David Bowie: "Young Americans" Single (1975)

David Bowie’s "Young Americans" backed with "Knock on Wood", was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK by RCA Records (catalog number RCA 2523) on February 21, 1975, supported by "Suffragette City" across Europe. Interestingly, outside of Europe, the single featured "Knock On Wood," which was not released as a single elsewhere, except in Australia and New Zealand.

Taken from the Album of the same name, the track was mostly recorded in August 1974 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and was debuted on the Soul tour the following month. The song featured contributions from then-unknown singer Luther Vandross, who conceived the backing vocal arrangement. An embracement of R&B and Philadelphia soul, the song presents an Englishman's impressionist portrait of America at the time, featuring various characters and allusions to American totems and events.

The song reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart but was a breakthrough in the United States, at the time becoming Bowie's second highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 28. He promoted it with an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in November 1974 and on The Cher Show the following year. Bowie performed the song on his concert tours throughout the 1980s, before retiring it after the Sound+Vision Tour in 1990. Ranked among Bowie's best songs by numerous publications, critics praise "Young Americans" as a successful transition to soul music following the artist's glam rock releases. It has since appeared on several compilation albums and was remastered in 2016 for the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.