15 David Bowie Songs That Showcase His True Genius

11. The Jean Genie (1973)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGQo6zpVzt8 Another year, another iconic look for Bowie. The cover of 1973's Aladdin Sane saw his angular face adorned with a lightning bolt in what is one of his most instantly recognisable album sleeves. Though it wasn't officially another Ziggy Stardust record, Aladdin Sae continued in that vein, described by the man himself as "Ziggy goes to America". It took the glam rock of his last album and gave it a tougher, harder edge, reminiscent of his work on The Man Who Sold The World. The Jean Genie is the perfect example of the album's sound, the crunching, instantly-recognisable riff brings about a chugging, blues-influenced rocker whose lyrics describe, according to Bowie, "a smorgasbord of imagined America", which fits with a lot of the album. Aladdin Sane features an out-of-place Bowie's ruminations on America, but soon enough he would be diving head first into that culture, with yet another sudden musical shift.