Black Tie White Noise (song)


"Black Tie White Noise" is the title track from David Bowie's 1993 album of the same name. Featuring guest vocals by Al B. Sure!, it was released as a second single from the album in June 1993.

Background

The track was inspired by Bowie's stay in Los Angeles in April 1992, when the city saw race riots in reaction to the Rodney King incident. It is the epitome of its parent album's feelings towards conformity and corporations, with Benetton and the saccharine charity single "We Are the World" among the targets. Bowie would later explain that the track was concerned with the black community's own identity, and how it didn't need to be absorbed into the white community.
It is among the most jazz- and soul-influenced tracks on the album, highlighted by the key vocal of Al B. Sure!, although Lenny Kravitz was reportedly Bowie's first choice for the duet. Essentially a rhythm and Blues tune, the song ultimately reinforced the feeling of Bowie's tendency as a chameleon of musical styles.

Release

Released as the album's second single, "Black Tie White Noise" was a top 40 hit in Britain and subsequently reached No. 36 in the UK chart and No. 74 in Australia.

Video

A music video for this piece was produced by Mark Romanek, featuring a montage of African-American youth playing in urban Los Angeles, while intercut with scenes of Bowie in a blue suit with his saxophone and Al B. Sure! singing. The music video attempted to capture Bowie's image behind the song: multiple ethnic groups coexisting with their own identities, and not attempting to absorb one another.

Track listing

7" version

  1. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:10
  2. "You've Been Around" – 4:24

    12" version

  3. "Black Tie White Noise" – 8:12
  4. "Black Tie White Noise" – 7:15
  5. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:52
  6. "Black Tie White Noise" – 7:33
  7. "Black Tie White Noise" – 5:32

    CD version

  8. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:10
  9. "Black Tie White Noise" – 8:12
  10. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:03
  11. "You've Been Around" – 4:24

    US commercial CD (Savage 74785-50045-2)

  12. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:12
  13. "Black Tie White Noise" – 3:42
  14. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:03
  15. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:52
  16. "Black Tie White Noise" – 7:33
  17. "Black Tie White Noise" – 5:44
  18. "Black Tie White Noise" – 6:36

    US promo DJ 12" (Savage SADJ-50045-1)

  19. "Black Tie White Noise" – 8:12
  20. "Black Tie White Noise" – 7:33
  21. "Black Tie White Noise" – 7:15
  22. "Black Tie White Noise" – 5:44
  23. "Black Tie White Noise" – 6:36
  24. "Black Tie White Noise" – 3:45
  25. "Black Tie White Noise" – 5:32

    US promo DJ CD (Savage SADJ-50046-2)

  26. "Black Tie White Noise" – 3:43
  27. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:12
  28. "Black Tie White Noise" – 3:45
  29. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:03
  30. "Black Tie White Noise" – 4:10
Tracks #1-3 re-produced, re-arranged and mixed by Marc 'Funkyman' Paley, Raul 'DJ EFX' Recinos & Jeremy 'DJ Digit' Cowan
Track # 2 remix and additional production by John Waddell
Track # 4 remix and additional production by Al B. Sure & Timar

Charts

Credits and personnel

A sample of the first bar of the song is the basis for the song Tziporen from the 1994 album Iver be-lev yam by the Israeli singer Eran Zur.