Shadow Man (song)

David Bowie recorded an unfinished version of "Shadow Man" at Trident Studios in London during the sessions for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on 15 November 1971, the same day as "It's Gonna Rain Again" and the final take of "Five Years". The recording was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and featured contributions from Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars—Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass) and Woody Woodmansey (drums).{{sfn|Cann|2010|p=231}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}} It remained unreleased until 2024, when a composite of two different takes from the Ziggy sessions was included on the Rock 'n' Roll Star! box set, with new reverb from Scott.{{cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Paul |title=David Bowie / Rock 'n' Roll Star! |url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/david-bowie-rock-n-roll-star/ |website=Super Deluxe Edition |access-date=30 December 2024 |date=21 March 2024}}{{cite magazine |last=Paytress |first=Mark |title=David Bowie Rock 'N' Roll Star Review: Five-disc dive into Ziggy Stardust shines new light on Bowie's greatest creation |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/david-bowie-rock-n-roll-star-review/ |magazine=Mojo |access-date=30 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222180257/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/david-bowie-rock-n-roll-star-review/ |archive-date=22 December 2024 |date=14 June 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |title=David Bowie's 'Rock 'N' Roll Star' Box Set Chronicles the Rise of Ziggy Stardust |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/david-bowie-ziggy-stardust-rock-n-roll-star-box-set-review-1235039698/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=30 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126172505/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/david-bowie-ziggy-stardust-rock-n-roll-star-box-set-review-1235039698/ |archive-date=26 November 2024 |date=14 June 2024 |url-status=live}}

Lyrically, "Shadow Man" discusses themes of self-identity and doubling, as well as the impact one's present self has on their future lives; Bowie explained in 1989 that "it's a reference to one's own shadow self".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=239–240}} Some commentators linked the themes to Carl Jung's concept of the Shadow, a central theme in his depth psychology framework. Jung wrote, "...in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness—or perhaps because of this—the shadow is the seat of creativity". Australian visual artist Tanja Stark acknowledged this as a component of the psyche, recognizing its dual capacity, from a Jungian perspective to be "foe" or "friend". In this framework, the "girl up ahead who knows" in the lyric could represent the role of the anima.{{cite book |last=Stark |first=Tanja |date=22 June 2015 |title=Crashing Out with Sylvian: David Bowie, Carl Jung and the Unconscious" in Deveroux, E., M.Power and A. Dillane (eds.) David Bowie: Critical Perspectives |publisher=Routledge Press |pages=82–110 |url=https://tanjastark.com/2015/06/22/crashing-out-with-sylvian-david-bowie-carl-jung-and-the-unconscious/ |access-date=4 December 2016}} In a later writeup, Helen Brown of The Independent noted that as its author was "on the verge of developing so many alter egos", one can suspect the "shadow man" to be the young "shy, suburban Davy Jones lurking behind his extreme, stagey persona". Bowie's biographers have noted the track's similar introspective and melancholic themes to Space Oddity-era tracks like "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (1969) and "Conversation Piece" (1970), or the unreleased "Time of My Life".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=239–240}}

Musically, the song is a folk ballad that, like other Bowie compositions of the time, is influenced by songwriter Biff Rose's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side (1968), particularly its closing track "The Man"; Bowie also covered the same album's "Fill Your Heart" on 1971's Hunky Dory.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=239–240}} The author Peter Doggett compares its sound to the Rolling Stones in 1971 – "elongated southern (US) vocals and swaggering power chords".{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=163}} The biographer Chris O'Leary believes its style and lyrical content would have been unfit for the Ziggy Stardust album.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Shadow Man

| cover =

| alt =

| type = song

| artist = David Bowie

| album = Toy

| released = {{start date|2021|11|19|df=y}}

| recorded = July–October 2000

| studio = Sear Sound and Looking Glass, New York City

| genre =

| length = {{duration|m=4|s=40}}

| label =

• ISO
• Parlophone

| writer = David Bowie

| producer = David Bowie, Mark Plati

}}

Almost thirty years later, Bowie re-recorded "Shadow Man" during the sessions for the Toy project between July and October 2000, along with other tracks he wrote and recorded between 1964 and 1971, including "Conversation Piece". The lineup consisted of the members of Bowie's then-touring band: guitarist Earl Slick, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, pianist Mike Garson, musician Mark Plati and drummer Sterling Campbell.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=438–440}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 11}} With co-production from Bowie and Plati, the band rehearsed the songs at Sear Sound Studios in New York City before recording them as live tracks.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=488–489}} Plati stated that he refused to listen to Bowie's original recordings of the tracks, so to prevent the originals from influencing his playing on the new versions.{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=David Bowie's Lost Album 'Toy' Emerges From the Vaults |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowie-lost-album-toy-box-set-1232175/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=26 December 2021 |date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929142802/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowie-lost-album-toy-box-set-1232175/ |url-status=live}} Overdubs were recorded at New York's Looking Glass Studios.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=438–440}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 11}} For "Shadow Man", Bowie slowed the tempo down and added a string section arranged by Visconti, giving it, in O'Leary's words, "a dreamy, languid atmosphere".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}

Toy was initially intended for release in March 2001, before it was shelved by EMI/Virgin due to financial issues.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=438–440}} So, Bowie departed the label and recorded his next album Heathen (2002). The remake of "Shadow Man" subsequently appeared as on some formats of the "Slow Burn" single in 2002 and as a B-side of "Everyone Says 'Hi'" in the UK. In 2006, Garson posted a different mix on his MySpace page, featuring brighter acoustic guitar and different vocal effects. Yet another mix was leaked online in March 2011,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=239–240}} attracting media attention.{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Sean |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/23/david-bowie-toy-album-leak |title=David Bowie's unreleased album Toy leaks online |website=The Guardian |access-date=5 April 2011 |date=23 March 2011 |archive-date=2 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102033324/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/23/david-bowie-toy-album-leak |url-status=live}}{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Perpetua |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/unreleased-david-bowie-lp-toy-leaks-online-20110322 |title=Unreleased David Bowie LP 'Toy' Leaks Online |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=22 March 2011 |access-date=5 April 2011 |archive-date=23 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123045347/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/unreleased-david-bowie-lp-toy-leaks-online-20110322 |url-status=live}} In his book The Complete David Bowie, Pegg praises the Toy remake as "outstanding" and for Bowie's vocal performance, summarising: "After thirty years in the wilderness, 'Shadow Man' was brought to fruition in one of the most beautiful recordings of Bowie's career."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=239–240}} Meanwhile, author Paul Trynka describes the track as "a near masterpiece": an "obscure, largely forgotten work [that] illustrated the quality and breadth of the song catalogue [Bowie had] built up over the 35 years."{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=457}} Mojo magazine also listed the Toy recording as Bowie's 71st best song in 2015.{{cite journal|title=David Bowie – The 100 Greatest Songs|url=https://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#bowie100|journal=Mojo|date=February 2015|issue=255|access-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909224148/https://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html|archive-date=9 September 2021|url-status=usurped|via=rocklist.net}}

On 29 September 2021, Warner Music Group announced that Toy would get an official release on 26 November as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) through ISO and Parlophone.{{Cite web |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=29 September 2021 |title=David Bowie: unreleased 2001 album Toy to get official issue |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/29/david-bowie-unreleased-2001-album-toy-to-get-official-issue |access-date=29 September 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929141225/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/29/david-bowie-unreleased-2001-album-toy-to-get-official-issue |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |title=Lost 2001 David Bowie Album 'Toy' Set For Release |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/david-bowie-lost-album-toy-release-9637894/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=26 December 2021 |date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=13 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213210730/https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/david-bowie-lost-album-toy-release-9637894/ |url-status=live }} A separate deluxe edition, titled Toy:Box, was released on 7 January 2022,{{cite web |last=Whitaker |first=Marisa |title=Previously Unreleased David Bowie Album Toy to Arrive Next Year |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/09/unreleased-david-bowie-album-toy-will-be-released-next-year/ |website=Spin |access-date=26 December 2021 |date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=14 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014140407/https://www.spin.com/2021/09/unreleased-david-bowie-album-toy-will-be-released-next-year/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=David Bowie: 'Lost' album Toy set for birthday release |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58739175 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=26 December 2021 |date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929164100/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58739175 |url-status=live }} containing two new mixes of the song: an "alternative mix" and an "Unplugged and Somewhat Slightly Electric" mix, featuring new guitar parts by Plati and Slick.{{cite web |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2021/9/29/brilliant-adventure-and-toy-press-release |title=Brilliant Adventure and TOY press release |website=David Bowie Official Website |date=29 September 2021 |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929141118/https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2021/9/29/brilliant-adventure-and-toy-press-release |url-status=live }} The "Unplugged and Somewhat Slightly Electric" mix of "Shadow Man" was released as a single on streaming services on 6 January.{{cite web |title=Shadow Man streaming single and lyric video |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2022/1/6/shadow-man-streaming-single-and-lyric-video |website=David Bowie Official Website |access-date=7 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106210906/https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2022/1/6/shadow-man-streaming-single-and-lyric-video |archive-date=6 January 2022 |date=6 January 2022 |url-status=live}} Reviewing Toy, The Guardian{{'s}} Alexis Petridis praised "Shadow Man" as one of the album's highlights, calling it "an impossibly beautiful piano ballad".{{cite web |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |title=David Bowie: Toy review – 1960s gems polished on lost album |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/25/david-bowie-toy-review-1960s-gems-polished-on-lost-album |website=The Guardian |access-date=25 December 2021 |date=25 November 2021 |archive-date=24 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224185440/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/25/david-bowie-toy-review-1960s-gems-polished-on-lost-album |url-status=live }} In The Independent, Brown declared Bowie's vocal performance the album's "most theatrical", further calling it "wolflike".{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Helen |title=David Bowie review, Toy: Alive with the sound of a band in their prime |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/david-bowie-review-toy-boxset-b1963681.html |website=The Independent |access-date=26 December 2021 |date=25 November 2021 |archive-date=22 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222174854/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/david-bowie-review-toy-boxset-b1963681.html |url-status=live }}

According to Chris O'Leary:{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 5}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Original version

• David Bowie – lead vocal, 12-string acoustic guitar
• Mick Ronson – electric guitar, piano
• Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
• Mick Woodmansey – drums

Technical

• David Bowie – producer
• Ken Scott – producer, engineer
• Dennis MacKay – engineer

{{col-2}}

Toy version

• David Bowie – lead vocal
• Earl Slick – "ambient" guitar
• Mark Plati – acoustic guitar
• Mike Garson – keyboards
• Gail Ann Dorsey – bass, vocals
• Sterling Campbell – drums
• Lisa Germano – violin
• Unknown musicians – strings
• Tony Visconti – string arrangement

Technical

• David Bowie – producer
• Mark Plati – producer
• Pete Keppler – engineer

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book |last=Buckley |first=David |year=2005 |orig-year=1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London |publisher=Virgin Books|isbn=978-0-75351-002-5}}
• {{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 |last=Doggett |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Doggett |year=2012 |title=The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e27t-ag4NakC |location=New York City |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |isbn=978-0-06-202466-4}}
• {{cite book |last=O'Leary |first=Chris |title=Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggTmBwAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=Zero Books |location=Winchester |isbn=978-1-78099-244-0}}
• {{cite book |last=O'Leary |first=Chris |title=Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016 |year=2019 |publisher=Repeater |location=London |isbn=978-1-91224-830-8}}
• {{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=Trynka |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Trynka |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}}

{{Ziggy Stardust}}

{{David Bowie singles}}

{{Jung}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadow Man (Song)}}

Category:David Bowie songs

Category:Songs written by David Bowie

Category:1971 songs

Category:2002 songs

Category:2021 songs