| "The Width of a Circle" | ||||
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| Song by David Bowie from the album The Man Who Sold the World | ||||
| Released | November 4, 1970 (U.S.) April 1971 (UK) |
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| Recorded | Trident and Advision Studios, London 18 April - 22 May 1970 |
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| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal , progressive rock | |||
| Length | 8:05 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records | |||
| Writer | David Bowie | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| The Man Who Sold the World track listing | ||||
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"The Width of a Circle" is a song written by David Bowie in 1970 for the album The Man Who Sold the World, released later that year in the U.S. and in April 1971 in the UK. It is the opening track to the album, a hard rocker with heavy metal overtones. Bowie had performed a shorter version of the song in concerts for several months before recording it.
Featuring Mick Ronson's lead guitar work and occasional choral effects from the band, this 8-minute song is divided into two parts. The music takes on a heavy R&B quality in the second half, where the narrator enjoys a sexual encounter - with God, the Devil or some other supernatural being, according to different interpretations - in the depths of Hell.[1][2][3]
Some sources claim that the song was released as a single by RCA in Eastern Europe, with "Cygnet Committee" from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity on the B-side. However, this 'Russian' single was pressed by a fan and therefore is unofficial.
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Several live versions of the song have been released:
As well as its 1973 release as a single in Eastern Europe, the song appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie in 1974.
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