Bet you didn't see this one coming, did you? Okay, maybe if you're a Bowie fan or a music nerd.
No, David Bowie didn't record this song first. He wrote it first, though. Well, he co-wrote it with Iggy Pop. And Iggy was the first to record the song for his 1977 album, 'The Idiot'. The two wrote the song, as well as the 'Idiot' album during their time together in Berlin the late 1970s.
The song, originally titled 'Borderline', was about the feelings Iggy felt toward Kuelan Nguyen, the partner of a French singer also recording at Château d'Hérouville with Iggy and Bowie. She did not feel the same, as you might imagine.
Bowie rerecorded the song and released it as a single off of his highly successful 1983 album 'Let's Dance'. He did so to help his friend Iggy, who was experiencing financial troubles at the time. By releasing the song not only on the album, but as a successful single, Bowie was able to let Pop collect royalties as co-writer.
Sweet, isn't it?
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