10 Weirdest David Bowie Songs
6. Aladdin Sane - Aladdin Sane (1973)
The weirdness from the title track to Bowie's 1973 effort Aladdin Sane is provided mostly by pianist Mike Garson, as the whole piece centres around Garson's extremely unusual piano playing.
Vocally and lyrically, the song is also one of David's finest, focused on the contents of the 1930 book Vile Bodies, which Bowie was reading at the time of the song's inception as he sailed back to the UK following a tour of the USA. It is pianist Mike Garson - who was with David Bowie from 1973 on and off until the mid-2000s - who steals the show here.
Initially when asked to play a solo, Mike contributed a straight ahead blues solo to the song, which David politely disliked. After trying a more Latin style solo, Bowie asked Garson if he would try a more avant-garde solo. Mike then improvised the solo which ended up on the song in just one take, stunning Bowie in the process.
To this day, Mike Garson receives emails every single week about the song and the now iconic piano part which helped create one of David Bowie's best loved and weirdest compositions.