Beauty and the Beast Single: 1978

A Heroes-Era Dark Glam Cut

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on January 13, 1978, on RCA Records (catalog number PB 1190), David Bowie’s “Beauty and the Beast” — backed with “Sense of Doubt” — was a brooding, experimental track from the Heroes album. Produced by Bowie, Tony Visconti, and Brian Eno, this dark glam single entered the UK Singles Chart on January 21, 1978, peaked at No. 39, and charted for 3 weeks. A Berlin Trilogy gem.

The opening music, a disjointed combination of piano, guitar, electronics and voice rising in a steady crescendo, has been described as sounding like "Bowie is about to turn into The Incredible Hulk before your very ears". The song proper features Robert Fripp on lead guitar, with treatments and synthesizer work by Brian Eno. Fripp has stated that his guitar work on the track is a first take made straight upon arrival at the studio.

The lyrics have been interpreted as a look back at Bowie's severe mood swings during his cocaine addiction while living in Los Angeles from 1975 to 1976, with the line "Thank God Heaven left us standing on our feet" suggesting the singer's gratitude for making it through that period. The phrase "someone fetch a priest" alludes not to a desire for religious succour but to co-producer Tony Visconti's frequent expletive during the recording sessions for "Heroes", "someone f... a priest".

Single Overview

Release Details

Label: RCA Records.

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single.

Full Track Listing

Side A

Beauty and the Beast

Side B

Sense of Doubt

Production and Context

Produced by David Bowie, Tony Visconti, and Brian Eno. From Heroes (1977). Berlin-era experimental rock.

Official Singles Chart Data

Peak position: 39

3 weeks – entry January 21, 1978

Do you have Beauty and the Beast in your vinyl stack? Ready for the beast? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube

Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information, mistakes do happen. Simply leave a comment and the post will be updated. Thank you.