Man Who Sold the World

“The Man Who Sold the World” is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was the title track of Bowie’s third studio album and was released in November 1970 in the US and in April 1971 in the UK by Mercury Records.

Produced by Tony Visconti, the track was recorded at Trident and Advision Studios in London in May 1970, towards the end of the album’s recording sessions. Bowie recorded his vocal on the final day of mixing for the album, reflecting his generally dismissive attitude during the sessions. Musically, it is based around a “circular” guitar riff from Mick Ronson. Its lyrics are cryptic and evocative, being inspired by numerous poems, including the 1899 “Antigonish” by William Hughes Mearns. Bowie’s vocals are heavily “phased” throughout and have been described as “haunting”.

“… don’t be afraid to screw up !… one of the key issues to learning is making mistakes … if you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably not having a very good time” – Robben Ford