🔘 Lazarus – Single: Dec. 2015 (Worldwide Digital Release)

Released: December 17, 2015 (Worldwide Digital)

Label: Columbia / ISO Records

Catalogue Number: [Digital release – no catalogue number]

David Bowie’s Lazarus was released worldwide as a digital download on December 17, 2015, serving as the second single from Blackstar. A FLAC/CDR promo followed on December 20, 2015. Premiered the same day on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq show, the track offered a haunting preview of Bowie’s final studio album.

🔘 Archival Overview

Lazarus stands as one of the defining works of Bowie’s late period, merging jazz‑rock experimentation with stark emotional clarity. Recorded with the Donny McCaslin Quartet, the track showcases Bowie’s embrace of avant‑jazz textures, angular rhythms, and atmospheric production. Issued digitally via Columbia/ISO in Europe and as a promo CDR in Japan, the single marked a pivotal moment in the Blackstar campaign.

🔘 Track Details

Lazarus – 6:22

Written by: David Bowie

Produced by: David Bowie & Tony Visconti

Recorded: The Magic Shop & Human Worldwide Studios, New York

Personnel

David Bowie — vocals

Donny McCaslin — saxophone

Tim Lefebvre — bass

Mark Guiliana — drums

Jason Lindner — keyboards

Ben Monder — guitar

Tony Visconti — production, mixing

🔘 Release Details

Label: Columbia / ISO Records

Format: Digital Single (Worldwide), Promo CDR (Japan)

Country: Worldwide

Year: 2015

Notes:

- Second single from Blackstar

- Premiered on BBC Radio 6 Music (Steve Lamacq)

- Digital release: December 17, 2015

- FLAC/CDR promo: December 20, 2015

- Jazz‑rock arrangement featuring the Donny McCaslin Quartet

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified)

Variant 1

Worldwide – Columbia/ISO – Digital Single (2015)

Format: Digital Download

Notes:

- Standard worldwide release

Variant 2

Japan – Columbia/ISO – Promo CDR (2015)

Format: CDR, Promo

Notes:

- Issued to Japanese media outlets

- FLAC master source

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

Lazarus was recorded during the Blackstar sessions in New York, where Bowie collaborated closely with jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin and his band. The track’s brooding atmosphere, shifting harmonies, and expressive saxophone lines reflect Bowie’s late‑career exploration of experimental jazz.

Press Reception

Critics praised Lazarus for its emotional intensity and bold sonic direction. The single was widely interpreted as a thematic centrepiece of Blackstar, foreshadowing the album’s meditations on mortality and transformation.

Legacy

Lazarus has become one of Bowie’s most celebrated late‑period works, standing as a profound artistic statement and a key moment in the Blackstar narrative.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

Blackstar (2015)

Next Single

I Can’t Give Everything Away (2016)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Blackstar — 2015 (single)

Lazarus — 2015

I Can’t Give Everything Away — 2016

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

2015 — Blackstar sessions completed

Dec. 17, 2015 — Lazarus digital single released

Dec. 20, 2015 — FLAC/CDR promo issued

2016 — Blackstar album released

🔘 Glam Flashback

A final transmission — Bowie’s voice drifting through jazz shadows, defiant and otherworldly.

🔘 Closing Notes

A haunting and essential preview of Blackstar, the 2015 Lazarus single captures Bowie’s late‑career brilliance, blending avant‑jazz textures with one of his most emotionally resonant performances.

🔘 Sources

Discogs

Columbia / ISO Records

Bowie archival documentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8