Strangers When We Meet

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""Strangers When We Meet”/”The Man Who Sold the World (Live version) ”"
""Strangers When We Meet”/”The Man Who Sold the World (Live version) ”" cover
Single by David Bowie
from the album Outside
Released November 1995
Format 7”/CD single
Recorded New York, January-February 1995; Westside Studios, London, October 1995.
Genre Rock
Length 4:19/3:35
Label RCA
74321 329407
Producer(s) David Bowie, Brian Eno, David Richards
Chart positions
  • #39 (UK)
David Bowie singles chronology
The Hearts Filthy Lesson
(1995)		 Strangers When We Meet/The Man Who Sold the World (Live version)
(1996)		 Hallo Spaceboy
(1996)

"Strangers When We Meet" is a song by David Bowie, originally recorded for his 1993 album The Buddha of Suburbia. In 1995, Bowie re-recorded the song for his Outside album, and this version was released edited as a single paired with a reworked version of Bowie’s 1970 classic “The Man Who Sold the World”.

“Strangers When We Meet” was seen as one of the more disappointing tracks on The Buddha of Suburbia, and the re-recording was generally much better received, standing out as a moment of light among the darkness of Outside. The lyric is taken as an acceptance of the give-and-take of an adult relationship, though some have read it as a placid affirmation of a lack of bitterness towards Bowie’s estranged ex-wife Angie, who was around 1993 selling a variety of "kiss-and-tell" stories to newspapers and magazines.

Musically it shares several similarities to earlier Bowie songs. The background guitar theme of the Buddha of Suburbia version is very similar to that of "Look Back in Anger". Also the bassline at the beginning of the song is the same bassline used in the song "Join the Gang" from 1967.

While the new version of “The Man Who Sold the World” was billed as the “live version”, it was actually a studio-recorded track, based on a reworked version performed on the Outside Tour, and mixed by Brian Eno before the single’s release.

Samuel Bayer’s video for the song shared some visual similarities with that for “The Hearts Filthy Lesson”, but was a much more simple and placid affair set in a decaying artists studio. Despite a live performance on Top of the Pops, the double A-side would enter the UK charts at #39 before dropping away.

The song's title may be a reference to the 1960 film of the same name or the chorus of Leroy Van Dyke's 1961 song 'Walk on By'.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

[edit] 7” version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:19
  2. "The Man Who Sold the World (Live)" (Bowie) – 3:35

[edit] UK CD version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:19
  2. "The Man Who Sold the World (Live)" (Bowie) – 3:35
  3. "Strangers When We Meet (Album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06
  4. "Get Real" (Bowie/Eno)

[edit] US CD version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06
  2. "Strangers When We Meet (Buddha of Suburbia album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06
  3. "The Man Who Sold the World (Live)" (Bowie) – 3:35

[edit] Australian CD version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:19
  2. "The Man Who Sold the World (Live)" (Bowie) – 3:35
  3. "Strangers When We Meet (Album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06
  4. "Strangers When We Meet (Buddha of Suburbia album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06

[edit] UK Promo version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:19

[edit] US Promo version

  1. "Strangers When We Meet (Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:19
  2. "Strangers When We Meet (Buddha of Suburbia Edit)" (Bowie) – 4:10
  3. "Strangers When We Meet (Album version)" (Bowie) – 5:06

[edit] Production credits

[edit] Other releases

  • The radio edit of the song was released on the bonus disc that followed some versions of Outside - version 2.

[edit] References

Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5

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