10 Rockers That Went Pop (And Nailed It)

It would be impossible trying to pigeonhole David Bowie into any one genre of rock and roll. Bowie always seemed to be evolving throughout his lifetime, and his musical journey had him inhabiting different sonic characters, from the mad sounds of Ziggy Stardust bringing rock and roll from space or the Thin White Duke's more sardonic take on the world through krautrock. These were all just costumes for Bowie, and Let's Dance was a suit that fill well enough to get the rest of the world's attention.

Coming out of his Berlin period, Bowie was looking to move into the world of dance music, almost taking cues from what he was doing with Young Americans in the '70s, while bringing in disco great Nile Rogers behind the mixing desk. Although a lot of songs on this record do reek of the '80s, it doesn't matter once you're locked into the performances, like the amazing horn section that closes out a song like Modern Love or the complicated jazz harmony that runs throughout the title track until Stevie Ray Vaughan blows us all away with his fiery guitar leads.

Even if this album sold in droves, this was never a style that was meant to last with Bowie for too long, quickly going into some more electronic territory on albums like Outside before going all the way back to the krautrock sounds of the Berlin trilogy years later on The Next Day. Bowie may have been selling out to some of his hardcore fans, but if selling out means that the performances were still this tight, then he could do it for as long as he wants.