David Bowie: "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" Single (1974)

David Bowie’s "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" backed with "Quicksand", was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK by RCA Victor (catalog number RCA 2424) on April 11, 1974.

The song detailed Ziggy's final collapse like an old, washed-up rock star and, as such, was also the closing number of the Ziggy Stardust live show.

In April 1974, RCA, eager for new content and having already hastily released "Rebel Rebel" from the Diamond Dogs sessions, randomly selected the song for single release. Although it was two years old and already owned by most Bowie fans through Ziggy Stardust, its release was described merely as a "money-grabbing exercise." It reached only No. 22 on the UK charts, marking Bowie's first RCA single to fall short of the British Top 20 since "Changes" in January 1972.

Bob Dylan featured the song in the "Death and Taxes" episode of Season 1 of his Theme Time Radio Hour show in 2007. Afterward, Dylan reminisced about how Bowie "announced he was going to retire after the Ziggy Stardust Tour," and added, "I remember that. I advised him against it."