10 Rock Songs That Took Shots At Other Artists

After bringing rock theatrics to the max in the '70s, David Bowie seemed like a rock star tailor made for the '80s. Coming off of his run of albums in his Berlin period, his transition to the neon styles of the next decade fit perfectly with his penchant for the over the top side of music. He did pick up a few copycats along the way, and The Thin White Duke wasn't exactly shy about calling them out.

Once you get past some of the more danceable elements of Scary Monsters and Super Creeps, Teenage Wildlife actually has a pointed statement behind it, as Bowie goes after some of the synth pioneers that are riding the coattails that he rode in on. Though there's been debate as to who Bowie was talking about at the time, Wildlife seems to have its sights focused squarely on Gary Numan, who was becoming a pop star in his own right with the same kind of otherworldly image that wouldn't have been that out of place coming from Ziggy Stardust just a few years before.

If anything did come of it though, Bowie seemed to chalk it up as water under the bridge, quickly going in a different direction and making his own pop smash with Let's Dance just a few years later. Sure, Bowie may have had copycats from time to time, but there's no reason to dwell on it when your sound can change from day to day.