soul Love" "Lady Stardust" "Velvet Goldmine" "Sweet Head" "Amsterdam" "Round and Round" "Watch That Man" "Aladdin Sane" "Panic in Detroit" "Cracked Actor" "Lady Grinning Soul" "All the Young Dudes" "Future Legend" "Sweet Thing" "Big Brother" "Can You Hear Me?" "Right" "Fascination" "Word on a Wing" "Speed of Life" "What in the World" "Always Crashing in the Same Car" "Warszawa" "Art Decade" "Weeping Wall" "Subterraneans" "Joe the Lion" "Sons of the Silent Age" "Blackout" "V-2 Schneider" "Sense of Doubt" "Neuköln" "Fantastic Voyage" "It's No Game" "Teenage Wildlife" "Scream Like a Baby" "As the World Falls Down" "Girls" "Nite Flights" "I'm Deranged" "Nature Boy" "Cactus" "Pablo Picasso" "The Loneliest Guy" "Try Some, Buy Some" "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" "Bring Me the Disco King" "Girl Loves Me" "Dollar Days"