Rebel Rebel#Other releases

{{Short description|1974 song by David Bowie}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Rebel Rebel

| cover = Rebel Rebel by David Bowie UK vinyl pressing.png

| alt =

| caption = Side A of the mid-1970s UK vinyl pressing

| type = single

| artist = David Bowie

| album = Diamond Dogs

| B-side = Queen Bitch

| released = {{start date|1974|2|15|df=yes}} (UK)

| recorded = December 1973 – January 1974

| studio =

| genre = {{hlist|Glam rock{{cite news|first=Jon|last=Savage|author-link=Jon Savage|title=The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/01/20-best-glam-rock-songs-all-time|date=1 February 2013|access-date=31 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826005937/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/01/20-best-glam-rock-songs-all-time|archive-date=26 August 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-singles-ranked/|title=Every David Bowie Single Ranked|last=Gallucci|first=Michael|date=17 July 2024|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=2 January 2025|quote=...["Rebel Rebel"] quickly became a glam-rock call-to-arms and one of Bowie's best-ever singles.}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GxYiAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA285 |title=Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era|last=Pollock|first=Bruce|publisher=Routledge |date=2014|isbn=978-1-135-46296-3|page=294}}|proto-punk{{cite book|last=Greene|first=Lora|title=Combat Rock: A History of Punk (From Its Origins to the Present)|date=2012|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=978-1478305637|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LtKQqq9AvUUC&q=rebel+rebel+protopunk&pg=PT15|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919113624/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LtKQqq9AvUUC&pg=PT15&lpg=PT15&dq=rebel+rebel+protopunk&source=bl&ots=PhSfTnvx2d&sig=wyRQUh8rmarQSgiWeX6rFtnfcMo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMjp3sysbOAhWmJMAKHd9RC78Q6AEIQTAF#v=onepage&q=rebel%20rebel%20protopunk&f=false|archive-date=19 September 2016|url-status=live}}}}

| length = {{duration|m=4|s=20}} (UK single)

| label = RCA

| writer = David Bowie

| producer = David Bowie

| prev_title = Sorrow

| prev_year = 1973

| next_title = Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

| next_year = 1974

| misc =

}}

"Rebel Rebel" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK on 15 February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album Diamond Dogs. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctive guitar riff reminiscent of the Rolling Stones. Cited as his most-covered track, "Rebel Rebel" has been described as Bowie's farewell to the glam rock movement{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=246}} that he had helped initiate, as well as being a proto-punk track. Two versions of the song were recorded: the well-known UK single release and the shorter US single release, which featured added background vocals, extra percussion and a new arrangement.

Upon its release, the song was a commercial success, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song received critical acclaim for its central guitar riff and strength as a glam anthem. Several publications consider it to be one of Bowie's greatest songs. It was performed live by Bowie during many of his concert tours and since appeared on many compilation albums. It was remastered in 2016 as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.

Background

Originally planned in late 1973 as part of an aborted Ziggy Stardust musical,{{sfn|Buckley|1999|p=140}} "Rebel Rebel" was Bowie's last single in his signature glam rock style.Mat Snow (2007). "Hang on to Yourself", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: p.51{{sfn|Buckley|1999|pp=210–217}} It was also his first hit since 1969 not to feature lead guitarist Mick Ronson; Bowie played guitar himself on this and almost all the other tracks on Diamond Dogs, producing what NME critics Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray called "a rocking dirty noise that owed as much to Keith Richards as it did to the departed Ronno".{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|p=60}} Singer-songwriter Jayne County, who was a cast member of Pork and among Bowie's entourage for two years, maintains that her 1973 song "Queenage Baby", which included the lyric "can't tell whether she's a boy or a girl", was an influence for "Rebel Rebel".{{cite web| last=Thompson| first=Dave| title=Wayne County at the Trucks! – Jayne County| publisher=AllMusic| url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wayne-county-at-the-trucks%21-mw0000811588| access-date=2 February 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011224241/http://www.allmusic.com/album/wayne-county-at-the-trucks%21-mw0000811588| archive-date=11 October 2016| url-status=live}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}}

Recording and composition

Recording for "Rebel Rebel" began at a solo session at Trident Studios in London in the week after Christmas 1973. It was Bowie's last known visit to Trident, his principal recording studio since 1968.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} The recording was completed in January 1974 at Ludolph Studios in Nederhorst den Berg, Netherlands.{{cite web|url=http://www.perfects.nl/weblog/aardappels-david-bowie/|language=nl|title=Aardappels voor David Bowie|trans-title=Potatoes for David Bowie|first=Norbert|last=Pek|date=3 October 2013|website=www.perfects.nl|access-date=11 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129163655/http://www.perfects.nl/weblog/aardappels-david-bowie/|archive-date=29 January 2016|url-status=live}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|p=330}} In the studio, Bowie informed bassist Herbie Flowers and guest guitarist Alan Parker that he wanted it to "sound like the Stones", before he picked up Parker's black Les Paul and played it to them. Parker then completed it, before the rest of the backing track was recorded. {{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=245–246}}

According to biographer Marc Spitz, the lyrics of "Rebel Rebel" revisit familiar Bowie territory, featuring "a 'hot' young 'tramp' worrying his or her parents with his or her sexy nihilism", are reflected by the line "You got a few lines and a handful of 'ludes'."{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=232}} Even though the world is ending, the "Rebel" doesn't care, suggesting "we like dancing and we look divine."{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=232}} It also features gender-bending lyrics ("You got your mother in a whirl / She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl"). According to author Peter Doggett, in the context of Diamond Dogs, the song serves as a "musical continuation" between the "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)" medley: it begins with a D to E chord change that was prefigured with a bass guitar slide that constructed the medley's final "chaotic" moments.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=238}}

The song's distinctive guitar riff is described by rock journalist Kris Needs as "a classic stick-in-the-head like the Stones' 'Satisfaction'".Kris Needs (1983). Bowie: A Celebration: p.29 The riff's chords are D, E, and A and were created by Bowie and enhanced by Parker, who, according to Doggett, added the "downward trail" at the end of each line.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=238}} Paul Trynka writes that Parker added "a particular chord shape rather than the original single note just before the chord change and a distinctive 'beeeoonng' in the last line of the chorus just as [Bowie] sings 'I love you so'."{{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=245–246}} Bowie later said, "It's a fabulous riff! Just fabulous! When I stumbled onto it, it was 'Oh, thank you!{{'}}"{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} Parker later said Bowie came up with the Stones-like riff to "piss off" Mick Jagger.{{cite web |title=David Bowie wrote 'Rebel Rebel' "to piss Mick Jagger off" |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/david-bowie-wrote-rebel-rebel-to-piss-mick-jagger-off-11918/ |website=Uncut |access-date=2 February 2020 |date=26 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103195315/https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/david-bowie-wrote-rebel-rebel-to-piss-mick-jagger-off-11918 |archive-date=3 November 2019 |url-status=live }} Parker was upset upon learning he was uncredited on the final version. He stated: "I can tell my own playing, and my own sound, and I know it's me." Flowers further recalled: "David played the riff to Alan, Alan made sure it was good enough to record, then [Alan] played it."{{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=245–246}} Although O'Leary compliments the riff, he notes that with Ronson's absence, it gets "run into the ground"; throughout the song's over four-minute runtime, the riff is solely absent in the two bridges and the "hot tramp" lines.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|p=299}}

Release

"Rebel Rebel" was released on 15 February 1974 in the UK by RCA Records (as LPB05009) as the lead single of Diamond Dogs with the Hunky Dory song "Queen Bitch" as the B-side.{{Cite AV media notes|title="Rebel Rebel"|others=David Bowie|year=1974|publisher=RCA Records|location=UK|type=Single liner notes|id=LPB05009}} The B-side, according to Spitz, was selected by RCA to provide the label with some "much needed fiscal plasma".{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=231}} The single quickly became a glam anthem, the female equivalent of Bowie's earlier hit for Mott the Hoople, "All the Young Dudes".{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|p=60}} It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The original UK single version had a slightly different mix than the album version; the album mix was the only mix to appear on compilation albums,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} until the single mix appeared on Re:Call 2, as part of the 2016 box set Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976).{{cite AV media notes|title=Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)|others=David Bowie|year=2016|publisher=Parlophone|location=UK, Europe & US|type=Box set booklet|id=0190295989842}} The UK single mix was again remastered in 2019 and released on digital media streaming services.{{Cite AV media notes|title="Rebel Rebel (Original Single Mix) [2019 Remaster]"|others=David Bowie|year=2019|publisher=Parlophone|location=US|type=Digital media notes|id=none}}

=US single=

"Rebel Rebel" was released as a single with a different mix in the US and Mexico in May 1974, with "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side.{{cite web |title=Rebel Rebel 45 is forty five today |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2019/2/15/rebel-rebel-45-is-forty-five-today |website=David Bowie Official Website |access-date=3 February 2020 |date=15 February 2019}} According to Doggett, Bowie was not satisfied with creating an enduring "dance-floor anthem",{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=239}} so he recorded a new mix in New York in April 1974,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=222}} which Doggett calls a "Latin dub mix" that was over two decades ahead of its time.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=239}} The US mix is shorter (2:58) and more uptempo, dense and camp than the UK single, featuring "sine waves" of percussion{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=239}} by Geoff MacCormack, an original backing vocal line that is preceded by a "rush of backward echo", acoustic guitar and a new arrangement that buries the signature riff beneath phasing.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=239}} According to Pegg, the US mix begins at the first "hot tramp" lyric at the 1:20 mark in the original UK mix.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} Within a couple of months, it was withdrawn and replaced by the UK single version, but the same arrangement was used on Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, appearing on its live album David Live (1974).

Reception

The song has received critical acclaim for its guitar riff and strength as a glam anthem, being described as a fitting farewell to Bowie's glam era. Marc Spitz praised the song in the biography Bowie: A Biography, calling the riff "magnificent" and Bowie's "last great glitter anthem".{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=390}} He also described the song as Bowie's most "pure and lasting rocker" when mentioning the artist's early 2000s re-recorded version for his 2003 album Reality.{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=390}} Cash Box said that this was "Bowie's best single ever," describing it as a "strong rocker with incredible hooks throughout."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=May 18, 1974|page=20|accessdate=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-05-18.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}} Record World said that Bowie "integrates the aura of the American disco-right on down to castinets into his multi-sensual sound."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 18, 1974|accessdate=2023-03-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/74/RW-1974-05-18.pdf}} Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, in his review of Diamond Dogs, called the song "tight" and "sexy" and one of Bowie's best, although he felt the song did not contribute to the overall theme of the album.{{cite web |last1=Erelwine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=Diamond Dogs – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/diamond-dogs-mw0000597759 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322154020/https://www.allmusic.com/album/diamond-dogs-mw0000597759 |archive-date=22 March 2019 |url-status=live }} Dave Thompson, also of AllMusic, described "Rebel Rebel" as one of Bowie's most "playful" numbers and considered it a fitting farewell to the artist's glam rock era and, in a way, to "the entire glam movement which Bowie created", as well as indicating the direction his career was taking.{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Dave |title="Rebel Rebel" – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/rebel-rebel-mt0054050633 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531183640/https://www.allmusic.com/song/rebel-rebel-mt0054050633 |archive-date=31 May 2019 |url-status=live }} Barry Walters of Pitchfork, in a review of Diamond Dogs following Bowie's death, praised the song's "glorious" guitar riff, its "stomping beat", the "hot tramp" lyric pause between both and their "return".{{cite web |last1=Walters |first1=Barry |title=David Bowie: Diamond Dogs Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21477-diamond-dogs/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=3 February 2020 |date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230022210/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21477-diamond-dogs/ |archive-date=30 December 2019 |url-status=live }} Walters continued, "If Bowie often drifted above listeners' heads, here he shoots straight at their solar plexus and scores with what ranks among the greatest, most insistent riffs of the '70s. Rockers who'd dismissed Bowie as a dandy now gave the dude a pass." Journalist C. M. Crockford of punknews.org called "Rebel Rebel"'s guitar riff the best Bowie ever wrote, and a fitting end to his glam rock era.{{cite web|last=Crockford|first=C. M.|url=https://www.punknews.org/review/13273/david-bowie-diamond-dogs|title=David Bowie – Diamond Dogs|website=Punknews.org|date=12 January 2015|access-date=11 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228040059/https://www.punknews.org/review/13273/david-bowie-diamond-dogs|archive-date=28 February 2021}}

Following Bowie's death in 2016, Rolling Stone listed "Rebel Rebel" as one of his 30 essential songs.{{cite magazine |title=David Bowie: 30 Essential Songs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/david-bowie-30-essential-songs-33438/rebel-rebel-1974-2-154240/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2 February 2020 |date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210052722/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/david-bowie-30-essential-songs-33438/rebel-rebel-1974-2-154240/ |archive-date=10 December 2019 |url-status=live }} Spencer Kaufman of Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the song at number seven on his list of Bowie's 10 greatest songs, praising its guitar riff – "one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history" – and as a glam rock anthem, writing, "the tune serves as the perfect bridge between the Rolling Stones and punk rock."{{cite web |last1=Kaufman |first1=Spencer |title=Top 10 David Bowie Songs |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-david-bowie-songs/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=2 February 2020 |date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231194433/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-david-bowie-songs/ |archive-date=31 December 2019 |url-status=live }} In 2018, the writers of NME listed "Rebel Rebel" as Bowie's fifth greatest song. They praised the "heaven-sent" riff and also believed it to be reminiscent of the Rolling Stones.{{cite web |last1=Barker |first1=Emily |title=David Bowie's 40 greatest songs – as decided by NME and friends |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/david-bowie-s-40-greatest-songs-as-decided-by-nme-and-friends-1418012 |website=NME |access-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103063248/https://www.nme.com/photos/david-bowie-s-40-greatest-songs-as-decided-by-nme-and-friends-1418012 |archive-date=3 November 2019 |date=8 January 2018}} Jon Savage of The Guardian, in his list of the 20 best glam-rock songs of all time, ranked the US version of the single at number 18.

Live performances

File:David Bowie - TopPop 1974 06.png's TopPop {{nowrap|in 1974.}} The song introduced what author Nicholas Pegg called Bowie's short-lived "pirate image".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}}]]

On 14 February 1974, Bowie recorded a lip synced performance of "Rebel Rebel" at Hilversum's Avro Studio 2 for the Dutch television programme Top Pop. Broadcast two days later, it featured Bowie superimposed over flashing disco lights "by the miracle of chromakey" and donning what Pegg called his short-lived "pirate image" – a spotted neckerchief and a black eye-patch. Bowie later recalled:{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}}

{{block quote|I had conjunctivitis, so I made the most of it and dressed like a pirate. Just stopped short of the parrot! I had this most incredible jacket that I was wearing that night. It was a bottle-green bolero jacket that Freddi [Burretti] made for me and he got an artist to paint, using the appliqué technique, this supergirl from a Russian comic on the back. Anyway, I did a press conference and performed 'Rebel Rebel' on Dutch television with a bright red Fender Stratocaster. But I took the jacket off during the press conference and somebody stole it. I was really pissed off.}}

Following the performance, the pirate look, along with the Ziggy Stardust hairstyle, was ditched in favour of the "swept-back parting and double-breasted suits" of the Diamond Dogs Tour. The Top Pop clip later became the song's semi-official video.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}}

The song was a standard of Bowie's concerts from the Diamond Dogs Tour to the Sound+Vision Tour. For his performance at Live Aid in 1985, Bowie performed a saxophone-heavy version.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} After retiring the song on his Sound+Vision Tour in 1990, Bowie restored "Rebel Rebel" for the "Hours..." Tour. In early 2003, he recorded a new version, featuring an arrangement by Mark Plati without the original's reference to quaaludes. This was issued on a bonus disc that came with some versions of Reality the same year and on the 30th Anniversary Edition of Diamond Dogs in 2004. In 2004 the track was blended in a mash-up with the Reality song "Never Get Old"; the result was issued as the single "Rebel Never Gets Old".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=220–221}}

"We love David Bowie", commented Jane's Addiction front-man Perry Farrell in 2001. "Given the length of his career, I'm stunned that he still pushes things musically. But, please, please, David, can you sing 'Rebel Rebel' still?"{{cite magazine|first= Chris |last= Ingham |title= Breaking the habit |magazine= Classic Rock |issue= 30 |date= August 2001 |page= 62}}

Live versions of the song by Bowie have been released on David Live,{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=David Live – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/david-live-mw0000033632 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424115457/https://www.allmusic.com/album/david-live-mw0000033632 |archive-date=24 April 2019 |url-status=live }} A Reality Tour (recorded 2003),{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=A Reality Tour – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-reality-tour-mw0001401403 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424115504/https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-reality-tour-mw0001401403 |archive-date=24 April 2019 |url-status=live }} Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74),{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-cracked-actor-live-los-angeles-74/ | title=David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74) Album Review | website=Pitchfork | date=29 June 2017 | access-date=10 July 2017 | last=Randle | first=Chris | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711225233/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-cracked-actor-live-los-angeles-74/ | archive-date=11 July 2017 | url-status=live }} Live Nassau Coliseum '76,{{cite web |title=Live Nassau Coliseum '76 – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-nassau-coliseum-76-mw0003015315 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117143208/https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-nassau-coliseum-76-mw0003015315 |archive-date=17 November 2019 |url-status=live }} Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78),{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/welcome-to-the-blackout-live-london-78-mw0003173016 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117143206/https://www.allmusic.com/album/welcome-to-the-blackout-live-london-78-mw0003173016 |archive-date=17 November 2019 |url-status=live }} Glastonbury 2000,{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title=David Bowie: Glastonbury 2000 Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-glastonbury-2000/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=14 March 2020 |date=5 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711093411/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-glastonbury-2000/ |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live }} Serious Moonlight (Live '83) and Glass Spider (Live Montreal '87), which were both part of the box set Loving the Alien (1983–1988),{{cite AV media notes|title=Loving the Alien (1983–1988)|others=David Bowie|year=2018|publisher=Parlophone|location=UK, Europe & US|type=Box set booklet|id=0190295693534}} and I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74).{{cite web |title=I'm Only Dancing for Record Store Day 2020 |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2020/2/19/im-only-dancing-for-record-store-day-2020 |website=David Bowie Official Website |access-date=31 October 2020 |date=19 February 2020 |archive-date=18 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418032903/https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2020/2/19/im-only-dancing-for-record-store-day-2020 |url-status=live }}

Legacy

"Rebel Rebel" has appeared on several compilation albums, the first being ChangesoneBowie in 1976.{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Dave |title=ChangesOneBowie – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/changesonebowie-mw0000836716 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=4 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218221725/https://www.allmusic.com/album/changesonebowie-mw0000836716 |archive-date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live }} It was also remastered in 2016, along with the entire Diamond Dogs album, as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set. The rare US single version was included on Sound + Vision, the bonus disc of the 30th Anniversary Edition of Diamond Dogs, and Re:Call 2. The song's original UK single mix appeared on Re:Call 2; however, it was sourced not from the original analog tape, but rather from a pristine 7-inch single, as the tape was thought to be lost.{{Cite web|url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2019/5/24/dogs-45th-red-vinyl-and-original-rebel-digital-out-now|title=Dogs 45th red vinyl and original Rebel digital out now|website=David Bowie|date=24 May 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=25 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525053129/https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2019/5/24/dogs-45th-red-vinyl-and-original-rebel-digital-out-now|archive-date=25 May 2019|url-status=live}} The original single mix was released again on 24 May 2019 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Diamond Dogs album, this time sourced from the original tape, which had been recovered since the release of Who Can I Be Now?

The track is cited by Nicholas Pegg as Bowie's most-covered track.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=221–223}} A cover version by Dead or Alive was released as a single in 1994, under the name International Crysis, and peaked at number 76 on the UK Singles Chart. American country music singer Chris Young sampled the song's guitar riff for his 2023 song "Young Love & Saturday Nights".{{cite magazine |last1=Browne |first1=David |title=David Bowie 'Co-Wrote' a New Country Song. Wait, What? |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/david-bowie-rebel-rebel-country-song-nashville-chris-young-1234796360/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=17 January 2024 |date=31 July 2023}}

Track listing

All songs written by David Bowie.

  1. "Rebel Rebel" – 4:20
  2. "Queen Bitch" – 3:13

The U.S. version of the single, also released in Canada and Mexico, had "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side.

Personnel

According to Kevin Cann:{{sfn|Cann|2010|p=322}}

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+David Bowie version

Chart (1974)

!Peak
position

Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web |url=https://e.snmc.io/i/fullres/w/0d2c87e89241ea463c90b349a07e6534/11240717 |title=5KA The Chart - 26 April, 1974}}

|align="center"|28

{{singlechart|Wallonia|6|song=Rebel Rebel|artist=David Bowie|access-date=September 12, 2020}}
align="left"|Canada (RPM){{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/70s/1974/RPM-1974-07-27.pdf |title=RPM Top Singles |magazine=RPM|date=27 July 1974 |volume=21 |number=23 |page=9 |via=worldradiohistory.com}}

|align="center"|30

Denmark (Årets Singlehitliste){{cite web|title= Danske Hitlister |website= Danskehitlister.dk |url= http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=726 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160411230535/http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=726 |archive-date= 11 Apr 2016}}

|align="center"|2

align="left"|Dutch Singles Chart{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=David+Bowie|title=David+Bowie Discografie David Bowie|work=Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch)|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607034528/http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=David+Bowie|archive-date=7 June 2017|url-status=live}}

|align="center"|8

align="left"|Finnish Singles Chart{{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=37 |title=Finnish Singles Chart 1974}}

|align="center"|7

align="left"|French Singles Chart{{cite web|url=https://laurentpons.com/charts/france/top40tmp670.htm |title=French Singles Chart 21 April, 1974}}

|align="center"|7

align="left"|German Singles Chart{{cite web| url=http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/BOWIE%2C+DAVID/single| title=Chartverfolgung / Bowie, David / Single| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322143640/http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/BOWIE,+DAVID/single | archive-date=22 March 2012 |work=Musicline.de (in German) | access-date=13 March 2009}}

|align="center"|33

{{singlechart|Ireland2|2|song=Rebel Rebel|access-date=January 7, 2020}}
{{singlechart|Dutch40|12|artist=David Bowie|song=Rebel Rebel|access-date=October 7, 2023}}
{{singlechart|Norway|9|song=Rebel Rebel|artist=David Bowie|access-date=September 12, 2020}}
UK Singles Chart{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |title=Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com |date=23 February 1974 |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419054305/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |archive-date=19 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

| style="text-align:center;"|5

US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine |title="Rebel Rebel" Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-bowie/chart-history/hsi/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=9 February 2020}}

| style="text-align:center;"|64

US Billboard Rock Songs{{cite magazine |title=David Bowie Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-bowie/chart-history/ark/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=7 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223152509/https://www.billboard.com/music/david-bowie/chart-history/ARK |archive-date=23 December 2019 |url-status=live }}

|align="center"|16

US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19740720.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 20, 1974 |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204220234/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19740720.html |archive-date=4 February 2011 |url-status=live }}

|align="center"|53

class="wikitable"
Chart (2016)

!Peak
position

Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan){{Cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/215?dspy=2016&dspp=2|title=Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 2, 2016|language=sv|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|access-date=2 May 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|14

UK Singles Chart{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |title=Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com |date=21 January 2016 |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419054305/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |archive-date=19 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

| style="text-align:center;"|65

class="wikitable"

|+Dead or Alive (under the moniker "International Crysis")

Chart (1994)

!Peak
position

Australia (ARIA Charts){{cite Ryan|page=137}}

| style="text-align:center;"|97

UK Singles Chart{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |title=Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com |date=25 June 1994 |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419054305/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rebel-rebel/ |archive-date=19 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

| style="text-align:center;"|76

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=David Bowie|title=Rebel Rebel|award=Gold|relyear=1974|certyear=2018|access-date=8 January 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=David Bowie|title=Rebel rebel|type=single|certyear=2021|award=Platinum|source=radioscope|access-date=18 January 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1974|certyear=2024|artist=David Bowie|title=Rebel Rebel|accessdate=25 January 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=David Bowie|title=Rebel Rebel|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2023|id=14905-2269-1|access-date=24 September 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

{{col-end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

=Bibliography=

{{Refbegin|30em}}

  • {{cite book|last=Buckley |first=David |year=1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=978-1-85227-784-0 }}
  • {{cite book|last=Cann |first=Kevin |year=2010 |title=Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974 |publisher=Adelita |isbn=978-0-95520-177-6 }}
  • {{cite book|last1=Carr |first1=Roy|author-link1=Roy Carr |last2=Murray |first2=Charles Shaar| author-link2=Charles Shaar Murray |year=1981 |title=Bowie: An Illustrated Record |publisher=Eel Pie Publishing |isbn=978-0-38077-966-6}}
  • {{cite book|last=Doggett |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Doggett |year=2012 |title=The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |isbn=978-0-06-202466-4 }}
  • {{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
  • {{cite book| last=O'Leary |first=Chris |year=2015 |title=Rebel Rebel |publisher=Zero Books |isbn=978-1-78099-244-0}}
  • {{cite book |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=Titan Books |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated }}
  • {{cite book|last=Spitz |first=Marc |author-link1=Marc Spitz |title=Bowie: A Biography |publisher=Crown Publishing Group |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-307-71699-6|title-link=Bowie: A Biography |location=New York }}
  • {{cite book|last=Trynka |first=Paul |year=2011 |title=David Bowie – Starman: The Definitive Biography |location=New York City|publisher=Little, Brown and Company |isbn=978-0-31603-225-4}}

{{Refend|30em}}