Album
Let’s Dance
Let's Dance is David Bowie's fifteenth studio album, released on 14 April 1983 through EMI America. He co-produced it with Nile Rodgers and recorded it in December 1982 at the Power Station in New York City. Players from Rodgers' band Chic joined the sessions, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan, then an unknown Texas blues guitarist, on lead guitar. For the first time on an album, Bowie sang and played no instruments.
The sound is post-disco, shaded with dance-rock, dance-pop and new wave. It includes covers of Iggy Pop's "China Girl" and Metro's "Criminal World", plus a reworking of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", first cut with Giorgio Moroder. The record reached number one in numerous countries and remains Bowie's best seller, helped by heavy MTV airplay for the title track and "China Girl". Reviews were mixed, and Bowie later looked back on the years that followed as his "Phil Collins years".
Let’s Dance: tracklist, credits and charts
8 tracks · 39:49Tracklist
- 1Modern LoveDavid Bowie4:48
- 2China GirlDavid Bowie and Iggy Pop5:33
- 3Let’s DanceDavid Bowie7:37
- 4Without YouDavid Bowie3:10
- 5RicochetDavid Bowie5:14
- 6Criminal WorldBrowne, Godwin, Lyons4:25
- 7Cat People (Putting Out Fire)Giorgio Moroder and David Bowie5:10
- 8Shake ItDavid Bowie3:52
- Produced by
- David Bowie, Nile Rodgers, David Bowie, Nile Rodgers
- Recorded at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Power Station, New York City
- Recorded
- December 1982
- Mixed by
- Bob Clearmountain
- Engineered by
- Bob Clearmountain
- Mastered by
- Bob Ludwig
- Artwork
- Derek Boshier, Mick Haggerty
- Photography
- Greg Gorman
- Label
- EMI America
- Length
- 39:49
Line-up
- Robert Aaron · tenor saxophone, transverse flute
- Steve Elson · baritone saxophone, transverse flute
- Sammy Figueroa · percussion, congas, tambourine, wood block
- Mac Gollehon · trumpet
- Omar Hakim · drums (drum set)
- Stan Harrison · tenor saxophone, transverse flute
- Nile Rodgers · guitar family, guitar
- Carmine Rojas · electric bass guitar, bass
- Rob Sabino · keyboard, piano, Hammond organ, analog synthesizer, organ
- Tony Thompson · drums (drum set)
- Stevie Ray Vaughan · guitar family, guitar
- Frank Simms · choir vocals, background vocals
- George Simms · choir vocals, background vocals
- David Spinner · choir vocals, background vocals
- David Bowie · lead vocals
- Bernard Edwards · bass · guest
Singles
- “Let's Dance” · 14 March 1983
- “China Girl” · 31 May 1983
- “Modern Love” · 12 September 1983
- “Without You” · November 1983 (US)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Danish Albums (IFPI) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Iceland Albums (Íslenski Listinn) · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1983–1984 | 1 |
All 27 charts
| Swedish Albums · 1983–1984 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1983–1984 | 2 |
| German Albums · 1983–1984 | 2 |
| Israeli Albums (Kol Yisrael) · 1983–1984 | 3 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1983–1984 | 3 |
| US Rock Albums (Billboard) · 1983–1984 | 3 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape · 1983–1984 | 4 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1983–1984 | 5 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1983–1984 | 6 |
| Scottish Albums · 2020 | 9 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2019 | 15 |
| Swiss Albums · 1983–1984 | 17 |
| US Rand BHip Hop · 1983–1984 | 21 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2016 | 57 |
| French Albums · 2016 | 60 |
| Italian Albums · 2016 | 78 |
| Ireland 2 · 2016 | 94 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1983 | Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Canada · 1983 | 5× Platinum |
| Denmark · 1983 | Gold |
| Finland · 1983 | Gold |
| France · 1983 | Platinum |
| Netherlands · 1983 | Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Spain · 1983 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1983 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Silver |
| United States · 1983 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
12k
ListenBrainz listeners
233k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
29k
Deezer fans (all editions)
← Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture Soundtrack (1983)Golden Years (1983) →
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1967
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1970
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1970
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1971
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1972
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1973
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1973
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1973
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1974
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1975
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1976
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1976
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1977
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1977
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1978
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1978
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1980
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1980
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1980
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1981
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1988
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1989
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1990
Early On (1964–1966)
1991
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1993
The Singles Collection
1993
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1993
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1994
RarestOneBowie
1995
1.Outside: The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle
1995
Earthling
1997
The Deram Anthology 1966–1968
1997
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1997
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1999
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2000
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2002
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A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
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More on EMI America
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 April 1983 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 April 1983 | |
| Wikidata | 14 April 1983 | |
| US release | 1983 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 April 1983 | earliest UK or European date |
34 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | EMI America | other | |
| — | US | EMI America | 07777460022 | other |
| 1983 | ES | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | XE | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | US | RCA Music Service | other | |
| 1983 | XE | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | XE | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | JP | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | — | EMI America | other | |
| 1983 | XE | EMI America | other | |
| March 1983 | US | EMI America | original | |
| March 1983 | US | EMI America | 077771709319 | original |
| 14 April 1983 | FR | Pathé Marconi EMI | other | |
| 14 April 1983 | GB | EMI America | other | |
| 14 April 1983 | XW | EMI America | 077774600224 | other |
| 21 July 1983 | JP | EMI America | other | |
| January 1984 | US | EMI America | other | |
| 1995 | US | Virgin | 724384098223 | other |
| 1995 | XE | Virgin | 724384098223 | other |
| 1995 | ZA | Virgin | 6002140711628 | other |
| 25 December 1995 | JP | Virgin | 4988006714168 | other |
| 1998 | XE | EMI | 724349309425 | other |
| 1999 | US | Parlophone | 724352189601 | other |
| 17 September 1999 | DE | EMI | 724352189601 | other |
| 17 September 1999 | FR | EMI | 724352189601 | other |
| 28 September 1999 | US | Virgin | 724352189601 | other |
| 2003 | GB | EMI | 724354331923 | other |
| 7 March 2007 | JP | 東芝EMI 株式会社 | 4988006851146 | other |
| 23 December 2009 | JP | EMI Music Japan Inc. | 4988006877245 | other |
| 15 February 2019 | XW | Parlophone | 0190295692735 | other |
| 15 February 2019 | XE | Parlophone | 0190295511197 | other |
| 15 February 2019 | XW | Parlophone | 190295671594 | remaster |
| 16 August 2019 | XW | Parlophone | 190295671600 | remaster |
| September 2025 | XW | Parlophone | 5021732851987 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 444×444 | upscaled |