10 Perfect Rock Songs That Were Written By Someone Else
3. It Ain't Easy - David Bowie
Both the albums Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust seem to have a distinct connection in David Bowie's body of work. Whereas Hunky made the sort of camp sounding sounds that David was known for, he was slowly developing the character of Ziggy to go beyond the realm of just a bunch of songs pressed onto vinyl. Ziggy had to be a rock legend, and that meant that we had to break out the guitars and get a little bit nasty.
After having your traditional Bowie-style wonder on tracks like Moonage Daydream and Five Years, It Ain't Easy is a welcome departure, showing the struggles that Ziggy has as a rock and roll star while also having a dash of the blues to keep everything rooted in rock's tradition. Bowie may very well have had a blues phase in his time with songs like The Jean Genie, but the man behind this song is actually Rod Davies, who's original version almost seems folksy compared to what Bowie eventually did with it.
This was meant to be a kind of space age sounding record, and hearing them rework this song into a bluesy rock jam makes you feel like you're watching Ziggy perform in the middle of a dingy club. If anything, this might be the greatest turning point on the album towards something a little more raw. The title track and Suffragette City may lean harder on the rock side of the spectrum, but It Ain't Easy is where Ziggy really cut his teeth.